Casa Nueva, a restaurant in Southeast Ohio known by locals forever quintessentially as “Casa,” has this fantastic blend of salsa. They simply call it “Mild.”

Calling this salsa “Mild” is a culinary understatement. Sure, it isn’t hot, but “Mild” does little to capture the cornucopia of garden-bursting flavors this salsa packs on a chip.

It’s the same way with Bear Blend’s Original blend – not the most memorable name, to be sure, and it does little to convey the fresh flavored blend of medicated herbal smoke it delivers.

But our Original blend explores and celebrates our roots – the beginning of Bear Blend. This is the blend that launched Bear Blend into the stratosphere. Here are the origins of that story – the seeds that made our Original blend – and what you can expect to find brimming in each fresh tin of fluffy herbal goodness.

Funny You Call That Tobacco”: The Conversation That Started It All

It all began 20-and-some-change years ago when our founder, Bear, was working on an organic farm he founded with his brother in Southeast Ohio. Living in the foothills of Appalachia, they had world-renowned herbalists for next-door neighbors, including the Native herb guide, Tis Mal Crow.

Hanging out in a random moment of downtime, Bear was rolling up an American Spirit.

“Funny you call that tobacco,” Crow said.

“What do you mean?” Bear asked.

“Well, when I was growing up, all the different Shamans had their own blend of ‘tobacco,’ and it was really all these different herbs,” Crow said.

It was a light bulb moment. The idea of smoking herbs, similar to Cannabis, purely for their medicinal and relaxing effects, opened a doorway for Bear that attuned him to the relaxing and medicinal benefits of herbal smoke.

Bear started researching smoking herbs and harvesting them from local forests, drying them in his closet. After years of experimentation, he came up with his own herbal smoking blend, which he eventually developed into a variety of commercially sold herbal smoking blends known as Bear Blend. The Bear Blend line now features eight different blends.

But it’s our Original blend that started it all. Once we perfected the recipe, we haven’t tweaked it. Why mess with perfection?

Our Orginal Bear Blend is the perfect concoction for kicking back, slowing down, and reminiscing with the harmonies of nature as we remember our Cosmic place in the natural spirit of this world.

Mindful Meditation: Return to the Origins of Being

We strongly encourage partaking of our Original blend as part of a meditation ceremony. It can be a centering, mindful experience, perfect for chilling out and focusing the headspace with a deep appreciation of gratitude.

Take 20 minutes, half an hour, whatever your soul craves. Partake of the herbs, attune to the natural element, and settle into an herbal smoking ceremony of reflective meditation.

Roll a fattie of Original. Brew it into tea. Dabble a tincture on your tongue or blend it into a drink. Let the herbs release their magic and focus your Chi on herbal intuition and opening the third eye soul.