Cannacloud, the Nespresso of weed

A young startup called CannaKorp announced in mid-November that it was developing the first cannabis vaporizer with single-use pods. Called CannaCloud, it’s essentially a Nespresso for cannabis.

CannaCloud could provide precise dosing and make it easier to use cannabis which could help elevate cannabis beyond hippie stereotypes, provided it becomes more widely accepted.

Here’s how the CannaCloud works: the user inserts a pre-measured capsule into a container that looks like a small thermos. After pressing a button, the container heats the cannabis and fills it with vapor in less than a minute. A plastic mouthpiece opens a valve that releases the vapor. And that’s it.

Whereas for the Pax2, which would make a nice Christmas gift, ...while users must load the cannabis into the combustion chamber themselves, the CannaCloud system is the first device to offer pre-measured cannabis capsules. In fact, two of its founders previously worked at Keurig, a company that makes coffee machines that use pods.

Dave Manly, CEO of CannaKorp, has stepped down from Keurig after 13 years of loyal service, during which time the company’s revenue grew from $50 million to $5 billion. For him, the The coffee and cannabis markets aren't all that different.

«Keurig has strict selection criteria. It was important that every cup of coffee taste the same. That kind of consistency is exactly what we want to bring to the cannabis industry.»

While CannaKorp will not grow its own cannabis, it will select the producers who will supply the cannabis for the capsules, called CannaCup. The company will also work with laboratories specializing in the detection of the potency of weed, to ensure that growers use high-quality varieties and to package precise doses.

Consumers will be able to choose the strain they want to vaporize and the strength of the CannaCups at one of 50 partner dispensaries across the United States, and they can also subscribe on the company’s website.

Many products now list the ingredients used and the exact amounts of THC, which prevents consumers from ingesting doses that might not be pleasant.

Two laws in Colorado have attempted to make this labeling mandatory. The first, passed in 2014, requires manufacturers to space food to have their products tested by independent laboratories. The second regulation dates from 2015 and requires that consumables be packaged individually or in portions containing no more than 10 mg of THC.

CannaKorps could therefore set a new standard by listing the strain and potency of each capsule. «Every time you take a capsule, you’ll get the same effect,» Manly assures us. «We’re working with testing labs to become the best friend of every consumer in this industry.»

This kind of luxury comes at a price. The CannaCloud will sell for 1,49$ (about 140€), which is half the price of a Pax2. But each capsule, which will contain only 0.4g of cannabis (the same amount found in pre-rolled joints), will cost 9,99$. That’s roughly double the price of a pre-rolled joint in California.

CannaKorps is currently seeking $10 million in funding to begin mass production. If they succeed, Manly says CannaKorps could expand into all 27 American states where medical cannabis is legal in the fall of 2016.