What Does CBD Oil Taste Like?

CBD oil is pretty amazing. In addition to all its benefits, it’s truly versatile in terms of how you take it. Whether you get your daily dose sublingually or by ingesting it, options are there. You can take it as is or add it to foods and beverages like your favorite coffee without any issue. 

But all this begs the question “What does CBD oil taste like?” Well, raw CBD oil generally has a unique, earthy taste. But you’ll find many flavor profiles on the market. In addition, there are a few things that will affect CBD oil’s flavor, such as terpenes, carrier oils, and added flavorings. Let’s explore what CBD tastes like and what you might need to consider when consuming it!

Terpenes

Terpenes are natural compounds that create the unique flavor and aroma of hemp and other plants. You’ll often find the same terpenes in different plants, so that’s why sometimes specific flavor profiles might feel familiar to your taste buds, even if you’ve never had that particular food before. Terpenes have also been researched for their therapeutic benefits, such as aiding in sleep. They sometimes impart benefits when present in CBD drops. 

Generally speaking, terpenes can be described as plant oils. Still, they’re actually tiny volatile organic molecules made from terpene alcohols and terpene acids, so it only takes a small amount of the compound to really change how you taste your CBD oil. There are a lot of terpenes in hemp. Some of the ones that may affect taste are :

• Limonene: Citrus-like flavor and smell

• Myrcene: Earthy and musky aroma and flavor 

• Pinene: Pine, fresh, woodsy scent and taste. 

You’ll generally find terpenes in full spectrum and broad spectrum CBD products. These are CBD extracts that incorporate many of the terpenes, additional cannabinoids and other compounds found in hemp into the final CBD product. Full spectrum products will contain up to 0.3% THC, and broad spectrum will be THC-free. If you’re looking for pure CBD products, you’ll need to grab those made with CBD isolate. In these cases, you’re generally not getting any of the terpene flavorings, though. More on CBD isolate in a bit.

Carrier Oils

Carrier oils are used with CBD extract to create the tinctures that you buy in stores and online. Otherwise, the CBD extract would be too potent! Varying amounts of extract are combined with carrier oils, and that’s how you get different potencies. Carrier oils can impart a subtle flavor as opposed to terpenes, which can be powerful. Generally, carrier oils don’t have much taste themselves and the makers of CBD products like this. That’s because they don’t want to interfere with the CBD oil’s natural flavors by introducing anything too pungent, or they want their unique flavor combos to really shine through. 

Popular carrier oils used for CBD products include hemp seed oil and MCT oil derived from coconuts. But pretty much every nut and seed oil works. For example, avocado oil, grape seed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, almond oil, sesame oil, etc. As you can imagine, some of the other ones just mentioned would have a pretty strong taste if used. That’s why many manufacturers of CBD products keep it simple and stick to hemp seed and MCT oils.

Added Flavorings

Some CBD oils have added flavorings sourced from all natural fruits and vegetables. These are sometimes used to mask the natural hempy taste of full and broad spectrum products. Other times, they’re added to provide a flavor profile to CBD isolate products that are often relatively flavorless and dull.

These CBD oils can be delicious to take on their own and fun to use when cooking with CBD. The brilliant part about flavored CBD oil is it can easily be added to beverages such as tea, coffee or mocktails (cocktails if it’s been a super long day). You can also incorporate them into other things like salad dressings and sauces and smoothies. 

Whenever you’re working on culinary creations with CBD oil, just be sure to not expose it to high temperatures. The reason for this is that the heat may affect the CBD negatively and diminish its effects. 

A Flavorless CBD Experience

There are also those folks who might want a flavorless CBD experience. In this case, we recommend opting for CBD capsules instead of using oils. The added benefit is that various formulas exist that may offer extra help with sleep, immune system buffering and general relaxation. Whatever side you fall on when it comes to CBD flavors — natural, subtle, infused or flavorless — we know you’ll enjoy the benefits of your CBD products if you use them consistently.