We got an interesting press release in the newsroom today from Totally High Country Brownies. The Colorado company is marketing pot-free novelty brownies it calls “Washington State Totally High Country Brownies” – or “Washington THC Brownies,” with the THC being an acronym for part of the name.

The box contained four small brownie-like items that even our reporter taste testers in the newsroom wouldn’t finish eating (and, if you know anything about newsrooms, you’ll know that reporters will eat just about anything – possibly even cardboard – if it’s free).

(Note: After posting this, one of the editors insisted on trying them and actually liked them, which may say more about the taste buds of editors than the actual product)

The box also says “This is a novelty gift from Washington State’s high country. Enjoy the joke!”

Here’s an even bigger part of the joke – they’re baked in a commercial kitchen in Colorado, not Washington.

“Our brownies make the perfect spoof Washington State gift,” it adds, even though I can’t find much of anything that associates it with our state other than the name and that the company went to the Seattle Gift Show recently.

But hey, the brownies have pot names, right? The four pack includes Mary Jane Plain, Acapulco Gold, Ceeba Creme Brulee and Alice B. Toklas Toffee.

I have no problem with novelty gifts, but seriously, if you’re going to advertise yourself as a Washington gift, shouldn’t you at least be based in Washington?

I don’t think I’ll be sending these home anytime soon, but if you want more info, feel free to check out their (oddly named) website at http://www.BakedinWA.com.

Cheers,
-SueVo (sue.vorenberg@columbian.com)