[E]njoy, It’s Legal,” reads the banner for Mirth Provision’s line of bottled cold-brewed coffee laced with Washington-grown cannabis extract.
Taking advantage of marijuana’s recent legalization in the state, with marketing toasting “widespread joy,” “unprecedented chillness,” and Pink Floyd, Legal is not an unprecedented product per say (with edible and drinkable goods getting the THC-treatment in Colorado for some time), but it’s place in the burgeoning cold-brewed coffee market is certainly unique.
“We just really like the smoother flavor of cold-brew,” says Legal founder Adam Stites. “We thought it was a more interesting product, and it blends nicely with the sativa strains we use.”
If you’re wondering what a coffee and pot drink feels like, it’s in the name: mirth. The labeling on Legal makes it pretty clear that a bottle will leave you euphoric, buzzed, and, well, high. With branding focused on happiness, many may want to partake, but you have to be over twenty-one to buy Legal, and for now, it’s only legal in Washington due to the state’s strict marijuana laws.
When Initiative 502 passed in Washington in November of 2012, many were surprised. “These things are always on the ballot, but when I saw the election returns come in my jaw dropped,” says Adam. “I thought, ‘This is actually going to happen.’” For Adam, that shock quickly turned to entrepreneurial esprit. The e-commerce professional assembled a beverage formulation team, pulling in experts with backgrounds in coffee and tea, and began testing different coffees in his kitchen. Mirth Provision’s full line includes cannabis-infused sodas (pomegranate, lemon ginger, and Rainier cherry), a signature cold brew, and cold brew with milk and sugar.
