Bespoke CBD coffee promises energy without the jitters

17 Aug 2020 --- What happens when trends around coffee, personalized nutrition and cannabidiol (CBD) merge? US-based Serda’s Coffee Co. has come up with a novel way to infuse any type of coffee with any amount of CBD based on the customer’s preference. Speaking with NutritionInsight, Owner John Serda explains how coffee drinkers can enjoy energy from the caffeine, without “the jitters and anxiousness” often associated with drinking coffee.

This novel kind of CBD-coffee personalization is the result of a collaboration with a dedicated food scientist, Mile High Labs and PharmLabs in order to develop, test and produce the CBD levels from bean to cup.

“We kept running into a problem when we would send the coffee off to the lab to have them test the amount of CBD. The coffee itself would have the CBD in it, but when the brewed coffee was tested, it did not have much CBD in it at all. This was our biggest challenge, making sure the finished brewed coffee had CBD in it,” notes Serda.

It took a great deal of trial and error with different infusion methods, but we finally got it,” he adds. The process has been nearly a year in the making, with tweaks needed to verify and perfect the amount of CBD in the brewed coffee.

“Our method is very proprietary, so we can not get into how it works. This is also the main reason no other coffee roaster offers it,” says Serda. He adds that the same technology can also be used for THC. The company has previously sold CBD products, including tinctures, gummies and pet treats, but never CBD coffee.

“If you want our Ethiopian Gera Estate with 150 mg or our Costa Rican Ateneo with 300 mg, no problem. Our new method gives customers the selection they have been looking for, which has been lacking in the market. Other coffee roasters that provide CBD infused coffees only offer one varietal of coffee, where we can offer 20 and more,” Serda continues.The process has been nearly a year in the making, with tweaks needed to verify the amount of CBD in the brewed coffee.

CBD rises in popularity
Despite a hazy regulatory framework, consumers have embraced CBD in recent years. According to Innova Market Insights, the usage of hemp-derived CBD is soaring due to its touted health effects, reflected by an average annual growth of 165 percent in product launches tracked with CBD (Global, CAGR 2015-2019).

According to Serda, the natural benefits of CBD are driving the growing interest, with some consumers hoping to avoid having to take medications, which may have an “array of side effects.” In the US specifically, an Innova Consumer Survey from 2019 found that 57 percent of consumers consider pain relief as a main benefit of cannabis/CBD consumption, followed by reducing stress/anxiety (46 percent) and relaxation (29 percent).

Notably, half US F&B launches containing CBD between 2018 and 2019 were drinks. While soft drinks accounted for 37 percent of launches, hot drinks were behind 12 percent of launches. Other strong categories include confectionery (19 percent), sports nutrition (10 percent) and snacks (8 percent). 

Last month, Good Day debuted a line of CBD-infused beverages, including a cold brew coffee for “easy-going energy.” Meanwhile, Socati recently launched single-serve CBD-infused products for coffee and other hot beverages. 

By Katherine Durrell