Talk about high tea.
A Williamsburg pot-trepreneur is launching a new line of weed-infused herbal teas that he claims will mellow drinkers out without getting them stoned — or arrested.
“This is great for those who want to remain functional throughout their day, while receiving some of the therapeutic benefits of the cannabis plant,” said Michael Christopher who founded his company Loft Tea earlier this year. “And you cannot overdose from it!”
Christopher imports green stuff from Denmark and the Netherlands that he claims is already naturally rich in the remedial part of the plant that fights inflammation and anxiety and low in the part that gets users high. But to make extra sure no one gets baked, he says he extracts only the non-psychoactive parts of the plant to infuse with his teas, which he will sell both in loose-leaf form as well as in bottled beverages.
The bud-ding entrepreneur got into the ganja game working at a company called the Bureau, which makes high-end smoking accoutrements such as sleek herb containers and fancy rolling papers. He realized most of the products in the growing and increasingly-legal pot industry were marketed to young dudes, and decided to create something that would appeal to a moms and health nuts instead of traditional tokers.
“I realized that in order for our industry to grow to its potential, there would need to be products that people like our mothers or significant others feel comfortable holding in their hand and telling their friends about,” Christopher said.
For now, he plans to win over those markets with claims that his bud-infused brews boost metabolism, and give drinkers more energy and focus during the day while helping them sleep peacefully at night.
But as weed laws loosen up around the country, Christopher says he may also branch out into pot-teas that retain their natural buzz. He is currently eyeing Nevada and Colorado as a testing ground for the doped-up drinks, and said the high-bations would spread on a state-by-state basis as new legislation takes effect.
“That’s definitely something on our road map,” he said.
Until then, people can pre-order Loft Tea’s products online for an expected December delivery, or look out for them on the shelves of Brooklyn health food stores starting in January.
