Review: Crescent 9 THC Seltzers

Crescent 9 is one of the longest-lived and best-selling THC beverage brands on the market, with a heavy focus on its canned seltzers. Crescent 9 is unique in the massive range of dosage it packs into its beverages, with the amount of THC included in a can ranging from 5mg to a whopping 50mg. Products are available as solo packs or in mixed cases, all containing the same amount of THC. (5mg THC seltzers also include 4mg CBD; there’s no mention of CBD in the higher dosage cans.)

Today we look at four of Crescent 9’s seltzer flavors, all featuring 5mg or 10mg THC dosage.

Crescent 9 Ginger Lemonade 5mg THC Seltzer – Easily the best product I’ve tasted from Crescent 9, this offers a bright, refreshing ginger punch that compares well with a craft bottle of ginger beer. Lemon plays second fiddle but is certainly detectable, particularly after the fiery ginger settles down a bit. Gently sweet but crafted with restraint, this one goes down way too easy. A

Crescent 9 Ginger Lemonade 10mg THC Seltzer – Not notably different than the 5mg expression, with an equally strong ginger bite and that lingering lemon note adding a sour punch. Just as good, with a stronger THC punch. A

Crescent 9 Tropical 5mg THC Seltzer – Terpenes burst from the can upon cracking it open but soon settle down, the seltzer quickly approximating a a fizzy version of canned Dole pineapple juice. There’s a slightly funky edge visible, perhaps because the seltzer comes across on the watery side, though the moderated acidity and finishing hints of spice help lift it up a bit. B

Crescent 9 Raspberry Lime 5mg THC Seltzer – Again there’s a strong terpene aroma when cracking open a can, though lime is detectable as a secondary aromatic quality. Sipping on the drink reveals an insane amount of fruit — raspberry, candylike — waiting in the wings. It’s helpful at throwing sugar water on some of the terpene character to temper it, but the cloying aftertaste it leaves you with can be daunting. B

Crescent 9 Raspberry Lime 10mg THC Seltzer – An even stronger terpene note dominates this experience, with fruity raspberry aromas more dominant here than in the 5mg version. Things settle down into a long and expectedly sweet conclusion, though the cannabinoid tempering actually helps to tame some of the overtly candylike notes. B

Crescent 9 Sour Watermelon 5mg THC Seltzer – A little sweet, a little sour, and stuffed with the essence of watermelon candy that have melted in the sun. As with many Crescent 9 expressions, this one grows on you as you sit with it for a bit, though that sharp and candylike fruitiness never feels particularly grown-up to sip on. You know exactly what this tastes like before you ever crack open the can. B

Crescent 9 Sour Watermelon 10mg THC Seltzer – No major shifts, though this shows off stronger terpene notes that dull some of the overt hard candy sweetness. There are pros and cons to that, which causes the entire affair to come out roughly even. B

Crescent 9 Grape Lemonade 10mg THC Seltzer – A wildly sweetened approximation of purple drink, the heavily candied attack is somehow abutted by a substantial terpene quality, especially visible on the nose, which manages to go toe to toe with the sugary body. Blunt and lacking in much of anything that would appeal to most grown-ups. C

$70 per 16-pack of 12 oz. cans

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