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Most wake-and-bake enthusiasts already know: Not only does cannabis provide a rose-colored lens through which to view your morning, it also goes really well with coffee. Like, really well.
That’s because, like cannabis, coffee is rich in terpenes that can enrich and/or mitigate a proper morning buzz. Furthermore, coffee tempers our endocannabinoid receptors in ways that might keep that morning high from spinning into a heavy-lidded magic carpet ride.
There’s a grass-demitasse combo for nearly every waking, baking, coffee-partaking stoner out there, and with International Coffee Day arriving on Oct. 1, now’s a great time to explore some primo pairings.
WW examined a handful of the highest-rated strains for greeting the dawn and cross-referenced their terpene profiles against the tasting notes of a few of the city’s most beloved neighborhood roasts.
The Bud: Peanut Butter Souffle
The Brew: Water Avenue Dollar For Blend (milk chocolate, navel orange, and hazelnut tasting notes)
Bred from a cross of Do-Si-Dos and Lava Cake, Peanut Butter Souffle is a punchy hybrid with a smooth, nutty mouthfeel and a perfume that does indeed suggest a stiff whiff of Skippy. With or without coffee, users report dynamic, eye-opening sativa effects that are great for supporting energetic mornings, especially for those who wake and bake to jump into a daybreak workout.
So, if your ideal morning is a powerfully spaced-out stationary bike ride or creative cardio yoga, this might be the strain-brew blend for you. Bonus: Water Avenue donates $4 from every bag of Dollar For blend directly to Dollar For, a nonprofit that advocates for families with overwhelming medical expenses.
Get it from: Kaleafa, 11821 NE Glisan St., 503-902-4265, kaleafa.com.
The Bud: Agent Orange
The Brew: Never Coffee Flowers Blend (honey, stone fruit, date tasting notes)
Agent Orange is an uplifting hybrid with a bright, citrusy nose and a tangy-sweet exhale. This cultivar’s dominant terpene is myrcene: a zesty, grassy essence also found in lemongrass. That zest could lend some balance to the heavier sweetness of Flowers Blend’s top notes, and the strain’s lower-THC varietals would make the pairing even more manageably vibrant.
Bred from a cross of Orange Skunk, Jack’s Cleaner, and Space Queen, Agent Orange boasts effects that are reportedly bright and effervescent in the body and uplifting to the brink of euphoric in the head. Users celebrate this strain for its efficacy in treating depression, stress and PTSD with a manageable buzz. For types for whom every side of the bed is the wrong side, this might be the strain-brew combo to buff away the morning grumps .
Get it from: Gnome Grown, 5012 NE 28th Ave., 971-346-2098, gnomegrownorganics.com.
The Bud: Dread Bread
The Brew: Coava Sumatra Cindaku Roast (lemon, fig, brown sugar tasting notes)
Depending on whom you ask and the varietals available, Dread Bread is either vibrating with the most energetic sativa genetics or a rare, balanced hybrid whose effects span a far wider spectrum. Either way, the profile is generally reported to be warm, herbal and sweet, with complex top notes of citrus and tropical fruit. Users report effects like increased focus, pleasant tingling, and an uplifting mood boost. Devotees also reportedly love this strain with their morning coffee.
Dread Bread’s predominant terpene is earthy, fruity terpinolene, and the profile is supported by brisk pinene and herbal myrcene. Altogether, when sipped in tandem with Coava’s Sumatra Cindaku, the intermingling complexities make for an ideal morning mouthfeel.
Get it from: Satchel, 6900 N Interstate Ave., 503-206-4725, satchelpdx.com.
The Bud: Golden Pineapple
The Brew: Upper Left Dark Roast Blend (pineapple, graham cracker tasting notes)
For the creative morning stoner, consider a bowl of Golden Pineapple to accompany Upper Left’s thoughtfully bold, dark roast blend. This cultivar has a reputation for both bolstering creative energy and gently smothering inhibitions, which seems ideal for folks who wake up fully charged then get stoned to organize their thoughts and intentions for the day.
Golden Pineapple was produced by crossing the buzzy hybrids Golden Goat and Pineapple Kush. The resulting flowers have a rich pineapple perfume with a commensurately funky-sweet exhale. For artistic types who puff in the morning to activate their talent, then sip a fresh pot to put creative plans into action, the delicate similarities in the flavor profiles of this cultivar and roast might add a bit of inspiration to that routine.
Get it from: Cannabliss, 1917 SE 7th Ave., 503-719-4338, cannablissandco.com.
The Bud: Lumpy Space Princess
The Brew: Heart Roasters Kenya Ichuga AA (strawberry, nectarine, sugarcane tasting notes)
Lumpy Space Princess is a Black Banana-Pink Lemonade cross that reportedly delivers bouncy, elastic, perspicacious highs that feel well suited for morning smolder sessions. The perfume is citrus sour with suggestions of melty, overripe banana—a combo that might lend itself to the sweetly sheer top notes of Heart’s Kenya Ichuga AA.
Despite its buzzy heritage, users report that Lumpy Space Princess’ effects are manageably uplifting and pair well with their morning coffee. One of the most noted effects was feeling chatty, which suggests this might be a premium strain for both extroverts and introverts who need a bit of social fuel. For public-facing workers who struggle through interactions, this might be the pairing to make challenging interactions a bit more comfortable.
Get it from: Weedland, 4027 N Interstate Ave., 541-904-0000.