By Perry Luckett, CoffeeMan1

If you’re living in a marijuana-free zone and not following the recent craze over CBD oil from hemp, you may not know that coffee and tea industries are cozying up to CBD infusions in order to reach more consumers for our favorite beverages. For now, a few businesses are offering CBD-infused coffee and tea online and in selected retail outlets. Until the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determines whether to consider CBD a drug or a supplement, distributors are playing it safe by not claiming a therapeutic benefit for their products—even though CBD is now distributed through drug store chains and outlets for natural supplements, oils, and creams.

Hemp, not marijuana, is the source plant for CBD

CBD oil only recently became legalized in most U.S. states, thanks to the 2018 Farm Bill becoming law. Until then, it was lumped in with marijuana as a “controlled substance,” making it nearly impossible for researchers to investigate its benefits legally. Because of this, science is playing catch up with what is now widely accepted as a supplement with many health benefits. Major U.S. drug store chains now sell CBD over the counter, and large pharmaceutical companies have entered the CBD market.

Marijuana plant is NOT the source of CBD oil. Attribution: Jennifer Martin, CC BY-SA 4.0

The distinction between hemp and marijuana is critical. The new law defines hemp as cannabis plants that contain less than 0.3% THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). Plants that contain more remain illegal under federal law and in most states. THC produces a psychotropic sensory response in the brain in small amounts, but CBD engages entirely different receptors in the immune system, skin, liver, and bones. The CBD molecule reduces inflammation and is widely sought for pain relief. It doesn’t make you “high.”

Full-spectrum CBD (which pairs the compound with one or more of the 100 cannabinoids in cannabis) is legal for medical use in 46 states. CBD derived from hemp (which has little or no psychoactive properties) is legal in all 50 states so long as concentrations of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) remain below 0.3%

Deregulation of hemp and CBD may be on the horizon

Since March major grocery and pharmacy chains including CVS, Vitamin Shoppe, and the Walgreens Boots Alliance (1,500 stores in select states) have stocked their shelves with CBD products (typically oils, creams, sprays and transdermal patches to relax and de-stress). Supplements that don’t claim therapeutic benefit don’t have to undergo more stringent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules regulating drugs.

“The FDA requires a cannabis product (hemp-derived or otherwise) that is marketed with a claim of therapeutic benefit, or with any other disease claim, to be approved by the FDA for its intended use before it may be introduced into interstate commerce,” according to legislation that legalized hemp. FDA chief Scott Gottlieb said he’s “disappointed” at the rush to market CBD because many issues remain unresolved, but retailers view CBD as a safe way to enter a market that will someday include cannabis.

In June the FDA began hearings to deregulate CBD from hemp within food products. “Legalization of edible CBD from hemp would have a major impact on the U.S. consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry—particularly for the snack and confectionery category,” according to Nielsen market research. Regulations governing the sales of CBD-infused edibles, including beverage tea, remain murky. CBD sales totaled $350 million in 2018. Market research by Nielsen conducted in March shows 34% of Americans were interested in consuming legal CBD/Cannabis for the Memorial Day holiday. [DB]

Nielsen predicts the food and beverage share of hemp-derived CBD products will reach $6 billion in sales by 2025. Sales of beverages will account for $1.6 billion of this total with foods and stacks (including confectionery) accounting for $950 million in annual sales. Although CBD food and beverages are a small segment compared to powders, oils for vaping and supplements, Nielsen predicts it will account for a 44% share of CBD sales years to come. [DB]

What science says about CBD and caffeine when combined in your teapot or coffee press—covering what’s known so far.

In an interview with Marie Claire, the medical director of California-based diagnosis clinic Canna-Centers, and winner of 2017 Medical Professional of the Year, Dr. Bonni Goldstein explains what’s known so far about CBD and caffeine:

“It’s unclear at this point in time the exact interaction between CBD and caffeine. . . .at low doses, CBD is a stimulant, and in higher doses it can cause sedation. Someone’s reaction to a combination of these compounds would not be easily predictable because various doses of each would affect the response.”

The World Health Organization has conducted research on CBD oil and concluded that CBD oil has a good safety profile and is well tolerated by most people. Still, CBD oil’s effects on the body can vary widely, depending on the strain of oil ingested. Although some cannabis strains have been developed to induce relaxation, others are bred to enhance focus, reduce appetite, or produce other outcomes. These variations make the end result of ingestion difficult to predict. But if you do your research and pay special attention to the strain of CBD oils you’re using, mixing CBD with caffeine becomes much less of a guessing game.

In January Vox reported, “The limited studies out there indicate that CBD has, in its various interactions with the brain and immune system, some anti-inflammatory and anti-anxiety effects.” The article explains CBD has low bioavailability (15%) when ingested, requiring doses of at least 300 mg to reduce anxiety, for example. Too much, however, (1000 mg in dosage trials) and it becomes less effective. Most CBD sold today delivers 25-100 mg. Researchers note that vaporizing CBD is more efficient (25% bioavailability) than eating or drinking it. “From a medical perspective, it’s promising; recreationally, it’s interesting. But that doesn’t mean the stuff you’re buying works,” writes Vox.

Whether or not CBD in coffee and tea works, this cozy combination conjures sales potential

Joe Gagnon, the founder of Performance Tea, has been developing his powdered teas toward a 2018 launch, which makes him one of the innovators when it comes to CBD-infused teas online. He says tea and CBD sales cover consumer interest in natural products that reduce stress, ease chronic pain, aid sleep, and help with recovery from illness.

Performance Tea’s “Recovery” CBD-infused tea. Courtesy of https://www.performancetea.com

Gagnon says the line between food and health is disappearing, citing an Accenture report on “The Future of Food: New Realities for the Industry,” The public has become more aware of the links among nutrition, health, longevity, and sustainability. This shift is creating huge opportunities for the food and healthcare industries. Gagnon points out the FDA may not choose to clamp down on CBD-related products and interstate commerce, even if it claims authority to do so. Relaxed enforcement would depend mostly on limited resources and little threat to public health.

Given the large numbers of consumers already exposed to CBD and a trend pointing to the legalization of cannabis, Gagnon expects his $49 jars of CBD-infused tea to prevail. Consumer surveys show 47% of the buying public is familiar with CBD, and 30% of those have bought it. The rush is on, Gagnon says, with 65% of supplement companies planning to launch a CBD product in the next one or two years.

Willie Nelson, the famous performer, also introduced a CBD (cannabidiol) infused coffee last year. He calls it “Willie’s Remedy.” In Spring of 2019 his wife Annie D’Angelo added a non-caffeinated CBD-infused hemp tea to her own edibles line of chocolates and lozenges. They’re on the front end of an expected surge in beverages and restaurant menu items that has started building in 2019. Nelson’s Austin, Texas-based venture can now form and transport products nationally so long as they’re labeled dietary supplements.

Obviously, Nelson’s organization is aware of FDA restrictions on interstate commerce involving CBD because they don’t claim a therapeutic benefit. As they say at williesremedy.com:

“Willie’s Remedy coffee is carefully selected and roasted, then infused with certified organic, full-spectrum hemp oil grown in Colorado. . . . Willie’s Remedy teas combine the benefits of cannabis with other plants. Tea and other herbs and flowers are infused with full spectrum hemp oil in an all-natural process that preserves the beneficial qualities of each. The result is a balancing effect of tea’s [or coffee’s] natural lift, a perfect harmony of focus from the caffeine plus calm from the cannabis.”

Until the FDA approves interstate sales of CBD in foods and natural supplements, we can expect similar language from other producers of CBD-infused coffee and tea. But FDA’s decision making needn’t affect your intention to try it at williesremedy.com or performancetea.com.

For best results, be sure to get a Koffee Kozee™ from www.koffeekompanions.com if you brew coffee or tea in a French press—or a Kup Kap™ if you brew in a mug. They’ll keep your tea or coffee at a perfect temperature for the best balance of natural lift and cannabis calm.

CBD in Coffee and Tea—Cozy Idea?

Hemp, not marijuana, is the source plant for CBD

Deregulation of hemp and CBD may be on the horizon

What science says about CBD and caffeine when combined in your teapot or coffee press—covering what’s known so far.

Whether or not CBD in coffee and tea works, this cozy combination conjures sales potential