Rose Los Angeles’s Delights

My first time eating an edible was a nightmare, to say the least. I wolfed a brownie down, trying to avoid having the cruel mixture of flavors sit like glue on my tongue; I wasn’t aware that I should not have eaten the whole thing. Suffice it to say, I’ve been apprehensive about edibles ever since.

Still, I recently decided to try Rose Los Angeles’s Delights, which are cannabis-infused, Turkish-delight-esque candies. Company founder Nathan Cozzolino believes people’s edible initiation should be magical. And although it wasn’t my first time, my Rose Delights experience was enchanting.

I was a child when I learned about Turkish delights, thanks to C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Since then, I’ve always thought of the chewy candy as fantastical pockets of heaven. I won’t say that Edmund Pevensie was right to sell out his family for the treats, but I will say that I knew I was going to have a good time from my first bite. The delights are just plain enjoyable to eat; they’re firm with no crunch, chewy without feeling sticky, and they are delicious. 

Formed in July 2018, Rose Los Angeles originally started as a cannabis-flower growing business, said Cozzolino in a recent interview with the Independent. Last April, however, they began the transition to edibles after a year of fickle cannabis sales. As experienced growers, Cozzolino and his team infuse their delights with live rosin that chefs create on-site. Rosin is the concentrate produced from an extraction process that involves metal plates heated just enough to turn the moisture from cannabis plants into steam. This method releases the THC and preserves the terpenes and other cannabinoids. 

The pursuit of high-quality, all-natural ingredients is a big priority for Rose Los Angeles. “If cannabis is the medicine, then we want all of the natural elements,” Cozzolino said. “Edibles often try to mask the flavor, but the flower is the prime ingredient. We work with excellent cultivators and would never try to mask it with sweet candy flavor.” Located within an ecosystem of farmers, they make sure that all of their ingredients are thoughtfully sourced. Cozzolino even has plans to plant an orchard within their 10-acre facility and become a closed-loop brand. 

When I finally asked the most important questions — how and why they chose Turkish delights of all things to produce — Cozzolino said that there’s a candy store near his son’s school where they’d often pick some delights up after school. Delights have the kind of texture that allows you to deliver a variety of flavors, and their pop-culture presence provides them with the lore and mystery necessary to make sure that your time under the influence is magical.

See roselosangeles.com.