Please note: our Calm Drinks samples were received free of charge, but this in no way impacted on our opinion. We were not obliged to write a positive review, and the brand did not see this review before it was put up on the site.
CBD is the “in” thing at the moment, it seems. As well as being available in oil and balms, you’ll now find it for sale across the UK in a variety of products, from gummies and cakes to drinks and more.
Calm Drinks is one company providing CBD in edible – or in this case, drinkable – form. As their website says, “We specialise in Coffee, Chocolate and Sparkling Water drinks infused with CBD, helping you UPLIFT your energy…FOCUS your mind and RELAX”.
Their products are based around Cannabis Sativa L extract: a strain of CBD that is designed to energise (as opposed to Indica strains, which are more about relaxation). CBD is often used to regulate sleep, pain, immune system responses and other bodily functions, and that’s exactly what they’re about.
You won’t get high from drinking Calm Drinks products – they’re compliant with UK law, which states that any CBD products must be under 0.2% THC (the compound that creates those mind-altering feelings).
They’re certainly beautifully designed cans. The three I received – the Americano, the Latte and the Choco Drink – all had very consistent branding with a high-end look and feel, each flavour in a different colour. But what did they taste like?
First up, the Americano, which – as well as the coffee – includes sugar plus natural chocolate, vanilla and maple flavours, presumably to mask the flavour of the CBD. It certainly had a strong coffee smell, and looked the part when poured – and the flavourings didn’t overpower the coffee flavour, just gave it a slight sweetness. After a fruity initial hit, the Americano did have a slightly bitter tang, which I’m putting down to the CBD.
The latte is again flavoured – this time with natural chocolate and maple flavours. It’s oat-based to make it dairy-free, and there’s no denying the strong coffee smell when you open the can.
It just doesn’t look appealing when poured, though: a bit like dishwater. I don’t know if mine was from a bad batch or I was just expecting something different, but with its incredibly tangy and pretty sweet flavour, it just doesn’t taste like a latte.
Last but not least, the Choco Drink: a dairy-free and soy-free oat-based drink which weighs in at 61 calories per 100ml and is flavoured using cocoa powder. When poured, it looks very much like regular chocolate milk, with a strong cocoa powder-like smell.
Once again, the initial flavour was a very tangy, almost fermented fruity flavour, which gave way to a sweetened cocoa taste that was delicious.
I can’t say that I noticed any difference in my mental alertness as a result of drinking the Calm Drinks products, but I guess you’d have to use CBD regularly to notice any real effect. Would I buy them? With prices from around £1.50 per can (depending on the quantity bought) on their website, they’re not bad value for money. But I can’t claim I enjoyed their flavour enough to choose them over a combination of normal coffee and CBD oil, should I need it.