Budding marijuana business gives new meaning to ‘coffee pot’

The legalization of marijuana in Washington will bring with it a variety of new products and ways to get high. One aspiring marijuana mogul is giving new meaning to the term “coffee pot.”

Adam Stites of Longview, Wash. has come up with a line of cold-brewed coffee-infused drinks he cleverly calls “Legal” beverages. And there’s no doubt about its intended effects.

“The coffee drinks give you an uplifting head high. We call it the wake and bake drink,” he says. Stites says the cold brewed cannabis beverage could be a first, and he’s experimented for some time to come up with the right combination.

Each bottle features about 20 mg of THC, which Stites says is intended to be enough to give consumers a pleasant effect without getting them completely blasted.

“We want the experience to be more similar to that if you had a nice IPA or glass of wine. We don’t want to pack so much THC into every one of our drinks that it’s unpleasant, especially for people that are just getting into marijuana,” he says.

The coffee-infused drinks will come in plain and with cream and sugar. “Legal” will also feature three juice-based sparkling sodas:
Rainier Cherry, Lemon Ginger and Pomegranate. Each is made with fresh juices and a different strain of cannabis for differing effects.

The beverages will be regulated by the state, just like any other marijuana product. Stites has applied for a producer and processor license and expects approval pending final state inspection in the next few weeks. He says pricing is still to be determined, based on how many retail marijuana stores carry the drinks.

“We can produce several hundred bottles per hour, so the question for us really is how quickly are these retail stores going to be open. But we’re really excited.”