The first time I dabbled in some CBD coffee it happened on a whim. “Want some CBD oil in this?” asked the beanie-hatted Dalston barista, waving my cappuccino around like it wasn’t full of liquid. “Yeah, go on then,” I replied. I was intrigued to see how the cannabidiol might affect my usual morning caffeine high. Doesn’t CBD make you drowsy? Would the two chemicals in effect cancel each other out? Would I just feel – shock, horror – like my usual, unstimulated self?
I didn’t in fact have to rawdog my way through life. Instead, I found that the CBD sort of smoothed out the usual coffee jitters, so that I still had the energy boost, but without any of the scattered thoughts that caffeine can sometimes produce. It helps that CBD is actually quite good for you. From its calming effects to its potential anti-inflammatory and serotonin-boosting properties, the wonder ingredient – which experienced a spike in popularity from the late 2010s onwards – has very few downsides.