Willy 
Canna-Bliss
Willy here! I’ve got some great beverage recipes I’d love to share! Yes, they are cannabis recipes. In fact, they are very healthy and stony at the same time. Cannabis has many health benefits but is healthiest when eaten. Whether raw or cooked, it is chockfull of antioxidants that our bodies need. There are also essential vitamins:
- Vitamin K (essential for blood clotting)
- Vitamin C (essential for immune systems)
- Iron (essential for blood oxygenation)
- Calcium (essential for bones)
- Folate (essential for DNA repair)
- Fiber (essential for a healthy diet)
Medicinally there are many benefits to consuming cannabis:
- Act as an anti-inflammatory agent
- Prevent chronic illness
- Help to prevent cancer
- Maintain the immune system
- Help to treat an autoimmune disorder
- Improve bone function
- Improve the nervous system
- Help to treat neurologic problems
- Effective treatment for seizure
- Eases migraines
- Effectively treats glaucoma
- Relieves the effect of chemotherapy
- Helps to treat multiple sclerosis
- Aids in overcoming the premenstrual syndrome
- Relieves anxiety
- Inhibits the growth of bad bacteria
- protect the heart from Ischemic disease
- The list goes on!
The National Cancer Institute finally updated its website a couple of years ago. It now reflects the fact that cannabis isn’t just effective in helping eliminate the symptoms that result from cancer treatment, but that it can actually be used to fight cancer. In clinical studies on living animals, researchers found that cannabinoids were able to isolate and eliminate cancer cells.
Cooking With Cannabis
In the past humans would just add in herb or hash to any recipe. I’m going to break down the art of decarboxylation. Here in the Chef-Worm kitchen we simply call this essential step “Decarbing”. Simply put we use low heat for an extended period of time to convert the cannabinoid THCA into THC, the cannabinoid known for its psychoactive effects. Without decarboxylation, you end up with inferior drinkables and edibles.
Fresh buds can easily be decarbed in the right conditions. It’s a good way to preserve more terpenes. Think about the smell of fresh vs. dried flowers. Decarbing fresh bud takes the same amount of time as cured bud. Some folks will tell you dried and cured herb is decarbed. That is untrue. If you ever vaporized flower, then you have seen and tasted decarbed cannabis. In fact, most avid cannabis vaporizers save up “spent” flowers in a jar for cooking later. Essentially getting high off the same bud twice. My favorite decarbing method by far.
On to the process…
Most ovens are finicky and range in temperature. You may need to adjust according to your oven. High CBD strains tend to decarb a bit slower than those with high THC content. Preheat oven to 220°F. Decarb high THC strains by baking them for 10-15 minutes. Bake CBD strains for 15-25 minutes. To decarb kief or hash, bake it for 20 minutes. This converts THCA into THC. Some people will say higher temps or longer times. I tend to find specific strains I enjoy cooking with, decarb them and jar it for the kitchen.
By preserving decarbed herb in a jar I’m given the opportunity to create various medicines. Edibles, drinkables, topicals, etc. As previously mentioned, if you vaporize cannabis you are creating decarbed herb. Save all your spent flowers in a jar for the kitchen! There is a tell-tale “burnt popcorn” smell. At first sent of this, your herb is decarbed. Go beyond it, then you fucked up homie.
Dank Tea
Drinking cannabis gives you stronger effects faster than eating. This method is also stronger than smoking. I pair my beverages with other spices and herbs. I do this for added flavor and health. The aromatic compounds that make cannabis and the spices taste delicious are made of molecules that contain a structure known as a benzene ring. This means they dissolve the best in alcohol or fats. Both these recipes have been used in some format by humans for centuries. I’ve only adjusted to my family’s taste. I encourage you to experiment and do the same! I’ve tried many variations, this just happens to be the family favorite. One is a hot version, the other a cold version.
The first step is to create our herb and spice mixture. This starts with dried spices you can buy in bulk. You add in your decarbed buds to create the base of our dank tea. This can also be used in cooking. I enjoy adding it to lamb in particular.
Dank Spice
- 30 g. dried rose petals
- 125 g. whole dried ginger or ginger powder
- 50 g. cinnamon sticks or ground
- 70 g. whole cardamom seeds
- 7 g. whole cloves
- 5 g. nutmeg
- 10 g. dried orange peel
- 28 g. decarboxylated cannabis
- 60 g. whole black peppercorn
If not purchased as powders, you will need to grind and powderise ingredients. Once powdered, blend together and store in a jar. This is preparation for future drinks or edibles. A very useful aromatic blend of spices and herbs, each with there own benefit.
Recipe 1: Dank Tea
This is the hot tea recipe. it is extremely delicious, aromatic, and warming. The recipe is for one serving, you can adjust accordingly. I recommend Pu-ehr tea or black tea. If you are sensitive to caffeine I recommend Roibois tea, its just as tasty and has added health benefits.
- 1/2 Coconut milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 to 2 tsp. sugar/honey
- 1 tsp. loose tea leaves (or 3 tea bags)
- 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. dank spice depending on your tolerance
- Put 2 pots on your stove, one for the water, one for the coconut milk
- Turn heat on for both, allow water to boil, add dank spice to the coco milk
- Keep coconut milk at a low temp
- Bring water to a boil, remove from heat add the tea, allow it to steep
- Once steeped strain tea from water or remove bags
- Using a tea strainer, strain coconut milk while blending into strained tea
- Enjoy!
Recipe 2: Dank Shake
This is cold and almost more of a milkshake than a tea. You will be using the recipe above. Once you’ve reached step seven, you will jar and cool your dank tea. While its cooling soak the nuts included in this recipe. Soaking nuts can greatly increase their nutrient content.
- 1 cup Dank Tea
- 1 cup plain or vanilla yogurt
- 2 Tbsp soaked almonds, cashews, and pistachios
- A mango or handful of fresh frozen fruit (we like frozen mango chunks)
- 1 tbsp rosewater
- A generous amount of hemp seeds
- 1 tsp honey/sugar
- Pinch of saffron
- Optional Coconut milk for desired thickness
- Be sure your Dank tea has had time to cool off and your nuts have had time to soak
- Add all ingredients to a blender
- Blend ingredients, adding in coconut milk if you want it thinner
- Serve and enjoy! Maybe even garnish with hempseed, nuts, and saffron, or a cannabis leaf!
Oh my heart melts from this article!