How Does Drinking CBD Coffee Make You Feel? (Here’s What Happened When I Tried It)

Calling all diehard java lovers – it’s time to talk about CBD coffee. First thing’s first: We’re not asking you to ditch your standard cup of joe. I can’t imagine parting ways with the beans from my local coffee shop in my one latte per day. But as we all know, drinking regular coffee can come with a price — it often means a sudden burst of energy, anxiousness, or post-caffeine jitters.

Fortunately, cannabidiol (CBD)-infused coffee is an option worth considering if you’re tired of the jitters. It tastes like traditional java minus the annoying side effects. I spoke to Robert Kaufmann, MD, Director of Medical Research at CBD American Shaman, to learn more about the potential benefits of this unique alternative to regular coffee. 

Plus, I brewed myself a cup to see what all the buzz was about.

The Potential Benefits of Drinking CBD Coffee

Dr. Kaufmann tells First for Women that CBD is anxiolytic, which means it helps decrease anxiety without producing a “high” because it doesn’t contain a substance called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). In contrast, coffee is rich in caffeine – a stimulant to make you feel more alert.

While CBD and caffeine are two ingredients that seem like polar opposites, they might just be a match made in coffee heaven.

Dr. Kaufmann reveals three ways that infusing CBD into your daily brew could tame the pesky side effects from caffeine:

• CBD helps ease stress. “If [regular] coffee makes someone nervous and anxious, [the addition of] CBD could very well help that individual,” he says.
• Due to CBD’s calming effect on the mind, it may also boost clarity. “For some, coffee seems to help individuals ‘wake up,’ especially if they are drowsy — and often, for these individuals, coffee helps clear their thinking,” he explains. “Therefore, if they drink CBD coffee, it may help them think even clearer.”
• CBD coffee could offer pain-relieving benefits. “For the elderly, adding CBD to their coffee may help reduce the pain that they experience after waking and allow their joints to ‘move’ easier, and if the pain is reduced, be in a better mood — which their spouse or family might also enjoy,” he adds.

What to Know Before Drinking CBD Coffee

Dr. Kaufmann acknowledges that studies on the risks of drinking CBD coffee specifically are limited. So, he recommends that you consult your doctor before trying it.

He also suggests consuming it in moderate amounts, as negative side effects of excessive CBD intake may include diarrhea, vomiting, and drowsiness.

“If one is drinking over three cups a day — whether it’s straight coffee or CBD coffee — that’s probably not moderation,” he says. “Also, one should be careful about the amount of CBD in a serving of CBD coffee — a good rule would be to not have the amount of CBD in milligrams (mg) be greater than the amount that person normally takes at that time of day.” (If that person is familiar with and already taking CBD, that is.)

According to Healthline, a small dosage of CBD could start at 20 mg (the equivalent of about four drops depending on the bottle) a day. “If one starts feeling adverse effects, they are probably drinking too much [CBD within the coffee],” Dr. Kaufmann notes.

How to Add CBD to Your Coffee

There’s more than one way CBD can make its way into your cup of coffee. WikiHow staff writer Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA, lists two methods for adding it to your routine brew:

• Add drops of CBD edible oil or flavorless CBD oil tincture to the brewed coffee. (Note: CBD oil tincture dissolves easier in liquid than pure edible oil.)
• Use CBD-infused coffee beans in place of your regular beans.

Blinka notes that add-ins like whole milk, coconut oil, and butter may help you get the full benefits of CBD coffee. “While adding a fat is optional, fat increases the bioavailability of the CBD oil so your body can better absorb it,” she writes.

Trying CBD Coffee for Myself

After getting the green light from my doctor to try the drink, I made it using the Bearded Man’s French Fork CBD coffee beans (Buy from ExtractLabs.com, $38) — which contains a total of 250 mg of CBD per 12-ounce bag.

While I usually prepare a latte for my caffeine fix, this time I went with a standard drip method to get the full flavor and effects. Here are my thoughts on the CBD coffee’s appearance, smell, and taste — plus how I felt after drinking an 8-ounce cup:

• Appearance and smell: Once brewed, the coffee looked and smelled like a normal cup — it had a dark brown color and rich vanilla scent.
• Taste: I was blown away by the full-bodied, balanced flavor. The notes of caramel gave the coffee a nice sweetness. Overall, the difference in taste between this and an everyday brew was barely noticeable to me.
• After-effects: I typically feel very alert and slightly jittery a half hour after sipping my first cup of coffee — in fact, I have to drink water to balance out the effect. However, I didn’t feel that way after drinking the CBD coffee. I was actually more mellow and calm — which is the best way to start the morning, if you ask me.

Would I try this coffee again? Sure — it’d be nice to replace two or three of my weekly cups of coffee with this variety. Plus, I’m excited to use the beans to make a latte and see how it measures up against my go-to coffee blend.

All in all, a jitter-free cup of joe sounds like the way to go!