I tried one of the first caffeinated cannabis drinks, and it gave me a giddy buzz

Cann, a low-dose cannabis beverage brand based in California, has married weed and caffeine in its latest "social tonic," called Passion Peach Mate.

The drink is made with THC and mate, a South American plant brew that offers a "smooth and sustained" caffeinated effect. Luke Anderson, co-founder of Cann, told Insider the formulation was inspired by the "Mate Vodka" cocktails that are popular in the Berlin club scene.

I've tried some of Cann's THC-infused tonics before, and I enjoyed the mellow buzz and botanical flavors. As a lover of coffee and weed, I was even more excited to try the company's latest creation.

I have a love-hate relationship with coffee — I crave the energy boost on a near-daily basis, but my digestive system sometimes demands a break. Too much caffeine makes me feel jittery and unsettled.

I was pleased to find out that mate is gentler than coffee but stronger than most teas. A can of Passion Peach Mate contains about as much caffeine as one espresso shot.

My friend and I each sipped on a "Hi Boy," Cann's take on "tall boy" beer cans. Each seltzer contained 5 milligrams of THC, the compound in cannabis that gets you high.

My tasting companion hadn't tried any cannabis-infused seltzers before. She was surprised that the drink "doesn't taste like weed at all," compared to some not-so-great edibles she'd tried in the past.

We sat on my patio and played some Tove Lo songs to get in the mood, since the singer collaborated with Cann on the flavor profile and package text.

The caffeine and THC balanced each other out nicely, bringing on a giddy buzz that felt contained. My friend said she felt "slow but hyper" in a good way.

We agreed that this would be an ideal drink for pregaming a night out. Both of us enjoy cannabis but tend to get tired after taking edibles, so the mate was a welcome addition.

Neither of us experienced any jitters from the caffeine — just a nice, alert high.

My friend had the munchies as we came down, and cooking dinner felt more fun since we were still a little high.

While Cann's latest seltzer makes sense as a going-out drink, it's definitely not the Four Loko of cannabis. I could drink a couple of these to maintain a social, upbeat buzz, but the overall effect is still relaxed.

My biggest surprise from trying the Passion Peach seltzer was how much I loved the profile of the caffeine — I might be a mate convert after trying this drink.

The cannabis beverage industry has rapidly expanded in the past year, according to BDS Analytics, a cannabis market insights firm. Kelly Nielsen, VP of insight and analytics, told Insider that Cann is driving that growth.

"Cann is definitely one of the rising stars of the beverage industry," Nielsen told Insider. "As of the latest data, which we have through July of this year, they've actually reached number two in total sales in the country."

Cann is second to Keef Cola, a Colorado-based company with higher dose options. But Nielsen said low-dose cannabis drinks designed for social occasions are becoming increasingly common, and the addition of caffeine could add to that experience.