Reactions to hemp’s unique flavor can vary for first-time users; some find it shockingly unpleasant while others love it. Don’t let yourself be surprised or discouraged.
Different Flavors for Different Brands
When you swap between different brands of hemp oil, don’t expect the flavor to be the same! Not only does hemp’s taste differ between harvests, you can bet it will differ between farms.
Our legal hemp products are typically sourced from farms in Kentucky and Colorado. As you can imagine from the sheer span of these locations, farmers are bound to use different seeds and methods.
Hemp Flavor = Terpenes
When you taste a new food for the first time, naturally you connect that taste to the food. If you bite into an orange and it tastes like an apple, you’d be pretty confused, right? With hemp, our general recommendation is to go in not expecting the flavor to be a certain way. Here’s why.
In general, hemp tastes like a handful of grass and dirt and is often described as “earthy.” However, hemp’s flavor is not as straightforward or predictable as other foods, because the flavor (and aroma) comes “mostly” from terpenes.
Terpenes are a large, diverse class of organic compounds produced in plants. Essential oils are, essentially, terpenes. That’s where the therapeutic properties, strong aroma and flavors come from. You can rest assure that every bottle of peppermint oil will be nearly identical in flavor and smell, but with hemp, there are more terpenes at play. You can’t plan for them.
Whatever terpenes happen to develop in the plant will determine how the extracted oil tastes. This is why a lot of hemp oil product manufacturers choose to add in natural terpene flavor profiles so the oil always tastes the same without tossing in added flavoring. Terpenes are touted for many therapeutic uses, so we love to see more added into products.
Even with added terpenes, depending on your unique taste buds, you may still find the flavor to be unpleasant.
How to Make Your Hemp Taste Better
Over the years, we’ve learned a few tricks to make your daily hemp oil regimen more pleasant. If you’re sensitive to earthy flavors, pay close attention to our recommendations below.
First, assure that you’re taking the hemp oil supplement correctly. All oils and tinctures should be taken sublingually, meaning you place it under your tongue, hold it for about a minute, then swallow. More on how to take Hemp Oil.
Coconut Oil
Hemp oil is, well, an oil. It doesn’t play well with water, so mixing it into your favorite drink may not work the way you’d expect. It’s best to play along with hemp’s oily texture by mixing it with another great-tasting oil.
The best one we’ve found? Coconut oil.
There are a few ways to go about mixing them, but here’s our most common suggestion.
- Grab a spoon
- Scoop coconut oil into the spoon — the quantity is really up to you
- Dispense your hemp oil into the center of the coconut oil
- (Optional) Add another thin layer of coconut oil on top of the hemp oil, making a little coconut-hemp sandwich.
- Place the spoon’s contents under your tongue
- Keep the oil there for 60-90 seconds (the longer, the better)
- Swallow any remaining oil
Juice
Another, simpler way to hide hemp flavor is with your favorite juice. You may want to try a few different ones until you find the best concoction for you. Personally, I prefer apple cider if the season is right.
- Dispense your hemp oil underneath your tongue.
- Wait 60-90 seconds.
- Drink juice as you swallow the oil. If you do this quickly, it’s even more painless flavorless.
This article originally appeared on MadeByHemp.com