Weed-Infused Mochi Gummies Might Be Our New Favorite Summer Edible

Sundae School's edibles come in flavors like lychee dragon fruit, brown sugar boba milk tea, and sour yuzu.

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Photo courtesy of Sundae School; Design by Grace Han for Thrillist
Photo courtesy of Sundae School; Design by Grace Han for Thrillist

Sundae School is a cannabis business, a fashion label worn by the likes of John Legend and Barbara Palvin, and also—according to their Instagram page—a “higher education institution” (yes, pun intended). In fact, education is at the heart of co-founder Dae Lim’s mission. “Education is step one towards combating misinformation and ignorance to change perspectives,” he says. “One manifestation of that mission would be to introduce this beautiful, incredible plant—daughter of nature—to [my] home country [South Korea], where it would be very needed.”

Reporting from Al Jazeera reveals that South Koreans consume more hard alcohol per capita than any other country in the world; on average, 13.7 shots of liquor per week are downed (Russia, which has the second highest rate, averages 6.3 shots per week). Marijuana, however, is still extremely stigmatized. Lim wants to shift that perception in hopes that he can provide relief for the alcoholism that runs rampant. 

“We wanted to imagine a world where a Korean God smokes weed every day and creates the universe,” Lim laughs. Although Sundae School formed four years ago, the cannabis arm began in 2019. Since then, Lim has strategized how to make weed more palatable and approachable. He began by creating “tiny but mighty” joints in .3 gram increments, perfect for nightcaps or subtle and comforting highs, before moving into edibles.

Sundae School’s edibles are unlike anything currently on the market. They have a mochi-like texture—soft and supple, with enough bounce to differentiate it from all the other sugar-crusted, jelly-like gummies on dispensary shelves. Not only that, but the edibles come in captivating flavors like lychee dragon fruit, brown sugar milk tea boba, and sour yuzu. Even more alluring, each edible is shaped like a flower, alluding to its delicate texture and flavor.

“For us, sharing our stories as Koreans, as Vietnamese, and as Asian Americans is so crucial to our identity as selves and our identity as a brand."

When dreaming up edible flavors, Lim wanted to create something that was inspired by childhood memories yet could still feel widely approachable. “Food is a universal language, and especially Asian food, it just warms our hearts,” he explains. He wants Sundae School’s edibles to do the same, while also providing a welcomed high.

The sour yuzu flavor is derived from Lim’s own childhood summer trips to Jeju Island, Korea’s southernmost point, where he feasted on piles of the bittersweet citrus fruit. The milk tea flavor was contributed by Jennifer Tran, Sundae School’s director of sales, who was always treated to the Taiwanese beverage on Sundays after church.

“Beyond having flavors that are authentic to our own stories, we wanted to give a more unique experience, even as you're chewing it, which is why we really focus on texture.” Sundae School partnered up with Julie Tran of Elefante, a vegan cannabis gummy producer based in San Francisco, to manufacture that perfect glutinous rice texture. The result is a mochi-like vegan edible that clocks in at four calories per serving with 10 milligrams of THC.

“We were just like ‘How can we pack a beautiful, unique high experience into a food item?’” Lim says. “This is what we came up with. It’s going to be a calorie-conscious hot girl summer.”

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The sour yuzu flavor is inspired by trips to Jeju Island. | Photo courtesy of Sundae School

The edibles are currently only available in California (and constantly selling out), but Lim anticipates that Sundae School products will become more widely accessible in the future. “People are popping Ambien, drinking white wine, [but] they're like, ‘Whoa, cannabis is the devil’s lettuce,’” he laughs. He hopes with his products, those attitudes can change. 

In the meantime, Sundae School is cooking up a CBD line and toying with the idea of different edibles. There’s a fuzzy white peach mochi flavor that launched last summer, also inspired by childhood nostalgia with a flavor reminiscent of peach rings. Zines and new apparel, ash trays, and other weed accessories are constantly being added to Sundae School's repertoire. Lim wants his platform to continue to be a space for storytelling, using cannabis as a vehicle. 

“For us, sharing our stories as Koreans, as Vietnamese, and as Asian Americans is so crucial to our identity as selves and our identity as a brand,” he explains. “It is a pleasure every day to grow our community and to be serving great highs.”

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Kat Thompson is a senior staff writer at Thrillist. Follow her on Twitter @katthompsonn