There are two reasons why cannabis beverages taste bitter. One, that is the natural taste of cannabis. Two, it is difficult to mask that flavour because it doesn’t mix well in water – the basis of most beverages including beer, pop, and juice as well as cannabis beverages.

Several companies are looking for new technologies to help cannabis mix better in water. One promising avenue is a water-soluble technology from NextLeaf Labs Ltd.

Dig a Little Deeper

THC and CBD does not easily infuse with any water-based liquid because it’s not water soluble. It simply floats in the beverages, leaving a scummy, smelly layer at the top. That’s the primary reason why cannabis beverages taste bitter. Many companies try to mask the taste in their cannabis beverages with ginger, lemon, sugar, and other, often intense, flavours.

Water-soluble technology on the other hand encapsulates the CBD and/or THC in a cannabis beverage. In essence, the water and cannabis never touch. Therefore, you never get the bitter taste. This is the same advanced technology used in medicine to help the body absorb certain medications.

Other technologies for reducing the bitterness in cannabis beverages include THC-infused selters. Based on a review of cannabis beverages from November 2020, it sees that efforts to improve taste have been working.

Although most people consume cannabis beverages recreationally, some are medicinal. Gwyneth Paltrow and her Goop company endorsed Cann, a cannabis beverage. She called cannabis the “hero ingredient of the future”.