After years of cannabis production, certain techniques and refinement methods have become favored throughout the industry for their cleanliness, preservation of aroma and flavor, consistency, and quality. Producers and processors who employ these methods often hold themselves and their products to the highest possible standards. We sat down with one such producer, Goodship*, one of Washington state’s premier infused edibles companies.
Founded by Jody Hall, a Seattle-based entrepreneur who helped develop Starbucks early on before starting her own cupcake company, Cupcake Royale, Goodship is comprised of a close-knit cadre of culinary, computational, and creative dynamos. One of the gifted gastronomers is Nicki Kerbs, who was gracious enough to give us a tour of the facility and answer a few cannabis-infused questions regarding the formulation of their delicious CBD-rich products.
Leafly: What sets Goodship apart from other edibles producers?
(Courtesy of Goodship)
Nicki Kerbs: We are relentless with seeking out the right ingredient for the product. We think about all the nuances: sweet, tart, salty, crumb, size of the chocolate chips, how “puffed” the quinoa should be, chocolate percentage, and much more. My best example is the cinnamon in our Saigon cinnamon snickerdoodle. We use two kinds: Korintje (traditional cinnamon), and Saigon (spicy and very aromatic). Using both varieties hits all the senses.
In our Malted Milk Chocolate Tokens, we use malt oil and malt powder with a touch of sea salt to really bring out the nutty, sweet flavors. It’s smooth, creamy, and sweet. Our Coffee and Dark Chocolate Bar incorporates Sight Glass coffee (an independent high-quality coffee roaster from San Francisco) that is very finely ground. The coffee is roasted and shipped to us overnight. We grind the beans and temper the grounds with high quality 70% Guittard Chocolate.
Are recipes constant, or do your recipes have to change with the raw materials that are available to you?
Kerbs: Recipes change based on extract/oil potency. Our raw materials (like flour and chocolate) always stay the same once we establish a working recipe and formal product.
Is the THC and CBD ratio of each edible derived from one or multiple sources?
Kerbs: Multiple sources. We get our cannabis oil/extracts from different processors. We’ve used everything from ethanol, CO2, distillate, to CBD. These companies source from different farms all over the state. Depending on the edible we are making, we incorporate the appropriate cannabis extract to fit the product. As an example, for our fruit jellies we use distillate because we add tartaric acid to the fruit juice concentrate, which we feel really highlights all things we do not like about CO2 oil (bitter and herby).
What is your favorite/most exciting piece of machinery in the bakery?
Kerbs: I can’t pick just one. We spent a lot of time picking out the best machinery to make our products. Our chocolate line leaves folks pretty speechless, especially chocolate/confection professionals. We have a copper candy kettle that every confectioner dreams of having. Lastly, our pill press is over-the-top impressive, and we feel so proud to own and operate it.
A Look at Goodship’s Best Edibles
Goodship CBD Double Fudge
(Courtesy of Goodship)
Kerbs: We tested over 12 different cocoa powders before we landed on Callebaut cocoa powder. It’s a high-fat cocoa powder that always leads to richer brownies because high-fat cocoa powder lends to lower acidity. To add complexity to the flavor of the brownie, we use brown sugar. It adds moistness and a very light molasses flavor.
Goodship CBD Raspberry Fruit Jellies
(Courtesy of Goodship)
Kerbs: This product took us over four straight months to develop. It was by far the trickiest. Texture was a huge thing for us to nail. We love the traditional French pate de fruit, and wanted to replicate that texture. It’s set with pectin and tartaric acid, and the jellies cure for over two weeks before we dredge them in fine sugar.
We worked with a flavor specialist to get the perfect raspberry flavor, and the raspberry concentrate is formulated specifically for the Ra-Ra Raspberry fruit jelly. It’s all-natural and made to order. We slow-cook this over an open flame in our copper candy kettle. Each step is critical to creating the smooth but firm chewy confection.
Goodship CBD Mint Patties
(Courtesy of Goodship)
Kerbs: The peppermint oil we use for our peppermint patties is grown single-cut, premium-quality heirloom black mitcham peppermint and native spearmint. This mint is sustainably harvested and has a unique flavor that cannot be found anywhere else. The region’s climate where the mint is grown has rich soils along the Columbia River, and their harvesting methods make their mint extraordinarily smooth and refreshing. Essential mint oils are steam distilled only once to retain the full flavor spectrum and bouquet of real Oregon mint. Most people use mint extract, which is alcohol-based, and the flavor dissipates over time. We tried a couple of different mint oils and found them to lack that freshness we wanted.
The key ingredient in a peppermint patty is the peppermint, so we sought out the best one we could. For me, having a creamy middle was mission critical. With a lot of research we learned about an enzyme produced by yeast that catalyzes the hydrolysis of sucrose, forming invert sugar; basically, it takes solid sugar and inverts it to liquid. We messed around quite a bit with ratios to find our perfect creaminess.
*Editor’s note: Goodship and Leafly are both owned by Privateer Holdings.
