Product review: New flavors of Camino soft chews are a tasty way to buzz into 2024

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photo courtesy of the retailer

Locally, AYR stocks three new flavors of Camino soft chews by Kiva Confections.

For new medical marijuana patients and experienced users alike, soft chews — often popularly referred to as “gummies” — are an increasingly popular way to consume cannabis, but all chews are not made equal when it comes to either flavor or effects. In the past, I’ve had some negative experiences with chews that came out of the package as a congealed blob, and others that tasted strongly of pot or offered unreliable results. So when AYR Wellness (formerly Liberty Health Sciences dispensaries) invited me to try three of their new flavors of Camino soft chews by Kiva Confections, I kept my expectations in check. Fortunately, I was happy to find Caminos are a tasty way to buzz into 2024, if not the most cost-effective.

Camino quickly passed my first test by coming encased in a smush-proof circular tin, which keeps the gelatinous squares within separate until swallowing. Colorful stickers are provided, so you can decorate the stark white state-compliant containers at home to identify your strains. Another convenience is that it comes with 20 chews of 5 mg each (instead of the typical 10-pack of 10 mg pieces) which makes personalizing your dosage much easier. 

The second test is taste, and the Camino Pineapple Habañero soft chews passed with flying colors, surpassing even my favorite Smokiez. Sweet but not saccharine and pleasantly piquant, they remind me of a spicy margarita in the best way and would be a tasty treat even without any THC. The Midnight Blueberry and Watermelon Lemonade varieties are both perfectly edible and avoid the “sour patch” syndrome that plagues many chews. However, neither has a particularly distinctive fruit flavor; the latter in particular delivers only the slightest hint of watermelon, and mostly just tastes tart.

Third, and most important, although all three varieties carry only the faintest hint of cannabis flavor, they claim to contain a type-specific blend of natural terpenes for various effects. The Watermelon Lemonade’s “Bliss” strain was as middle-of-the-road as its flavor, with mild mental relaxation and minimal body effects, but the “Uplifiting” Pineapple Habañero definitely induced the energetic head tingles characteristic of sativas. Saving the best for last, the “Sleep” Midnight Berry combined stereoptypical indica couch-lock with 1 mg of CBN, which has already given me more restful nights than CBD and melatonin combined. 

The only things holding me back from buying more Camino soft chews with my own money is the one-two punch of pricing and absorption rate; they require 60-90 minutes to take full effect, while costing (at $30 per 100 mg) as much as other brands with faster liposomal technology. But as soon as AYR puts them on a BOGO sale, you’ll find me first in line.