Tastebudz Curate the Entourage Effect

Anyone who has indulged in edibles before usually has a funny story about their first time or discovering their limit. While studies keep proving the medicinal benefits of eating cannabis and CBD, it is still always possible to have a bad experience or overindulge. This is because your body metabolizes cannabis differently through digestion compared to inhalation. 

Those who partake in edible consumption can enjoy a plethora of options in every dispensary, from gummies to chocolate bars and everything in between. The legal production of edibles requires ingredients and measurements listed; however, the variety and consistency of the cannabis oils used within each product are not always there. TasteBudz founders saw this as an opportunity and decided to create their own brand that focuses on the individual experience that each strain can provide. 

“We really wanted to take advantage of what we call the ‘entourage effect’ with our THC oil,” TasteBudz Co-founder Brooks Allman says. “To start that, we wanted to fundamentally change it a little bit, where I would say 95 percent of the current edible manufacturers in the space just wholesale their oil in from distillate suppliers.”

They saw an opportunity to advance this business practice by developing uniquely curated cannabis products. To do this, they started with the extraction process. 

“After a lot of research, we found that we preferred CO2 extraction,” Allman says. “When we brought our extractor in-house, we found that we could really dial in exactly what we wanted to see in our oil, so we have a proprietary pressure and temperature that we set our machine to. We did a lot of research and development in that and found the perfect area.”

Distillate oil is often more potent; however, CO2 oil often has more cannabinoids and carries a better flavor, making it ideal for edibles. It all comes down to preference, and the general public may not even notice the difference, but TasteBudz had discovered that their CO2 extractions were much higher in various cannabinoids beyond THC.  

“When we would test our products, we would find that there would be noticeable amounts of different cannabinoids,” he says. “When we started getting into the different strains that we were running, we would find that there were lots of different cannabinoids per each strain.”

This led to their discovery that each strain could cater to a new experience, similar to how smoking various strains do. Edible companies were not tapping into this, though. This is how TasteBudz developed their “entourage effect,” making edibles a strain-based experience. 

“We would use each individual strain’s entourage effect and use that as the fundamentals of the feeling and experience behind that specific strain,” Allman explains. 

“What differentiates us from other companies is, you’ll see a lot of the larger companies say, ‘OK, we offer indica, sativa, and hybrid,’ where we thought that was a little broad, I would say. It’s hard to categorize thousands and thousands of different strains and say, ‘Hey, no matter what, if you eat a sativa, if you eat an indica, or if you eat a hybrid, it’s always going to have the same effect.’”

As I went to sample a TasteBudz gummy, I knew I needed to dedicate my entire night to the experience. I am what you would call a “lightweight” when it comes to eating edibles. 

The strain I got to try, Blue Poison, was labeled as a sativa, which I have found to prefer when smoking because I generally feel more creative. I popped the watermelon-flavored gummy into my mouth, and the first burst of flavor was enjoyable. 

The gummy was easy to chew, and I immediately noticed the flavor profile to be better than most. The cannabis flavor was there, but it was much lighter than usual. When eating a cannabis-infused candy, I want to know it’s there; however, I want to also enjoy the candy flavor rather than a cannabis taste. The aftertaste was pleasant, and I waited for the effects to kick in. 

A few hours later, I had forgotten about the edible. My mood was mellow, and I enjoyed whipping up a creative pasta dish I had never made before. Sativa is often marketed as a more energized high, but I was mostly relaxed. I enjoyed an elevated meal experience, and then indulged in a psychological thriller on Netflix. I easily fell asleep later that night, compared with my average nights, when I often struggle with insomnia. 

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The next morning I was refreshed, and thought back to what Allman explained in regards to sativa-versus-indica. He explained how other companies are labeling their products as sativa, indica, or hybrid based on terpene profiles, but when it comes to all the strains used, there are sometimes both in one recipe. Rather than relying on the marketing push of what defines sativa versus indica, they defined their edibles versus competitors by diving into the specific ingredients. 

“It’s our responsibility as manufacturers to make sure that the general public is getting the correct information, and I think it’s a little bit too broad to say, ‘Hey, if you eat this, you’re going to go to bed,’ because I, personally, have smoked and consumed indicas and not felt tired,” Allman says. 

“So, what we did was then take each strain, and then put them on the back of our bottle to make sure that people know and are familiar with an experience that is unique to the cannabinoids found in each particular strain.”

TasteBudz has redefined the customer experience when it comes to eating edibles. If someone reaches out, they provide them with as much information as they can so the customer can base their personal experience with various strains.

“I provide our cannabinoid test to them via email so they can really look at the different cannabinoids that maybe they had a better experience with, and really can dial in exactly what they like.” 

Even as a founder of an edible company, Allman still only eats 10 mg at a time. He said he has discovered his personal favorite strain is Durban Poison.

“I think it’s because I like THC-V. It’s a cannabinoid that I personally like, and some of our Durban Poison has pulled upwards of 7 percent THC-V.” 

With this new research and strain profile data, consumers can make informed decisions on their preferences. As the future of cannabis research continues to unfold, it is clear generic labeling of sativa versus indica will fade, and detailed ingredient data will be the future. TasteBudz plans to be a leader in educating the public on consumption and knowledge and promises to continue to create consistent and high-quality products.