Most THC drinks, including Cycling Frog, aim to replace canned beers and hard seltzers, while some are designed with light flavors to be mocktail mixers. And then there’s a few that are trying to be comparable to wine. Sure, there are cannabis-infused wines out there. But none are really hitting that wine cooler angle like Cycling Frog’s Black Currant THC Seltzer. So if you’re a wino, this is the perfect alcohol-free replacement that actually satisfies that itch.

Once you crack open the can, this immediately feels darker and richer than most of the THC beverages on the market. The black currant flavor has an almost wine-like depth and body to it, without trying too hard to imitate actual wine. It even looks like red wine when you pour it in a wine glass, which is a ritual and experience in itself.

Each can is balanced with 10mg THC + 10mg CBD, a 1:1 ratio, which feels chill, steady, and comfortable enough to slowly sip like wine over time, especially during or after dinner. Dare I say, this could pass as a red dessert wine like Stella Rosa Black. And if 10mg THC is too much for you, don’t worry, there’s a low-dose 5mg THC option.

This wine cooler catfish kinda of acts like one and naturally vibes you out. And apparently I’m not the only one into it. Black Currant is currently Cycling Frog’s best-selling flavor for a reason.

TL;DR – My Quick Verdict

• Buy it if: you want a THC drink that feels closer to wine than sparkling water
• Skip it if: you only like bright, citrusy, refreshing flavors, or are looking for a mocktail mixer
• Best part: flavor is a crowd please, high feels balanced, mellow, and long-lasting
• Biggest drawback: the darker black currant flavor can’t be mixed into many drinks

How I Tested Cycling Frog’s Black Currant THC Seltzer

I tested Cycling Frog’s Black Currant THC Seltzers in two different settings in one evening: one full can with dinner, which I poured into an actual wine glass just to see if the “wine cooler” comparison in my head held up visually, and another can a few hours later while watching a movie at home.

I stuck to one can at a time because the 10mg THC + 10mg CBD ratio sounded like it would slow me down, and I wanted to see how long the high stayed comfortable without going for a second, consecutive drink.

For context, I’ve tried everything from Aperol Spritz dupes to microdose THC drinks designed to be mixed into mocktails, so my expectations for cannabis beverages are pretty high at this point. A lot of them either taste artificial, disappear too quickly, or push THC so hard that the social experience becomes the only focus. Black Currant THC Seltzer felt noticeably more relaxed than that.

What It’s Like To Actually Drink

This immediately drinks differently than most THC seltzers. It reminds me of the red dessert wine Stella Rosa Black in many aspects like color, smell, flavor, frizzante-style carbonation, and even the effects.

The color looks just like dessert red wine. It has a berry-forward smell with a hint of acidity. At 12g of sugar, it’s definitely on the sweeter side with some tarty, bitterness. It has more body than other THC seltzers, but it matches the flavor profile—richer and more substantial, almost like a wine cooler or sangria-inspired drink. Slightly fizzy at the start, but flattens out enough so you taste the darker berry flavor.

Don’t mix this into anything else, ike you can with other THC beverages. Just pouring half a can into a wine glass works best. The purplish-burgundy color combined with the semi-sweet taste and semi-sparkling carbonation naturally slows your sipping down so you can savor it. The whole experience feels surprisingly wine-adjacent without it even pretending to be wine. I also thought about how easy this can be turned into an alcohol-free sangria. Pour a couple cans in a pitcher over ice, throw in sliced oranges or berries, and that’s it, nothing else needs to be mixed.

Cycling Effects & Onset

The 1:1 ratio of 10mg THC + 10mg CBD is what makes this work as a convincing wine replacement. You still notice that high feeling, but the CBD smooths a lot of it out. The experience feels mellow, chill, and comfortable without becoming too sleepy or sedating. That said, it does have that wine-drunk sleepiness effect by the end of the high, which I think comes from the flavor profile and higher sugar content. Mentally, I feel like I’m drinking wine, so my body kind of reacts the same way.

Cycling Frog markets these as fast-acting, but this didn’t hit me in ten minutes the way it suggests. It took a solid 25 minutes for the effects to fully settle in, and once they did, the high stayed on a good level for a few hours. The first thing I noticed was feeling less on edge and very calm, calm enough to be able to take anyone’s slap to my face. That’s clearly the CBD showing up. And weirdly enough, this is one of the first THC drinks I’ve tried that gave me something close to the “liquid courage” feeling people associate with alcohol. You do feel that pleasant, buzzy tingle around the front of your head and upper eye sockets too. It’s light, but it’s definitely an indicator that it’s the THC and you’re high.

ALSO RELATED: The Best THC Drinks for Every Mood, Spiral, or Social Vibe That You’re Chasing

What I liked most is that this drink can conform to your current vibe. I could fit this into a social dinner setting or be couch-locked watching a movie alone. It still works either way. You can hold conversations, slowly sip it through dinner, or hang out with friends without the THC completely taking over the experience. And unlike alcohol, where things can get sloppier as the night goes on, this stayed surprisingly controlled, even with the new-found courage I was feeling. I was still relaxed, but clear-headed enough to enjoy the moment I was in.

The high also lasts longer than a lot of THC drinks I’ve tried recently. And beverages typically run through your body quicker than edibles. But this settles in gradually and hangs around comfortably for a few hours instead of disappearing after just one.

Black Currant THC Seltzer at a Glance

Dose per can: 10mg THC + 5mg CBD

Dietary notes: 12g sugar, gluten-free, vegan

Best for:

• Wine drinkers curious about THC drinks
• Low-key social nights
• Dinner, movies, and slower hangs
• Alcohol alternatives

Pros:

• Solid wine replacement
• Sweet-tart, richer flavor profile
• Mellow and balanced high that lasts comfortably
• Softer carbonation works well with the darker fruit flavor
• Only 60 calories

Cons:

• Higher in sugar, can come off too sweet
• Black currant can be too bitter for some people (other flavors are available)
• Not for people who only want ultra-refreshing, sparkling water vibes

Things to Consider before Buying Cycling Frog’s Seltzers

Cycling Frog’s 10mg THC Seltzer is still a full-strength drink. Even with the balanced 10mg THC + 10mg CBD ratio, one can is enough to noticeably shift your mood, especially if you’re newer to cannabis or used to lower-dose products. Regardless of your experience level, the biggest thing here is pacing since it’s easy to drink and equally easy to forget that it’s dosed with THC.

If you don’t like the black currant berry taste, there are three other flavors to choose from: Ruby Grapefruit, Wild Cherry, and Cran Razz.

Cycling Frog also makes Black Currant gummies with added CBN, so if you wanted to double down on a wine-down-before-bed vibe, these two naturally pair well as the ultimate nightcap.

For a balanced 10mg THC + 10mg CBD drink that actually tastes distinct from the rest of the market, their pricing is very fair and competitive. Cycling Frog’s Black Currant 10mg THC Seltzers starts at $27.99 for a 6-pack which is $4.67 per can, and there’s a larger 24-pack option for $99.99 lowering the per-can price to only $4.17. The price goes even lower if you want a low-dose 5mg THC version.

What I don’t like about this drink is what the can’s nutrition facts label says. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a can labeled as two servings. This seemingly cuts the sugar contents, calories, and cannabinoids mg in half, which significantly misleads the consumer into thinking it’s a healthier or adequately dosed drink. Sure, it is healthier if you drink half of it, but people are realistically consuming the whole thing. It feel unnecessarily misleading for consumers.

Cycling to the Bottom Line

There’s too many THC drinks that go for the citrusy and tropical flavors, and it gets old fast when you’re trying as many as I am. So the Black Currant flavor surprised me in the best way possible.

The wine comparison also kept making more sense the longer I drank it. This THC seltzer genuinely reminded me of Stella Rosa Black, both in flavor and mellow social vibes. It feels like experientially hacking wine—no corkscrew needed.

After trying this, I absolutely understand why Black Currant ended up becoming Cycling Frog’s best-selling THC seltzer flavor.