[1] What is CBD coffee?
CBD coffee. What it that? It’s coffee with a twist. It’s coffee mixed with CBD oil.
CBD oil is one of the many ways CBD is prepared. It is most commonly used as an additive to food, salads, cocktail drinks, and coffee.
What is CBD?
CBD stands for Cannabidiol. It’s a substance found in ‘weed’ (marijuana). It is the second most active substance in weed. The most active substance in weed is THC or tetra-hydro-cannabinol.
THC is the psycho-active ingredient in weed — it’s what makes you high. THC is the reason why weed is outlawed by the federal government, though in a lot of states the use of weed has been legalized for both medical and recreational use. But it’s the CBD that is the main reason why marijuana is used medically.
There isn’t just one kind of weed or marijuana. There are plenty. And there are marijuana plants that contain more CBD than others. These are the weed they mainly use for medicinal marijuana or extract CBD. Even if all marijuana leaves and buds have the psycho-active THC that could make you high, this medicinal kind of weed won’t get you there because CBD neutralizes THC.
CBD doesn’t make you high. What CBD does is to relax you and help you overcome anxiety and stress. It eases your pains and gives you a boost in your mental powers. You become more alert, relaxed, and free of stress… but not high. CBD ain’t gonna get you through the roof, just keep you sat and sober.
But CBD is also found in Hemp, the cousin of marijuana. You don’t know it but hemp and marijuana are both cannabis sativa plants. Run that by me again — hemp and marijuana are both cannabis sativa. Hemp is the cannabis sativa that can’t get you high. So everything about hemp is perfectly legal by both federal and state laws. But not everything about marijuana is, by federal law.
The bottom line effect of CBD whether from hemp or from marijuana is the same — it soothes and relaxes you. CBD from the hemp flower just differs from CBD from marijuana because of THC and its psycho-active kick.
[2] Why add CBD oil to coffee?
One of the trends becoming popular these days is CBD-infused coffee. It has been trending for a couple of years or so in coffee houses and cafes. There’s a story (happened in April 2018) about a newly opened artsy cafe in Manhattan’s East Village that served CBD-infused drinks a week after it opened.
The owners couldn’t believe their eyes in what they saw — a beeline outside their doors. Customers started to line up for their novel CBD-laced drink. When they realized what a hit their CBD-laced drink became, they studied the thing and began making other CBD-infused products. As a result of this new craze, more than half of their sales has been coming in from CBD-infused products.
Aside from coffee being already in the mainstream of American existence — 64% of Americans drink coffee every single day — adding CBD oil to coffee makes it a bit more exciting (you can take the pun literally). CBD coffee has that added feature of promoting your feeling of wellness. It adds ‘stress-free’ and ‘anxiety-free’ to your regular coffee fix. IOW, it takes away some of the boredom and staleness to your daily cup of coffee, and adds a drop of ‘hip’.
CBD coffee is hip. And coffee houses and cafes sell hip. Who doesn’t want to be hip and buy hip?
[3] Does Starbucks sell CBD coffee?
As of early this year (2019) Starbucks has not launched any CBD-infused drinks. They have their reasons.
And it’s not because the product doesn’t sell. Ooh, the product sells (as the saying goes) like pancakes. CBD-infused coffee and everything has become the next big thing in consumer preferences. It has been selling (not yet like pancakes though) since around 2014 when the first cannabis-coffee with a ‘high’ was sold. This was of course in a state where recreational weed is legal.
The trend picked up over the next 5 years with cafes and coffee houses offering CBD coffee and drinks. Of course in states where recreational weed is legal, CBD coffee has that added high because of THC in marijuana (remember?) But not through the roof. Just a teeny bit because CBD really counteracts the high. But even in states where weed isn’t legal, people wanting CBD hemp coffee still grew in number.
But for a big-chain coffee house like Starbucks NOT to get into the CBD bandwagon is a big question mark. Why, Starbucks???
Starbucks is obviously walking on tiptoes. They’re being paranoid about US FDA regulations, federal and state laws on sales of CBD and CBD related products. Maybe because early this year NYC heath department ordered the closure of bars and restaurants that sold CBD infused food. Just maybe. Starbucks is waiting for the air to clear up on the legal side of the deal before they bet their bottom dollar on CBD.
No Starbucks CBD coffee yet. No, not in the foreseeable future.
[4] Can you make CBD coffee with ground coffee?
How about homemade CBD coffee? Why not? There is an advantage to making your own CBD coffee wherever you are. It’s just all about learning how.
But wait. It’s not as simple though as adding creamer to your coffee. It’s a little more than that. The reason is in the CBD oil.
Your body doesn’t easily absorb CBD oil. So if you add CBD oil directly to your coffee and drink it, you won’t get much of the benefits you hoped for. In order for your body to absorb CBD oil better, it needs a courier, something to deliver the CBD ‘door-to-door’ to where it matters. Where it matters is called cannabinoid receptors all over your body and in your brain. This is why you feel what you feel after a hit is because the CBD and THC have reached the cannabinoid receptors in your brain and immune system. You need a courier for the CBD in your CBD oil to reach your cannabinoid receptors more easily and more completely.
What can you use? Grass-fed butter, ghee, coconut oil are good couriers. They’re ingredients most commonly used to make bulletproof coffee (BPC). So it’s time for you to learn how to make and enjoy bulletproof coffee. It’s not rocket science. But you need a blender or a frothing gadget for best results.
All you have to do is: mix coffee, coconut oil (or any other fatty courier), culinary cream, sugar or sweetener, and a few drops of CBD (hemp or marijuana) oil. Blend or froth vigorously. This way, the CBD oil will bind with the fatty acids in coconut oil and make the CBD more available (bio-available) for your body to absorb.
There is another way to make CBD coffee using ground coffee. Do you have a french press? Just add CBD oil to your medium-coarse coffee grinds in your french press, and pour boiling water. Press your cannabis coffee as you would your espresso. Voila!
[5] Can you buy CBD coffee pods?
Because of the fast growing market on CBD coffee, coffee manufacturers have also introduced CBD coffee pods. It’s fast and convenient without the hassle of blending and manual pressing. All you need is a pod machine and your CBD coffee will be delivered to you in an instant.
Two of the leading brands of CBD coffee pods you can buy are Canniant CBD Espresso and Cannabisimo Coffee. Between the two, the Italian brand Cannabismo is more hip and has the cannabis leaf on their label.
[6] What are the advantages of CBD?
The upward trend in CBD coffee has a lot to do with the hype behind the health and wellness effect of CBD. It has been marketed as a tonic, something to make you feel better and stronger. Something to relieve you of stress and anxiety and heals you of chronic pain. But how much truth is there in these claims?
The best way to take CBD oil is really not in coffee. The best way to maximize the effects of CBD is to take drops of CBD oil under your tongue. This is the fastest delivery system — sub-lingual (under the tongue). If you take a few drops under your tongue, leave it there for a minute or so (60-90 seconds). This gives time for the oils to slowly seep into your bloodstream without much ado. It is from your bloodstream that CBD reaches your cannabinoid receptors and delivers its goods. If you drink CBD with coffee, the entire thing takes a long time before the CBD enters your bloodstream. It goes into your stomach, intestines, then processed in your liver — the whole 9 yards — before it becomes available in your bloodstream. By that time, CBD has all but lost much of its potential. But if you take it sub-lingual, it gets there faster. But, where’s the fun in that?
CBD coffee is more fun. CBD coffee not only perks you up, it also (ironically) relaxes you. Something’s gotta give. CBD gives you a clearer head and makes you think better.
Been suffering from arthritis and chronic joint pains, have you? CBD can fix that. It’s been known to reduce chronic joint pains with regular use.
Are you afraid to be seen in public, suffering from social anxiety? CBD coffee makes you bold and takes away your fears.
Feeling droopy? Coffee will give you the fix you need. CBD with add wellness and health to that. CBD has been used to treat children with epileptic seizures and it’s done them good.
[7] Can you overdose on it?
You can only take so much coffee or CBD coffee before it gives you the jitters. So if you are a simple pedestrian CBD coffee drinker, you have nothing to worry about going OD. But if you use CBD other than for hip coffee, you need to know how much CBD is in your oil.
Ok, let’s say a dose of your gummies or a drop of your CBD oil has 20mg CBD (cannabidiol) in it, max. You’ll have to get 1,000 doses of that CBD in your system to OD. Far from happening. There are more ways to OD on other drugs — why choose CBD? But if you’re using CBD for its medicinal benefits, taking too much at once will probably only put your lights out longer. Your migraine and back pain will be gone. You’ll probably just wake up wondering what hit you.
[8] Will it show in a drug’s test?
Since there are two CBD derived products, CBD hemp and CBD weed, on the market it’s good to know which one may result positive in a drug test. CBD hemp and CBD weed were not created equal.
CBD hemp does not contain any substances that will show in a drug test. This is also one of the reasons why it is not illegal at all. According to the 2018 Farm Bill it is perfectly legal to plant, sell, transport, possess hemp and all, in all 50 states.
CBD weed, however, tells a different story. THC, the main substance in weed, will light up (as it were) in a drug test. Marijauna’s active component delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) will show up in a drug test. This is how marijuana found its way into Schedule 1 on the list of controlled substances. THC makes weed a commodity that can be abused.
[9] What other food and drinks to people add CBD oil into?
People have infused everything with CBD. As medicine, CBD has been marketed as gummies. They’re sort-of like comfort food medicine for people suffering from anxiety disorders, chronic arthritis, adrenal stress, or insomnia. It’s good to have a bottle of gummies at your side when you need them.
They’re also available in creams, lotions, and spread-on. If you suffer from joint pains, it give quicker relief, just massage it on the affected area. CBD can also be injected on the swollen areas for immediate relief of joint pains.
Even your dog has his own CBD infused treats. Bet he won’t be yappy no more after a dose of CBD.
How about some CBD meatballs? Anything from salads to cocktail drinks can now be infused with CBD.
The upward trend in recreational CBD is gathering force like a hurricane. When big-chain fast-food coffee houses get in the bandwagon, the CBD coffee craze will explode.
