Stoneade’s expansive collection of small batch artisanal lemonade varieties has impressed me both professionally and personally as one of my favorite gifts in the i71 space. I spent some time getting to know the minds behind the brand and really loved getting to know more about their story and their ambitions. Entrepreneurial grit and lifelong friendship are the foundation of the incredibly ambitious and capable duo behind the innovative brand that has captured the drink niche of the i71 marketspace (@officialstoneade on instagram).
With over 13 different flavored lemonades offered within their gifting catalogue, you might think it would be challenging to choose which delicious option would be best to showcase and, to a certain degree yes, it was a challenge. A challenge in the sense that I am a lover of delicious things and so many of their options just sound sooo delicious BUT, at the end of the day, these are all flavored lemonades and the niche they have so eloquently tapped into is the niche of the nostalgic classic lemonade brand and so that is what I decided to evaluate; Stoneade's Classic Lemonade.
Now this is a bold product development market to step into because we all have our childhood memories of our neighborhood lemonade, made with simple ingredients in a small batch manner, made to fit a local community. The weight of the expectation from our memories of such delicious summertime treats is a big thing to step up to try to satisfy in any type of capacity, let alone in the ever evolving i71 cannabis space. To hit this mark, the Stoneade crew had to at once be able to tap into and trigger our inner nostalgia around such a culturally foundational flavor as well as produce the desired cannabis effects in a consistent manner that is quite honestly difficult to achieve.
All of that being said, I have now consumed one of their classic lemonades and am so ecstatic to report that Stoneade has hit their mark on both fronts, truly capturing the quintessential lemonade flavor with a 75mg, 150mg, or in my case, 300mg cannabis kick. Using only fresh squeezed lemons, a home made simple syrup consisting of just water/sugar, and natural purees, Stoneade captures the flavor of our childhood memories in a cool and refreshing way that pushes back the worst of the DC heat index. Such simple ingredients and robust, lingering flavor truly showcases the team’s background in the drink industry, demonstrating the nuances of flavor formulation in a way that stays true to the spirit of a classic American lemonade but can incorporate the often overwhelming flavor that cannabis infusion ingredients tend to bring.
Indeed with all edible products, working with the flavor that your infused ingredients carry is a new challenge for chefs and mixologists alike but Stoneade has risen far and above these challenges in their flavor formulation. Again, simple natural ingredients with a variety of cannabis doses is so welcome in the i71 space because it offers us healthier options with more control over our experience than we typically get access to. Stoneade does this and more by taking these maxims still deeper by utilizing made to order batches of their product and same day delivery. They are in fact so natural that they, like all natural high end drinks, have a more limited shelf life due to the natural organic flavoring used and thus catered their production schedule to work directly with the customer in a small batch artisanal manner that doesn’t require them to step into the world of artificial flavors and preservatives. Products will always be available on time and you can always trust that they will be freshly made, custom to your order, and most importantly, deliciously effective.
Expect a quicker onset of effects from a drink as compared to a solid edible because the digestion and absorption of liquids is quicker than that of solid food. Feel free to explore the difference in your day when taking a few sips to drinking a whole bottle, but as always, please know your own tolerance. Stoneade takes the time and effort to produce a variety of dose options for you so that you can take more control over your own day. Never forget the age old cannabis rule of taking things “low and slow” and sip on your drink responsibly as you get to know your drink tolerance. Once you’re confident in how many mg’s you need at any given time then Stoneade is ready with a variety of naturally flavored and classic lemonades at a variety of dosing skus that work for you!
A big thank you to Stoneade for helping me reconnect with my childhood and get some medicated relief with their small batch, classic infused lemonade. The body high I experienced was exquisite and the convenience of sipping on a cool drink throughout a hot day is unparalleled. Please let me know how Stoneade measures up to your lemonade standards.