Key Takeaways:
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Chocolate edibles are infused chocolates made by mixing cannabis extract (like hemp-derived THC) into traditional chocolate-making techniques.
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Chocolate edibles and gummies are equally effective methods for ingesting cannabis.
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Brands like Kiva provide craft-quality chocolate infused with hemp-derived THC.
We’ve spent a lot of time on this blog talking about the ways to consume hemp-derived THC. But one thing we haven’t done a deep dive on yet? Chocolate.
Delicious, easy to dose, and fun to mix into other recipes, infused chocolate is perfect for anyone who wants to elevate the experience of having a sweet treat. So if you’re looking to branch out and try chocolate edibles, here’s everything you need to know.
Kiva Chocolate Edibles: A Quick History Lesson
Before getting into all the sweet details of chocolate edibles, a quick history lesson about Kiva and chocolate edibles is in order. Long before we ever began crafting the best gummies on the market under our Camino brand, Kiva’s founders started making THC-infused chocolate bars in their home kitchen in 2010. Since then, Kiva’s established a reputation for making high-quality THC-infused products with consistent potency and flavor.
While Camino’s hemp-derived THC gummies have since boomed in popularity, a return to the Kiva roots is in order, with the launch of our new hemp-derived THC dark chocolate bar.
All that’s to say: At Kiva, we know cannabis, and we definitely know chocolate.
What Are Chocolate Edibles?
It seems obvious enough: you mix THC into a chocolate bar and voilà, right? At the simplest level, that’s not far off, but behind the scenes, there’s way more to it. Let’s take a look at what exactly goes into making chocolate edibles.
Types of Chocolate Edibles
When you start shopping for chocolate edibles, you’ll typically come across two types of products: 1. chocolate bars, and 2. individual chocolate pieces (like a chocolate square or individually packaged shaped pieces).
While there isn’t a specific shape and size that’s best, it is important to always read the label, because that tiny little star-shaped chocolate could be just as potent as a full-sized bar — meaning you definitely don’t want to pop the whole thing at once!
Chocolate Edible Ingredients
Making premium hemp-derived THC chocolate doesn’t require a laundry list of ingredients, but there are a few main ingredients you’ll consistently see:
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Cannabis Extract: Sure, all chocolate bars are edible, but not all chocolate bars are edibles. Depending on where you live, the cannabis extract will be some form of THC (like hemp-derived THC) and/or CBD.
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Chocolate: Or more specifically, the ingredients that are behind chocolate. That usually means cocoa, cocoa butter, and sugar for dark chocolate (plus milk or cream for milk chocolate).
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Other flavorings: While classic dark and milk chocolate are good enough to keep us coming back, a little variety never hurt anyone. On top of the chocolate basics, you’ll also find additional ingredients like vanilla, alongside flavorings like mint or berries.
How Chocolate Edibles Are Made
Making chocolate edibles is more than melting some cannabis in chocolate — it’s a craft process. Here’s how it’s done:
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Decarboxylation (aka Decarbing): Without getting too into the weeds (no pun intended), decarbing is a necessary step in which exposing raw cannabis material to high temperatures over time changes cannabinoids like THCA and CBDA into THC and CBD (losing the “A”), which ensures the desired effects are present in the edible.
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Cannabis Extraction: Extracting hemp-derived THC can be accomplished through a few different techniques, with the most popular being extraction by solvent, distillation, or CO2.
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Mixing Cannabis Extract with Melted Chocolate: Once the chocolate is melted at a controlled temperature (to prevent burning), cannabis extract is gradually mixed in to ensure even distribution. This is also when ratios of extract and chocolate will be monitored and adjusted to help control potency.
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Tempering: Tempering chocolate is what separates masterfully crafted chocolate bars from at-home DIY chocolate disasters. Carefully heating and cooling the chocolate is what gives it that beautiful sheen and snapping consistency. And as a plus, it helps keep it from melting as easily as untempered chocolate!
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Molding and Cooling: Once chocolate edibles are tempered, they’re put into the desired molds (to create the final shape) and cooled into solid, ready-to-eat chocolate.
Consuming Cannabis Chocolates
When unwrapping a chocolate edible, it’s good to keep a couple of things in mind before you pop a square into your mouth to help ensure you have the best experience. Let’s take a look at how to properly dose chocolates and how they differ from other edibles like gummies.
Chocolate Edible Dosage and Potency
Paying attention to how many milligrams of hemp-derived THC are in an edible is always important, but it is especially so when it comes to chocolate edibles. With chocolates, figuring out what a single serving is can get a little fuzzy. That’s because chocolates aren’t always pre-scored, meaning it isn’t super clear how strong a single bite or piece is going to be. So, when you see a chocolate edible that has 100mg THC per package, you’ll have to mentally put together how much you want to have for your desired experience (i.e., how big a bite is 10mg?).
This obviously isn’t much of a problem when buying high-quality chocolate bars from reputable brands like Kiva, since they’ll be scored into individual pieces, but beware of single-piece chocolates or bars that aren’t pre-divided!
Want to know more about dosage? Check out our full guide to edible dosage.
Chocolate Edibles vs. Gummies
There are some scenarios in life where you can’t go wrong — choosing between a gummy or a chocolate edible is one of those decisions.
Picking up on the above dosage section, it’s worth noting that with gummies, a single gummy is usually a serving, which corresponds to a regular dose. Compare that to chocolate, which can be less clear when it comes to dosage, depending on the product and brand. Two rules always ring true when it comes to edibles: 1. Always read the packaging carefully; and 2. Start low and go slow!
Other than a potential difference in ease of dosage, the main difference between a gummy and a chocolate is simply which treat you’re in the mood for!
How to Enjoy Your Chocolate Treat
One of the cool things about chocolate edibles is the number of ways in which you can actually consume them. Obviously, breaking off a piece of your favorite bar is straightforward and easy, but who doesn’t like to branch out every once in a while? Here are a few quick ways to enjoy your chocolate treat:
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Hot Cocoa: Weather cooling down, and the holidays are around the corner? Use your favorite chocolate bar to make some delicious cannabis-infused hot cocoa. Melt one square of chocolate into your favorite hot cocoa mix for an extra decadent (in more ways than one) treat.
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Baked Goods: Have a favorite regular baked good that calls for chocolate and would benefit from a little hemp-derived THC boost? Use a chocolate edible to use in baked cookies or other sweet treats.
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Chocolate-dipped strawberries: How about a classic with a hemp-derived THC twist? Melt down a classic cannabis-infused dark chocolate bar and dip some strawberries in it for extra special chocolate-dipped strawberries.
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Right out of the package: Or, just enjoy your chocolate edible one piece (or rather one dose) at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Chocolate Edibles
Are Chocolate Edibles Stronger Than Gummies?
If the total amount of hemp-derived THC is the same, then technically, a chocolate edible will be the same “strength” as a gummy. The reason some people find chocolates to be “stronger” is likely due to the fact that gummies are quite consistent in their dosing piece to piece, whereas chocolate can be slightly harder to control or measure out if not in the form of pre-marked bars from a reputable brand.
How Much of a Chocolate Edible Should I Take?
First, and most importantly: read the package! This will let you know the total mg of hemp-derived THC in the chocolate. If the chocolate doesn’t have individually measured out pieces, try to measure how much you want based on the total hemp-derived THC content. For example, if you have a 100mg bar and want 10mg, try to break the bar into 10 equal pieces and then have a single piece.
Where Can I Buy High-Quality Chocolate Edibles?
If you’re a chocolate lover, you know not all chocolate is made equal. Honestly, the same goes for edibles. That’s why Kiva has built its reputation on creating the best edibles with the highest quality ingredients and the most rigorous testing standards (check out our certificates of analysis if you’re curious— a reputable brand should always provide them). If you're looking to get your chocolate fix, look no further than Kiva’s hemp-derived THC dark chocolate bars. Made with premium cacao, premium hemp, and craft-level chocolate.
Cyrus Grant is a writer from Southern California with a background in law and dispute resolution. When he isn’t writing, he can be found deep-diving into the latest technology trends or simply spending time at the beach.
Sources
Extraction Explained: What Happens to In-Process Hemp Products?
