Buddha Tea: Water Soluble CBD Teas for Everyday Living
Buddha Teas, a tea company out of San Diego takes tea drinking to whole ‘nother level.
They offer nearly 150 teas on their website, broken down into categories like root teas, bark teas, chakra teas, seed teas, and more. But it’s their latest blends that have people (including us!) particularly excited.
Photo: Cheyenne Arnold
“We’ve launched many products over the years, but we haven’t seen anything quite like this. People love the flavors, they appreciate the effects, and they keep coming back for more,” says John Boyd, Founder, and CEO of Buddha Teas on the recent launch of their CBD tea blends. John, who grew up in England, followed a winding career path (from his mom’s pet shop to seismic surveying to getting his Civil Engineering degree); a career path that landed him in the United States. Once in the States, John found that our tea selection was severely lacking. Though he was limited by his career at the time, a seed was planted and he “knew that one day I would be able to follow my idea to create an expanded selection for tea lovers like myself.” And in 2009, Buddha Tea was born.
Shop Buddha Teas’ vast selection, and you’ll notice it’s all very benefit-driven. They’ve got antibacterial and antifungal teas, teas for respiratory support, joint support and more. In fact, John’s found that their Elderberry Tea has been very effective to help cure the common cold. “I know people who swear by our Ginger Tea to help with stomach aches, and our Chaga Tea is a common choice for lots of people who want an overall health boost.” So, it should come as no surprise that Buddha Teas would add CBD to their lineup. “I first discovered CBD while suffering a knee injury. Along with other alternative modalities, CBD proved very effective. Now, I drink our CBD daily, and find that my nervous system is more consistently calm.”
As you probably know, CBD is having quite a moment. You can get it in lollipops, chocolates, and of course, tea. But what was it about tea and CBD together that piqued John’s interest? “With tea, you can combine CBD with other herbs to target specific health needs. Because we sell tea, we wanted to find a way to process the CBD into a way that would create the most bioavailable form possible.” Common sense dictates that oil, like CBD oil, and water don’t mix. And that’s why John and his team, with a lot of hard work, found a way to make the CBD bioavailable in water. “Making sure that the 5mg of CBD we say is in each tea bag actually ends up in the tea was really vital to our product. We found a way to craft the CBD using Nano-sized particles of water-soluble CBD. This bioavailability gives the body full delivery of the CBD, ensuring the most benefits possible.”
Their CBD teas come in four flavors: Chamomile, Mint, Turmeric Ginger, and Matcha Green Tea. They chose these four blends in order to appeal to a wide range of tea drinkers and their needs throughout the day. For the most part, they chose their best-selling teas, but when creating the CBD Chamomile, they actually made a whole new tea blend; combining chamomile, lavender, lemon balm, and CBD.
You’ll note that three of the four CBD teas are non-caffeinated. So, what’s up with the CBD Matcha Green Tea? As John explains, “Not everyone wants to feel the calming effects of CBD. My absolute go-to is the Matcha. You still get the health benefits of the CBD, but if you have stuff to do, and aren’t ready to relax, for example in the morning, the Matcha is a super choice. I drink this delicious blend throughout the day. With a business to run and a young daughter, keeping my energy up is important. It seems to do the trick.”
Some samples of Buddha Teas’ CBD blends recently landed in our office. The consensus? We’re obsessed. The mint is refreshing and clean and offers a perfect night’s sleep. The chamomile is familiar and soothing; while the Ginger Turmeric is earthy and calming. (Editor’s Note: I stopped drinking caffeine recently, but figured I should try the CBD Matcha Green in the name of journalistic excellence. And after drinking it, I think I might need to walk back my no-caffeine rule. The CBD and the matcha get you jazzed without the crash... and it tastes delicious.) Bottom line: If you’re looking for an easy, enjoyable way to start taking CBD, get yourself a box of any of Buddha Teas’ CBD teas. You won’t be disappointed.
John’s been a believer in CBD for a few years now. In fact, Buddha Teas was ready to go with their CBD teas 3.5 years ago, but they didn’t end up going through with it then. “We needed to wait until we were more certain that the larger supermarket chains wouldn’t frown on it. Our hunch was spot-on because CBD has now become fairly mainstream, and the products are doing incredibly well now.” CBD is indeed gaining more mainstream momentum, but some municipalities still ban the sale of it. So, when we asked John what his hopes for the CBD industry are going forward, he urged us to vote. “My greatest hope for the industry would be to elect the most cannabis supportive candidates. This is the way we can help legalize the industry, which would obviously remove any roadblocks to getting this amazing product to as wide a public as possible. So, in a nutshell: VOTE!”
