Portland is really good at certain things—coffee, cannabis, and that sense of smugness whenever bikes, beards, or microbrews are discussed. (“I’ll take ‘Fixed Gear Red Whisker Ale’ for the trifecta, Alex.”)
I don’t enjoy biking, rarely drink, and can only manage to “grow” a “beard” that looks like someone shook a pillowcase of cat hair over my Gorilla Glue-slathered chin. So that leaves me with my old friends, coffee and cannabis. Together they make for a popular combo, to the extent that a cup of coffee and a well-rolled joint or fat-packed bowl has been known as a “Northwest speedball” for decades (#cannabisnotopiates).
So I was curious, but well-behaved, when a sizeable box of beverages arrived at the Mercury office recently. Inside was a selection of bottles of infused waters and cold-brew coffees. And by infused, I mean there were five milligrams of THC or CBD in each 16-ounce drink.
The company that produces these “wacky waters” and “chronic coffees” (I already bought the domains, move along) is Level+, which presumably translates to “level up.”