Product Review: Kiva Micro-dosed Moroccan Mints

About Kiva

Some brands stick around because they never change (and that’s how their customers like it) and some brands stick around because they always change (and that’s how their customers like it). Kiva most proudly fits in with the latter as their long-running relevance in the edibles game has only gotten better over time.  Coming up on 12 years of dedicated and innovative service to the cannabis community, Kiva now proliferates into a wide spectrum of medicated noms. From a colorful rainbow of chocolates to an impressive spread of innovative, manageably dosed bites Kiva keeps things interesting.

Most recently blossoming into vegan iterations of their beloved and wildly popular Camino Gummies, Kiva continues to expand how you can deliciously down your weed. With wide range of flavors and cannabinoid and terpene combinations, Camino gummies even branch out into seasonal fare-I was lucky enough to try the pitch-perfect festivity of Camino’s Limited Edition Blood Orange Gummies and I can assure you they are preceded by absolutely right-sized hype. Kiva pops up on dispensary shelves all across the city of Lost Angeles which is awesome for a family-owned brand. 

Drawing on locally grown cannabis and sustainably sourced food, Kiva nails artisanal standards at a modest price.  This deliberate decision-making also shines through in their commitment to and successful execution of reliable and gentle dosing. All of their edibles are dosed at 5mg of THC or less per serving and some make further division even easier-Camino gummies are conveniently perforated to be split in half for example. Consistent and concise dosing is something the cannabis consumer has craved for decades and marketing has learned to center their pitch on it but Kiva is one of the few that actually delivers.

Highlights

Kiva’s Petra Mints are pioneers in the cannabis micro-dosing space and for that, they have my eternal gratitude. Although some CBD-rich gummies will throw in a milli of THC just for fun, with a small handful of exceptions 2.5mgs is the lowest denomination of munchable dosing in the game. As micro-dosing psychedelics becomes more en vogue, cannabis dosing is primed to do the same. So what is the value of micro-dosing cannabis?

Like psilocybin, eating cannabis can be overwhelming for some of our bodies and psyches. As more information emerges on the healing potential of cannabis more research is focused on the oceanic boundlessness it can offer. If you’re curious, yes it is as fun as it sounds. As attested to by mystics, meditators, and psychedelic enthusiasts alike, “oceanic boundlessness” is the term researchers apply to the limitlessness experienced with the realization that there is nothing solid and unchanging that may be truthfully and accurately defined as a separate self. There is the ceaseless and ever-expanding flow of all that is. And nothing else. 

If you want a more actionable way into this concept consider the following exercises (and if you are working through or a survivor of severe, prolonged, or developmental trauma this might be one for you to skip). Sit with your feet flat on the group and back straight against solid support and set a timer for 3 minutes. For these 3 minutes try to focus only on one mental image or one phrase of mental talk. Most likely you will find that both come and go, arise and pass, amass and dissolve several times over the course of 3 minutes. Our thoughts are always changing. Try the same with physical sensation. Again we find that itches, spasms, aches pop up and disappear often in a short amount of time. Every seven years all of the cells in our body are replaced and in what amounts to less than a grain in the sands of time our body will return to the earth when we move beyond our human form. 

So if there are no consistent thoughts, emotions, or body parts that define us over a meaningful amount of time-what, then, are we? Just another square in the infinite tapestry of All-That-Is expressing itself. Alice Walker has a gorgeous poem about water: 

When you see water in a stream
you say: oh, this is stream
water;
When you see water in the river
you say: oh, this is water
of the river;
When you see ocean
water
you say: This is the ocean’s
water!
But actually, water is always
only itself
and does not belong
to any of these containers
though it creates them.
And so it is with you.

And this speaks directly to the boundlessness of our ocean-ness. When you remember that we are all the same stardust in different clothes, the ideas, and beliefs that previously defined you become minuscule in comparison to the wide expanse of beingness. And if that idea scares you-if you are loathe to zoom out into the big picture and would rather hold on tight to an unchanging “me” this can be a deeply unpleasant experience. However, when you seek refuge from your microscopically negligible hang-ups this can be a revolutionary path to freedom. The trick is finding the right balance for you.

Microdosing-either psychedelics and/or cannabis-affords the user the opportunity for gentle, progressive baby steps towards the right mix of “me” ness and boundlessness. Getting too high can be one of the worst feelings in the world and accidentally stumbling into Englightenment is not a party either. Take agency and use your own inner compass to decide whether you’re more comfortable on the shore or interested in a deep dive.