Inverness café offers cannabis cuppas that give a lift... but not too high
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
DINERS at an Inverness café are being offered beverages and snacks with a difference.
The historic Rendezvous in Church Street is now serving cannabis cuppas, cannabis cake, and even cannabis chocolate.
But don’t expect an atmosphere thick with exotic aromas which those familiar with certain Amsterdam cafés might recognise.
The smells wafting from the Rendezvous are more likely to be from the speciality northern Italy coffees or the massive full breakfasts they serve.
And don't expect an hallucinogenic experience either.
The active ingredient of the cannabis in the beverages and food is CBD, an acronym for cannabidiol which is extracted from hemp plants.
There is growing research that this extract can help people dealing with a wide variety of health issues including stress, insomnia and pain, and give the user a vital, fresh feeling without inducing a psychoactive experience or “high”.
Proprietor Benny Karoci Hadar said: “It’s legal and safe. CBD is booming and becoming an everyday part of life with all sorts of consumers but, mainly surprisingly, mature customers who love the cannabis products.
“I am planning to do a couple of my own tea mixes, cannabis with peppermint and a special deluxe mix with camomile also.
“You can buy the cold pressed oil here which can be used just like olive oil in salads or as a steak rub.”
After being personally impressed with the beneficial effect of the cannabis products, he stocks the herbal goods through UK-based Body and Mind Botanicals, who work with growers in the Baltic.
The cannabis teas, orange-flavoured dark chocolate bars and cannabis-injected cakes and brownies seem to be a hit with a growing band of Rendezvous customers.
Hemp contains very low levels of the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) compared with its relative the marijuana plant.
While the Rendezvous is definitely not into drugs, it does have a link to an amazing rock and roll chapter in the city’s past.
In May 1960, The Beatles, or the Silver Beetles as they were then known, played the Northern Meeting Rooms in Inverness.
The Rooms were later demolished and The Record Rendezvous was built on the site as a haven for vinyl and cassette music.
When it closed it became today’s café, with a music and vintage film theme.
