Good question! If you’re like many consumers, you’ve tried a few CBD brands when checking out the different flavours, formulas, and prices. So, when you purchase a few naturally tasting oils, why does the taste change between CBD brands?
Different Hemp Cultivars
Similar to tomatoes, cucumbers, oranges, and apples, hemp offers a variety of cultivars or “strains.” There isn’t an exact number because botanists and nature are consistently creating new variations to improve the plant. But experts estimate it’s over 400[1] . As you may know, cannabis or hemp flowers provide a wide range of aromas, tastes, and responses.
These distinctions are from the mixture of compounds in each cultivar. The plant has over phytochemicals, including over 100 different terpenes and a handful of flavonoids. This blend is primarily responsible for your CBD oil’s taste and aroma.
Environmental Variations
When you cultivate plants outside, which is where most hemp is grown, there will be differences in the plants no matter what seeds or clones you use. Changes in the soil, weather patterns, amount of sun exposure, grow duration, and hydration cause plants to differ by height, weight, and the colour of the leaves and flowers. The darker the leaves, the more significant the difference in the flavour. Hemp that’s a darker green will have more chlorophyll, adding to the bitterness of the cultivar’s distinct flavour.
Extraction Process
There are several ways to extract the phytonutrients from hemp. These differences help explain some of the changes in the CBD oil’s taste that you’re noticing. Even when using the same extraction process, there will be variations in the oil’s consistency, colour, and flavour.
For example, a broad-spectrum tincture goes through an extra step to remove the THC. The additional processing also changes the taste. The same goes for an isolate. Processers take multiple steps to strip unwanted components from the plant, such as chlorophyll and waxes.
Differences in Flavoured CBD Oils
Yes, you may have noticed a slight change in the taste between CBD brands with the same natural flavourings. The answer here is the same as above. Different hemp cultivars, environmental factors, and extraction methods cause the variances in taste. However, CBD oils that come flavoured to mask the natural taste can be slightly more noticeable in flavoured products because of the variety of natural options.
A good example is mint, which is excellent at masking the plant-like taste that many consumers find it difficult to swallow. There are over 600 varieties [2] of mint, such as spearmint, peppermint, and chocolate mint.
The best way to avoid varying tastes is to stick with one CBD brand. A company’s products can have a slight difference. Most CBD brands use clones, rather than seeds and replicate the process to avoid any changes in the plant extract’s flavour. These will have the closest taste, and you most likely won’t notice much of a difference.
[1]http://innvista.com/health/foods/hemp/hemp-species/#:~:text=There%20are%20over%20400%20different,of%20both%20fiber%20and%20seed.
[2]http://cemadera.ucdavis.edu/newsletters/The_World_of_Mint24506.pdf