The Hallmarks of Quality CBD

Greetings!! We hope everyone had an awesome and productive week. The summer is nearly here and this one is going to be a big one, we can feel it. Cali Craft went to its first festival of the season last weekend and that was something else. Good turn out and our full spectrum CBD gummies were a huge hit with the festival goers.

We are really excited to bring them out to the open market. They are made with water soluble nano CBD. The flavor formula was made by a very talented chocolatier, so you know they are super tasty. And because the CBD is in a water-soluble nano format it works faster on the body. So rather than waiting for 1+ hours for the CBD to kick in, it takes between 8-15 minutes to start taking effect. This is a game-changer for people who need their CBD edibles to work right now and not 2 hours from right now. So, keep your eyes on the shop for the roll out of our Amazing Edible Nano CBD Gummies!!

And speaking of high-quality CBD, let’s get back to the blog subject for the week, Quality.

Why Quality Matters

When it comes to CBD and quality it is helpful to consider a few things. First, CBD comes from a plant and regardless of what the authorities think, CBD is not a drug or a narcotic. The truth is that cannabis/hemp can and should be considered an herb. The CBD preparations that we create should be considered herbal remedies. It is unclear as to why the regulatory authorities have such trouble getting on-board with that idea, but they do.

CBD like any other herbal remedy is only as effective as the quality with which the remedy is prepared. This process starts with the seeds and the soil. I know it seems to be a bit overkill going back that far but the truth is that the seeds will determine what kind of plant will actually be produced and how much CBD the plant will have. The quality of the soil will determine how “clean” the plant will be.

When we refer to “clean” plants we are referring specifically to the lack of contaminants in the soil. Both hemp and cannabis are what are known as photo-remediators, we wrote a bit about that here and you can find more detailed info on that here. This means that they absorb any toxins and heavy metals that are found in bad soil.

It all makes perfect sense really. If you are going to put a plant product in your body, you generally want that product to be as healthy as possible. I mean it comes from nature so and nature is supposed to be good for you. Except for, you know, the dangerous parts, like Australia.

What Makes High quality CBD?

We know that it begins with the seed and the soil but what other elements make high quality CBD? There are 3 or 4 main elements that we look at when we are considering high quality CBD, so let’s take a look.

1. High Quality Biomass: Biomass is the term we use for hemp that is to be used for processing. In our case the process is extraction. High quality biomass is critical to creating high quality extract. It starts with the seeds and the soil but is also very much dependent on how it is grown. So, it is important to know who is growing your hemp and not only how they grow the hemp, but how they harvest and process it as well.
2. Extraction and Filtration Processes: the extraction process is also very important for the quality of CBD products. The method of extraction is very important, whether its closed loop ethanol or super critical CO2 the extraction process will determine a lot, but the filtration process is equally as important. This will determine the purity of the crude extract.
3. Distillation and remediation: distillation is the process by which we clean the crude extract. This must be done in a way that ensures that the best parts of the plant remain while removing and neutralizing unwanted elements. Remediation is the process we use to remove or reduce the THC content of the extract. The current limit set for THC is 0.2%. Often times the crude extract will be higher than that and so remediation is required. The remediation process is where a lot of the value of the plant can be lost if attention is not given to how the process is done.

The Finishing Touch

So now we have a super high quality, refined and clean CBD distillate. Its notable characteristics are that it is high in CBD content, low in THC, and rich in other minor cannabinoids such as CBG and CBN. It has excellent terpene retention and smells fruity and piney. It is the goods. So now what?

Now we go for the finishing touch, the formulation. Formulation is essentially the recipe that you are going to use to make the finished CBD product that you will then place on the open market for the consumers. The formulation is that last mile that can really make a huge difference in not only how your product looks and tastes but how effective it will be and even how healthy it will be for you. It is a complex process that is more of an art than anything else. The secrets of great formulation are essentially on par with the secrets great cooking. This is why people with strong cooking experience combined with scientific knowledge make great formulators.

But that is a conversation for a different time (next week’s blog). For now, we know everyone is anxious to get through the rest of the day and into the weekend. So have a great weekend and see you next week.