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You may have already missed your chance to taste the “pot coffee” you heard about in downtown Denver. CanBria Cafe, located in the lobby of the cannabis-friendly Nativ Hotel at Wazee and 16th streets, opened earlier this month with a menu of gourmet coffee drinks, which included lattes made with options like soy, coconut, or hemp milk, as well as unflavored, vanilla, and peppermint cannabidiol (CBD) oil. But if you visit the café today, you can only order a regular latte, because the marijuana extracts are currently on hold pending legal action.
“Pot coffee,” the latest offering in Denver’s great marijuana experiment, is not the most accurate description of the drinks previously included on CanBria’s menu. CBD is extracted from marijuana, but contains none of the psychoactive properties of THC—the part of pot that gets you (or your, ahem, friend) high.
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In other words, you won’t feel any effect from these lattes. But they are delicious, and while you’re getting your caffeine fix, some research indicates you may also be getting a dose of antioxidants and antidepressants. Some CBD users report that it reduces anxiety and increases alertness, while others think it cures disease.
CanBria’s friendly baristas can provide guidance on custom orders, but the cafe’s signature drink is the coconilla latte, made with coconut milk and vanilla CBD. If it ever reappears on the menu, expect to pay about double what you would for a regular flavored latte because of the added dose of CBD.
The cafe also makes its own mocha and offers stevia syrup, local honey, and agave options for the health-conscious connoisseurs. The CBD oils, added to the drinks like any other flavored syrup, are also sweetened with stevia. CanBria serves limited breakfast foods, including waffles (yes, one included CBD as an ingredient) and mimosas. Terpenes, essential oils found in both marijuana and coffee, are still available at CanBria and are recommended as an addition to the cafe’s range of teas. CanBria’s carefully designed menu and funky, open environment make the atmosphere something of a cross between a wellness spa and a brewery.
Companies in other states, like Mirth Provisions in Washington and Compelling & Rich in California, have also experimented with selling cannabis-infused coffee (Mirth even infuses their cold brew with THC). But CBD is still classified as a Schedule I drug by the Drug Enforcement Administration, despite its lack of psychotropic effects. According to sources at the café, CBD extracts might return along with a slightly changed menu later this summer once the legal questions are resolved.
For now, CanBria offers both a patio and plenty of comfy indoor seating thanks to its location in the hotel lobby. And the coffee service, while cannabis-free, is still pretty darn good.
Visit: CanBria is located in the lobby of the Nativ Hotel at 1612 Wazee St.; 720-485-6450