Is CBD coffee worth it?

Updated January 2022

Recent years have brought to the coffee industry new trends. We cannot forget for example all the dairies milk that are now available in any coffee shops such as the oat milk. But also, the nitro coffee, or the coffee mixed with the beer to make extraordinary sour coffee beer.

So, today we are talking about another trend that started a couple of years ago in the USA which is making its path even in Europe. I’m talking about CBD coffee.

Well, for most of you that don’t know yet, CBD coffee doesn’t stand only for Coffee Berry Disease but also for Cannabidiol, which is a chemical compound found in the cannabis plant. CBD coffee is having quite a moment now, even more than when it came to life about more than two years ago. So, let’s talk about CBD coffee.

WHAT IS CBD COFFEE

It’s still something unknown for many. CBD comes mostly in oil as it’s the easiest way to be added. You can add it basically in everything you want and it doesn’t get you high as THC as it contains just a little of the latter so it suits nicely in coffee, balancing out the energy that the caffeine gives you with all the jitters and heartbeat (when drinking it too much). The ones who have already tried it claim for have been free from stress and anxiety, feeling relaxed and focused at the same time.

That would explain why CBD coffee is becoming a trend, a kickstart morning for many but also a treatment for age-related health problems as AARP stated on its website.

SEE RELATED HERE: https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2018/cbd-oil-marijuana-health-benefits.html

And it’s not only about coffee: It’s almost in any drink, from cocktails, beers, teas to lattes,cappuccino, chocolate, ice cream but even in cookies, brownies and so on.

It also seems that CBD is supposed to prevent hangovers, support liver health, seizure disorders, helps with inflammation and pain, reduce cravings for anyone who is addicted to opioids. And it might fight cancer as well.

According to Dr Esther Blessing, “CBD is the most promising drug that has come out for neuropsychiatric diseases in the last 50 years”.

So, why it would be safe to mix it with coffee?

Again Dr Esther Blessing said that “most of the products where people are putting CBD in coffee or food, there’s no solid evidence that they contain enough CBD to do anything. A CBD coffee may only have five milligrams in it. In order to treat anxiety, we know you need around 300 milligrams.” But another thing to consider is that we are at the early stage of something that needs to study for longer: as Dr Esther claimed, “that much of the research is in its infancy, and the purity and dosage of some CBD consumer products may not reliable. CBD can have negative interactions with many medications, so potential users should talk to their doctors before taking it.”

SEE RELATED HERE: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/27/style/cbd-benefits.html

Coffee shops in America are selling ready-to-drink CBD coffee and serving CBD cold brew or CBD latte. But also, CBD coffee pods, CBD infused whole coffee beans along with its health benefits.

But here are the issues with CBD (oil). As CBD oil is a nutraceutical, it’s not regulated by the FDA, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This makes it hard to know where it has been sourced, so you literally don’t know what you are going to purchase.

A study of 2017, has examined 84 products containing CBD extracts and 26 per cent of them had less CBD t

han what was claimed on the label which means that you don’t get what it should be. And worst, 21 per cent of those products contained THC traces (be careful especially if you vape), the compound that you find in most of the drugs that get you high.

What it’s reassuring is that CBD oil is a safe medication once you get the right thing and you use it properly. But baristas should avoid serving any drinks that contain CBD or mixing it making a drink such as CBD coffee, CBD cold brew or CBD cocktails if they are not sure about what’s inside the product and also about the right dose and amount to add.

For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend taking any CBD drinks if you’re not a hundred per cent sure about the source. If you just ask at the barista behind the counter, it’s more likely that you are not guaranteed about the info you get. It’s better if you buy your own, looking for quality certifications and check if there’s the right amount of CBD oil in it.

SEE RELATED HERE: https://www.cookinglight.com/eating-smart/nutrition-101/is-cbd-coffee-good-for-you

CBD coffee is becoming familiar also in Europe and, with a few exceptions, it’s (CBD) legal in the greater majority of European countries (except Lithuania and Slovakia), but with some restrictions. CBD is completely legal when it doesn’t contain more than 0,2 per cent of THC (except Luxembourg and Austria that allow also products that contain up to 0,3 per cent and France that doesn’t allow any of it. Also, in Switzerland, the THC level has not to be more than 1 per cent).

LAST CONSIDERATIONS

What we know so far is that drinking CBD coffee for a personal income is anything but dangerous. In low doses, it’s stimulant, contrary to what we might think. But we have to bear in mind that CBD affects everyone in different ways: it can provoke headaches, overstimulation but also calm the jitters that coffee would provoke on its own. I have never tasted it and, honestly, it doesn’t make sense to me for the fact that I drink coffee because I love it on its own. It makes no sense to me to cover all the aroma and taste of the coffee.

If I really wanted to drink CBD coffee, I would add it just into a glass of water and taste what it should taste. All things related to CBD coffee sounds to me as purely a business to make money.

I would like to know what your thoughts are. Have you ever tasted CBD in coffee drinks? If so, it is worth it?

Edoardo Zanato

I am an Italian coffee lover that pushed for the love of this “amazing drug”  decided to come to London to study about coffee and its different extraction procedures and tastes.