I’m a big coffee drinker. To quote Lorelai Gilmore, “I can’t stop drinking the coffee. I stop drinking the coffee, I stop doing the standing and the walking and the words putting into sentence doing.” I fancy myself a bit of an at-home barista; from a handy Keurig to a simple French press to a fancy espresso maker, I have a machine (and a bean) for every mood. And I love experimenting with new coffee trends. So when I heard about cannabidiol coffee, or CBD coffee, I knew I had to try it. I found Flower Power Coffee Company and did a little research.
What is CBD, exactly? It’s a compound found in cannabis. But unlike other cannabis components (like, say, tetrahydrocannabinol — aka, THC), CBD is legal.
“Unlike other compounds found in cannabis, CBD is legal, has no psychoactive effects, and will not make you fail a drug test,” the Flower Power website states. “CBD should be utilized by everybody to help strengthen and maintain their physical, neurological, and psychological states for optimal living.”
Why do people drink CBD coffee or use CBD-infused products?
Even though CBD doesn’t have psychoactive effects, people still report experiencing positive effects after ingesting it. Before drinking CBD coffee, I’d heard that people used CBD-infused products for reasons not unlike why they’d recreationally use marijuana for: to relax, to ease anxiety, to focus. Aside from what’s stated on the Flower Power website, I didn’t do any research about CBD before drinking CBD coffee, because I didn’t want to trick my mind into thinking I was experiencing certain benefits or side effects.
So, I decided to give it a shot. I browsed Flower Power’s selection of CBD coffee (they also sell coffee without CBD, but we’re on a mission here) and was pleasantly surprised at how many varieties they offer. I considered flavors like Bootlegger’s Brew and Buckeye Blend, but ultimately chose Early Morning Beignet, because I was craving a lighter, sweeter roast. And who doesn’t want to think about beignets with their morning cup?
I quickly learned that one downside of brewing CBD coffee at home is that Flower Power doesn’t sell their coffee in large quantities. If you want a higher volume, you can buy multiple packages of coffee at once, but it’s best to buy in smaller quantities because Flower Power only sells ground coffee, not beans. Why? Because they infuse the CBD into the coffee during the grinding process.
Another downside is that it’s a little on the pricier side: One package of Flower Power’s CBD coffee will cost you $15 (plus a little more for shipping). Every package contains 28 grams of coffee and 30 mg of CBD, and will brew you about six cups (or five, if you like a heavier scoop like I do). At ~$2.50 a cup, it’s not unheard of, but still on the expensive side for a single cup brewed at home. Though, when such positive side effects are on the table, $2.50 is practically nothing. If CBD coffee works for you, the higher price tag is decidedly justifiable.
The coffee arrived quickly and I immediately tore open the package to breathe in the heavenly beignet scent. I did it so quickly, in fact, that I forgot to take pictures of the closed package. (Whoops. I hadn’t had my coffee yet.) I got to brewing and let me tell you — the effects were immediate. Here’s everything I noticed about drinking CBD coffee for five days.
Day 1: My first cup of CBD coffee!
Normally I drink two or three cups of coffee every morning. But since Flower Power’s CBD coffee comes in such small quantities, I decided to stick to one cup per day for this experiment. The coffee had a sweet aroma with a good grind — fine, but not too fine. I drank it black for the full experience, and it was quite enjoyable. I tend to favor black coffee anyway, but even if you’re a milk and sugar person, I think you’d still enjoy Flower Power coffee black. That’s how smooth it is. I continued with my morning, answering emails and outlining a draft for a story. When my mug was empty, I sort of forgot about it. Until I couldn’t stop yawning.
About 20-30 minutes after I finished my cup, I got a serious case of the sleepies. I started yawning and I couldn’t stop. These weren’t just yawns. These were unstoppable, scrunch-your-entire-face-and-close-your-eyes yawns. I am violently yawning, I texted my boyfriend, not putting two and two together yet. He beat me there: Is it the coffee? THE COFFEE.
When I say I couldn’t stop yawning, I really mean that I. Could. Not. Stop. To the point where I had to go outside and get some fresh air because it was barely 10 a.m. and I still had a full day of work ahead of me. The extreme desire to take a nap eventually went away and everything was okay. I wasn’t sure if it was CBD-related, but reader, I was curious.
Day 2: Starting to see the effects at work.
I’ll be honest: I went into Day 2 a little nervous. Considering that Day 1 gave me the overwhelming desire to curl up and take a cat nap for at least three hours, I was worried this experiment would devolve into a long series of extreme yawns. I did get the sleepies again on Day 2, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as Day 1. I felt more sluggish than tired, but in a content way, if that makes sense.
Something I noticed was that I slept very soundly on Night 1. Normally I wake up at least once or twice in the middle of the night, but that didn’t happen. I decided to keep an eye on that to see if it continued, or if it was just a random night of peaceful, uninterrupted sleep.
Day 3: Anyone else have vivid dreams the night after drinking CBD coffee?
Day 3 was a lot like Day 2, in the sense that I knew what to expect and wasn’t surprised when it happened. I felt the same two effects: a night of great sleep and an extreme sense of sluggish calm upon finishing my CBD coffee the next morning.
On Day 3, I threw another possible side effect into the mix: extra vivid dreams. I wasn’t quick to call it a side effect just yet, because I have vivid dreams pretty regularly. But the dreams on Night 1 and Night 2 seemed extra alive and memorable, so I made a note to pay attention and see if it kept happening.
Day 4: Yep. REALLY vivid dreams.
Picture this: It’s my high school graduation and my best friend’s mom surprised us with giant cakes of our faces to celebrate. My best friend’s brother, Cole Sprouse, was jealous, so he had a cake of his face made, too, even though he wasn’t graduating. And then I woke up.
Um, yeah. I think having extra vivid dreams is officially a side effect of drinking CBD coffee. It’s not bothersome, just…strange.
Day 5: In conclusion, CBD coffee is highly effective.
When my five-day CBD coffee experiment came to a close, I was honestly shocked by how much change I saw in such a short amount of time. I couldn’t believe just how immediate — and consistent — the effects were. Maybe the most shocking thing of all was how it seemed to work for 24 hours. A nearly instant sense of calm at 9 a.m. AND a good night’s sleep over 12 hours later? That’s pretty powerful.
I don’t know that I would drink CBD coffee every day; it just made me so damn tired, and personally, I found it distracting. But there’s a time and a place for that, and I could definitely see myself brewing a cup on a lazy Sunday afternoon when all I want to do is relax.
I don’t know if CBD coffee would have the exact same effect on you as it did on me. But if you’re curious about how CBD would fit into your morning routine, you should definitely give it a try. And it doesn’t have to be in the form of coffee, either. Flower Power also sells a variety of CBD-infused edibles, including salted caramels and lollipops.
Who knew caffeine could be so chill?
