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Thanksgiving Recipe: Pumpkin Pie

pumpkin pie displayed in front of pumpkin

‘Tis the season to be thankful! At SōRSE, we’re thankful for a lot of things: Our awesome team; our chef, Stacy Primack; and all of the yummy treats that she makes for us. Try out Stacy’s pumpkin pie recipe for your Worksgiving, Friendsgiving, or Thanksgiving dessert this month. You won’t be disappointed!

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Yield: 8 portions

CBD per slice: 10 mg

Pie Ingredients:

3 eggs

2 c. pumpkin

2/3 c. sugar

A pinch of salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 c. evaporated milk

2.667 g. SōRSE liquid

1/2 tsp. ginger, freshly grated

1/4 tsp. mace, toasted to bring out flavor

1/4 tsp. allspice, ground and toasted to bring out flavor

Ready to bake pie crust

Topping:

2 c. cold whipping cream

3 T. sugar or maple syrup

3/4 tsp. vanilla extract

  • Place all pie ingredients in a large, deep bowl or deep, round container (about 8 inches deep).
  • Using an immersion (stick) blender, blend thoroughly until evenly combined, and without lumps.
  • TIP: It is best to let this mixture sit overnight in the refrigerator to let flavors macerate.
  • The next day, remove the filling from the refrigerator, give a stir with a whisk by hand, and then pour filling into pie shell.
  • Bake at 325F until set and not jiggly or wet-looking in the middle. Remove from oven before any cracks start to show.
  • Let cool at room temperature and then refrigerate overnight.
  • Next day, grab an empty mixer bowl and place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
  • For the topping, add cream, syrup, and vanilla and whip on medium low speed until soft peaks, increase speed to high and whip until cream is stiff enough to stand on its own.
  • (Test: Dip your finger into the whipped cream, and if it holds, it should form a light peak. Do not over-whip, or you’ll have butter.)
  • When ready, use a spoon to place the cream into a piping bag.
  • The next day, take the pie out of the refrigerator, mark it first into 8 even slices, then use a hot chef’s knife (that you have heated under water and wiped clean with a dish towel) to make cuts.
  • Decorate with whipped cream.



nutritional information

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5 Common Mistakes Made When Entering Into the Cannabis Market

Professional struggling at work in office.

The appeal of the cannabis industry is powerful: Financial success while doing fundamental good in the world. Entrepreneurial opportunity for those traditionally excluded from the business world. Fame and prestige for industry leaders. The opportunity — and indeed the demand — to innovate.

It’s not a surprise that many people want to be a part of it. Cannabis is an industry growing in both scope and legitimacy, and new members jump on board each year. Veteran members have a responsibility to help them avoid the pitfalls. Here are some common mistakes companies make when entering into the cannabis market:

1. THINKING IT WILL OPERATE LIKE OTHER MARKETS

Over the years, many entrepreneurs have been eager to jump into the cannabis space, and they all have made the reasonable assumption that the fundamental rules of other industries will be at play here. Unfortunately, the regulatory landscape, particularly as it pertains to THC, is like nothing else in the American economy. No other ingredient is federally labelled Schedule 1 — reserved for highly addictive drugs with no medical value — yet is legal medicinally, recreationally, or both on a state level. Not only is cannabis regulated differently from state to state, regulations are constantly changing and are inconsistently enforced. There’s a reason the cannabis industry has been called the Wild West.

For executives coming to cannabis from other industries, it is critical to know your audience and the complexities of the marketplace. Most people who work in cannabis have a deep knowledge of the plant – its history, its anatomy, its chemistry, and its benefits – and are passionate about making it more accessible across the United States. Company leaders who have done their homework and aren’t afraid to ask questions will garner the trust of their employees; those who don’t will have a hard time earning the respect of their coworkers and other industry leaders.

Cannabis companies are prohibited from making any medical claims, which can be frustrating since most customers interested in both CBD and THC are looking for therapeutic effects. Because of this, euphemisms come heavily into play in branding. Some companies employ a compliance officer to review all customer-facing verbiage.

If you are working with THC, you will not be able to write off any of your standard business expenses on your federal tax return. This leads companies to fractionate their businesses, with separate companies handling payroll, marketing, and retail, which adds complexity and more paperwork. Similarly, because interstate commerce is federally governed, THC products can never be shipped across state lines, even from one legal state to another. That means that every state in which you operate must have its own THC license, processing facility, and distribution network, even if the product being sold is identical. As a result, trying to expand your product’s reach to another legal state can be expensive. Depending on where you’re setting up shop, you will have different packaging limitations for text size, package size, even the colors you can use.

The other thing that differentiates the cannabis market from other markets is its demographic diversity. People from all walks of life, all ages, races, genders and income levels enjoy cannabis. Previous categorizations can be a guide, but often customer profiles don’t match the real world. You may be surprised by who buys your product, and who doesn’t.

2. NOT GETTING IT IN WRITING

Because of the limited regulation of the cannabis industry, it’s tempting to seal deals on a handshake. That’s a mistake in any business, but the ramifications are amplified in this tumultuous landscape. When — not if — one of your partners fails to deliver on their commitments, it’s hard enough to enforce a contract to begin with, let alone in this transitional market. There’s not usually a lot of money to spare for legal battles, either. Take the time to write out the terms of your agreements and spend the money to have them reviewed by a contract lawyer.

3. NOT EMBRACING REDUNDANCY

Sourcing is one of the biggest hurdles facing cannabis companies. Choosing a supplier to provide consistent, clean cannabinoids is critical for your business, but the process finding that company can be time-consuming. Even partners that start out looking great may end up failing you though logistical insufficiency or a change in leadership integrity. Redundancy is your insurance policy. Cannabis companies should seek out several reliable suppliers, not just one. At the outset, don’t accept an exclusive relationship; work up to it through years of consistent performance.

4. DISREGARDING INSTITUTIONAL KNOWLEDGE

In a bid for legitimacy, many startups are hiring from industries outside the legacy cannabis market. That can be very useful for expanding the scope of cannabis applications and form factors, but without a holistic understanding of the plant, innovation can be dangerous. Accrued generational knowledge from growers and pre-legalization formulators can help you avoid costly formulation mistakes and contraindications. As a successful cannabis industry friend of mine puts it, “Always make sure you’ve got at least a couple of seasoned veterans on staff.”

5. RELYING ON HYPE

There is no doubt that CBD will be around for a long time and likely become a health and wellness staple. That said, the buzz can’t sustain this volume; products cannot be successful long-term on the basis of the inclusion of CBD alone. Currently, thoughtful formulations that focus on ingredient synergy between cannabinoids, terpenes, flavonoids, and herbal blends have piqued consumer interest. Of course, this could all be nullified depending on the speed of the rescheduling of THC. Companies need to be ready for everything and anything — and be able to pivot on a dime.

CLOSING THOUGHTS

Cannabis is an exciting and promising industry to be in, particularly as the federal government reassesses its Schedule 1 designation and the positive shift in public opinion on cannabis use. If you are thinking about entering the industry with an infused product in 2023, the team at SōRSE would love to talk to you about your product and how we can support your brand as you move forward with production. Book a call with us today!

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What Would Development Look Like Without a Water-Soluble Solution?

Water droplets falling from ceiling.

Cannabinoids are lipophilic, meaning they dissolve in oils. For this simple reason, oil-based cannabis products have dominated the cannabis industry until very recently. Prior to legalization, they have been the only option; in an illicit market, the massive amounts of money, expertise, and time it takes to create a water-soluble emulsion is prohibitive. Given the nascent state of the legal industry, it’s only natural that oil-based products would be the norm. However, that is changing. 

One way to look at the advantages of a water-based formula is to review the development hurdles that must be overcome without one. A water-based solution is not appropriate for any consumption method involving heat, such as vaping or smoking, so we are going to focus on edible, tincture, and topical formulations. One way to look at the advantages of a water-based formula is to review the development hurdles that must be overcome without one. A water-based solution is not appropriate for any consumption method involving heat, such as vaping or smoking, so we are going to focus on edible, tincture, and topical formulations. 

Several product subcategories are impossible right out of the gate. Beverages, in which water is always the largest ingredient, are commercially untenable with oil. When you mix oil and water together, they rapidly separate, with the oil rising to the top of the liquid. Because of this, many products on the market need to be shaken up before drinking, which is not ideal for the producer or the consumer. The only way to create a stable beverage with oil is to infuse it into a high-fat base that contains natural emulsifiers, such as dairy or coconut milk. 

From the start, direct infusion into any oil comes with its own suite of problems. If you are using dried, cured cannabis flowers for your infusion, many flavor and smell components in the plant material will come along as well, and the resulting oil will have a strong cannabis flavor. That may not be a problem if you are making brownies in your home kitchen, but it is not acceptable at scale. To make matters worse, this flavor will vary from batch to batch; even the most consistent grows are subject to the whims of nature. Trying to guess the flavor profile of any given batch of cannabis-infused oil is like trying to guess the amount of Vitamin A in any given carrot. There is a likely range, but each plant has its own unique composition. 

To create edibles without the characteristic herbaceous notes of the cannabis flower, it is necessary to remove as much of the chlorophyll, lipids, flavonoid, and terpene content as possible. This can be reasonably and inexpensively achieved with CO2-extracted cannabis concentrates, but ideally done with a more neutral (and pricier) distillate. However, when working with these extremely low viscosity extracts, dispersal becomes a challenge. The cannabis oil must first be heated gently with a carrier oil; that carrier oil must be completely evenly dispersed into the final product, otherwise dosing will be uneven. In baked goods, the amount of mixing involved can result in a tough, dense crumb structure. 

To insure that  the oil has dispersed evenly, producers must then test the final product. That said,  it is much harder to test a cookie, for example, than a batch of cannabis oil. The complexity of the ingredients and unreliability of results have led many producers to extrapolate from limited and/or non-randomized samples, and as a result, uneven dosing plagues the legal market.

There may also be consumer education considerations when choosing oil. My largest area of expertise is the development of cannabis topicals for sexual enhancement and relief. However, oil-based topicals are incompatible with safer sex barriers such as latex or polyisoprene condoms — a massive sexual health risk of which most buyers and customers are completely unaware — and they can cause irritation in some people. Moreover, the sensory profile of cannabis is, shall we say, less than sensual for many people. My primary impetus for developing Velvet Swing was to offer a neutral, gentle, barrier-compatible option, so that customers don’t have to rely on their budtenders for being informed and willing to dispense sexual health information.

Fortunately it’s no longer necessary to be bound by the limits of oil. It’s the first rung on the ladder, the easiest path to take, and still the wisest choice for some applications. However, if you are developing a beverage, tincture, or topical, consider what water-based formulation can help you do — and what it can help you avoid.

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Benefits of SōRSE From a Cannabinoid Product Development Standpoint

aluminum cans lined up

Bringing any new product to the consumer marketplaces is an exciting process. First, there’s the great idea you come up with; then, there’s the research that goes into vetting that idea. Once you’ve identified your target audience and confirmed there is a need for your product in the marketplace, it’s time to look for suppliers, manufacturers and the packaging that will make your idea come to life.

Here at SōRSE, we talk a lot about the qualities of products like safety, stability, homogeneity, and sensory and what they mean for the consumer experience. However, many of our technology’s best attributes show up well before a product gets to the end user. These are the ways that SōRSE can help you through the classic stages of product development. 

IDEA GENERATION

A fast, easy-to-use water-based solution allows for creative product ideation, and even new product categories. Ten years ago, who would have thought that consumers would be able to walk into a dispensary and be able to choose from a variety of infused beverages like they can today – from low dose tonics to high dose fruit drinks. As consumer behavior around cannabis use changes, brands need to continue thinking outside of the box for the next product to meet consumer needs.

IDEA SCREENING

After you have brainstormed product possibilities with your team, it’s time to sift out the winners from the ones to shelf. To know what is most likely to succeed in market — or to create a new market — you need data about consumer behavior, current trends, and market performance of your potential suppliers. As an emulsion provider, SōRSE is proven in market; you can look to our customers’ successes to help refine the viability of your ideas. We also have an experienced R & D team to help you identify complex problems in advance of production. We can help you figure out and understand your unknowns. 

The cannabis market is a dynamic, innovative, evolving place. Customer profiles and categories don’t fall along traditional lines; the appeal of CBD and THC cut across demographic lines like little else. Rather than predicting preferences based on age, gender, etc., we should look to the customer’s reasons for choosing cannabis. Potency, for example, is one of the key market decisions you will need to make. For the medical user, cost per milligram (mg) is the primary value, whereas recreational consumers are more likely to prioritize taste. Fortunately, SōRSE works with both low and high potencies. You can optimize for the market you are trying to reach.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Building an emulsion technology is not as simple as applying existing food science techniques to cannabis oils. Emulsion tech can be much more complicated when working with the 30 or more compounds that make up broad spectrum cannabis concentrates. Even distillates typically have impurity percentages in the low double digits, all with different weights and attributes. The amount of work perfecting a cannabis oil emulsion is staggering. Fortunately, it’s all we focus on at SōRSE. 

For a product developer, another hurdle can be the supply chain. Vetting reliable sources for materials can be time-consuming, and there’s still no guarantee that they will remain reliable. With the regulatory landscape constantly evolving, it’s also important to stay on top of the requirements from state to state. Knowing these challenges our customers can face, SōRSE has developed a network of manufacturing locations and multiple well-established, high-quality suppliers. If something changes in terms of regulatory, we can respond quickly, and there will be no interruption in supply. 

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

The nuts & bolts of formulation are where SōRSE shines brightest. Rather than having to spend thousands of dollars on equipment and months of employee time creating an emulsion only to have it fail stability testing, your team can hit the ground running and put your focus where it belongs: sensory, efficacy, and scalability. SōRSE blends effortlessly into most water-based preparations, so it’s a good choice if you have already done some development work. 

COMMERCIALIZATION

Once you know you have got a winning formulation on your hands, it’s time to put it into action. In the run-up to launch, you’ll be able to generate excitement as a product #PoweredbySōRSE. You’ll benefit from the institutional knowledge of our team, who have decades of experience in food and beverage science, emulsion, and cannabis as you strategize for your product’s launch into the marketplace.

With the edible and beverage categories of cannabis products continue to gain a foothold in the marketplace, water-based emulsions appeal to the values of product developers. They are safe, innovative, convenient, palatable, versatile, and adaptable – and they are changing the way users consume cannabis. When you choose SōRSE as your emulsion supplier, you have a strong team behind you every step of the way.  To begin the journey getting an infused product to market this year, book a call with SōRSE today.  

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Halloween Recipe: Witches’ Fingers

witch finger treats

Halloween is right around the corner! Kick up the fear factor in your Halloween dessert game with a recipe straight from the SōRSERERS’ kitchen! Whip up some ghoulishly good cookies, the Witches’ Fingers, created by our chef, Stacy Primack, for your upcoming Halloween event!

WITCHES’ FINGERS

Yield: about 12 3-oz pieces

CBD per cookie: 10 mg

Ingredients:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1.2 grams SōRSE powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup seedless raspberry jam

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 325F degrees.
  • Whip the butter and both sugars in a stand mixer or with handheld beaters until light, fluffy and smooth.
  • Add eggs, one at a time, until the yolk disappears into the mix.
  • Scrape down the bowl, making sure to get the bottom of the bowl for even dough consistency.
  • Mix in the vanilla. Then separately, whisk together remaining dry ingredients.
  • Slowly, in batches, add dry ingredients, scraping down sides of bowl in between.
  • Remove dough from bowl, shape dough into a log and refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours.
  • Taking about 2 tablespoons of the dough of the log at a time, roll between your palms until you get a 4 or 5 inch finger, 1/2-3/4” in thickness.
  • Press an almond towards the top to make an indentation for the “fingernail”. Additionally, make cuts with a paring knife for the knuckles. Shape like wobbly knobby witch fingers.
  • Place fingers on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake until golden, about 15-20 minutes.
  • Remove and let cool. In a small saucepan, heat jam over low heat until warm and liquid. Dip the raw edges (not the nail side) into the jam.



nutritional info

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The Versatility of SōRSE in CBD Products

plastic juice bottles in a row

It is increasingly true that if a product exists, there is a CBD-infused version of it — and we think that’s great! In fact, at SōRSE we are doing everything we can to make infusing products with cannabinoids easier, safer, and more reliable. Here are the categories in which SōRSE can be used to create exceptional, innovative products:

BEVERAGES

Drinks are our bread & butter here at SōRSE Tech, but it’s worthwhile to take a moment to review the incredible versatility within this one category: hot and cold beverages, carbonated sodas, juices, mixers. SōRSE, in liquid or powder form, can be used as a beverage amendment or integrated into the end product. It’s easy to work with whether you’re a product developer or a consumer.

Using SōRSE in beverages means greater bioavailability and faster onset, thanks to our small particle size and even dispersal. One of the biggest hurdles facing cannabis drink manufacturers is the delay of onset. With SōRSE, consumers can feel the effects in as little as 20 minutes. This makes beverages viable and versatile conduits for cannabinoid delivery in the real world: a way to engage in casual, socially acceptable relaxation without the drawbacks of alcohol.

TINCTURES

Tinctures are distinct from beverages because they allow sublingual as well as intestinal absorption (the longer the product is held in the mouth, the greater the proportion will be). They tend to be highly concentrated and usually combine cannabinoids with other bioactive herbs. Historically, tinctures were made using alcohol as a solvent (the process was as simple as grinding up cannabis flower and letting it sit in alcohol for two weeks), and most tinctures were strongly alcoholic as a result. In the modern landscape, however, this is undesirable – and sometimes illegal.

With the faster onset time and great palatability mentioned above, SōRSE is a fantastic choice for tincture development. It also offers seamless blending with terpenes to increase absorption and/or tilt the effects of the cannabinoids towards a classically “indica” or “sativa” experience. In any tincture, some proportion of the cannabinoids will be swallowed and absorbed intestinally, using SōRSE ensures that their onset time is as short as possible, so that consumers are still getting the immediate results they expect from tincture applications.

TOPICALS

Topicals and transdermals will always be nearest and dearest in my product developer heart. That’s because they have so many benefits and are so appreciated. The skin is loaded with CB2 and CB1 receptors, and the discomfort of many skin conditions is the result of inflammation. Cannabinoids are famously anti-inflammatory.

I have seen cannabis topicals make a huge difference in symptom management for a wide range of localized skin and muscle issues. The challenge when developing topicals and transdermals is penetration, and most products facilitate this with oil and intense chemicals like capsaicin, menthol, or DMSO. SōRSE offers a water-based alternative for those with sensitive skin, or for application to mucous membranes. Unlike oil, its consistency can be easily adjusted. And for those of us who are concerned about the use of nano products topically (more on that in an upcoming article), SōRSE offers safe, predictable results.

With this many application avenues it’s easy to see how SōRSE became a product developer’s dream. Maybe we should change the saying to “if it exists, you can add SōRSE to it!”

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What New Consumers Want In a CBD Product

customer shopping on aisle

Recent projections estimate the CBD market will see $15-20 billion in sales in the next 5 years, with the expansion of CBD into mainstream retail driving most of the influx. Some of these sales are going to be existing customers increasing their consumption, but the bulk will come from novel consumers. First-time CBD users tend to be in their 30s and 40s, educated, and employed. This is the person whose tastes will drive the emergent market. What will they be looking for in CBD products?

EASE OF USE

There are many products on the market that, frankly, look and taste awful, but they succeed because their form factors make consumption convenient. The emergent CBD consumer isn’t looking for bongs and dabs; they want products they perceive as more sophisticated. Clean, tidy, portable.

DISCRETION & TASTEFULNESS

CBD doesn’t bear the stigma of THC but delivery methods can look the same, which lends practical support to the new consumer’s otherwise subjective preferences. For their most common applications, cannabinoids require periodic administration. Professionals may be interested in consuming CBD consistently throughout the day, which calls for a non-obvious delivery method. Beverages and beverage additives, elevated tincture formats, and transdermal patches seek to address this.

EFFICACY

Does the product deliver its promised effects? This can be a tricky one when structure-function and medical claims are verboten. Marketers have to approach from a glancing angle, using non-specific words like “calm,” and “relief” to code for CBD’s established medical effects. With customer expectations based on such inference, how will they assess whether a product “works?” As producers, our job is to overshoot the mark and make our products as effective as possible.

Unfortunately, many formulations include CBD as an afterthought rather than an active ingredient. Products need to be treated as delivery matrices for CBD; their job is to efficiently and pleasantly usher the active ingredient to the consumer. In order to be effective, CBD must be delivered in sufficient dosage, and it benefits tremendously from co-administration with native phytochemicals such as terpenes and flavonoids. While these can be a sensory challenge due to their bitterness and perceived “chemical” notes, they can also direct or integrate the flavor profile to make it feel more natural. Terpenes and terpene blends are a way to bend the subjective CBD experience and even offset the small number of potentially undesirable effects.

If customers find a product’s drawbacks outweigh its benefits, then they will most likely not purchase it again. If they do not find their product to be effective at all they will relegate CBD to the snake oil bin, with dire repercussions for the industry as a whole.

FLAVOR

In the pre-legalization market, taste was de-prioritized and the natural bitterness of cannabinoid extracts was the price you had to pay for the effects. (There are even some who currently argue that cannabis’ bitterness helps it be taken more seriously as medicine.) But for the casual, more recreational user, it’s hard to see why unpalatability is anything but a challenge to overcome.

Fortunately, relaxed stigma around cannabis has made higher-skill talent available from the food and beverage science industry, where bitterness is an old and oft-vanquished foe. By porting people and technology from there, we can avoid reinventing the wheel.

STABILITY

At SōRSE, stability is our claim to fame, but the truth is customers don’t give much thought to it — at least not consciously — until it fails. Rather it is an expectation they have of mainstream commercial products, only noticeable when it is absent. As the CBD market becomes more polished, products that separate or require shaking will be viewed as unprofessional. Stability work is an indispensable part of product formulation, especially for complex concentrates with diverse chemical profiles. We’ll see more and more customers asking for this as the market matures.

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4 Steps to Entering the CBD Market

production line of bottled drinks

If you are considering developing a CBD product or adding CBD to one of your existing products, the time to pull the trigger is now. Everyone is excited about this ingredient. If you’ve come up with a great idea, know who your target customer is and you’ve got a funding plan — all the regular business stuff — and you’re ready to jump in, here’s how you should you prioritize your energy to optimize for this specific niche.

DEFINE YOUR VALUE IN THE MARKET

CBD is being added to everything under the sun. The market is still expanding, but saturation is on the horizon. What will your product offer besides just CBD? Will it outperform existing similar form factors, or be a new form factor altogether?

When articulating your value proposition remember that medical claims and structure-function claims are off limits. You are not allowed to market an anti-anxiety soda (not yet, anyway). Learning how to state your products unique benefits without using prohibited language is an invaluable marketing exercise.

HIRE A STRONG TEAM

…especially if you are new to product development. Everyone knows the right team can make or break any product, but it’s especially true in the CBD world. An emergent market with lax regulations is the perfect circumstance for unprofessional and/or incompetent entrepreneurs to thrive. Your goal is to weed through the charlatans without weeding out talented partners from the pre-legalization market.

Get ready to do a lot of interviewing. Think about unknown unknowns: the things you don’t even know that you don’t know — and hire people who can illuminate your dark spots. You’ll likely need to create new roles to deal with the unique challenges of formulating with CBD, such as a packaging specialist or an extraction consultant. Even with systems as easy to use as SōRSE, you will want to make sure your ingredients are optimized; contract with a cannabis expert who has worked with CBD before and have them review your formula.

FOCUS ON PROCESS — BUT STAY NIMBLE

Most companies in the CBD market are severely lacking in the process department. Thousands of worker hours are wasted reinventing the wheel whenever a problem crops up. Don’t get so caught up in iteration that you neglect process. It won’t be long before the federal government is forced to create a real, enforceable legal framework for CBD. Those who invest in strong systems now will survive the upcoming regulatory onslaught.

That said, the regulations are likely to remain volatile for some time, just like everything in this market. Consider paying a premium for smaller packaging runs rather than saving money by ordering in bulk, for example, because label overhauls are the rule rather than the exception. Don’t expect that customer demographics will break along the usual lines; CBD has tremendous crossover appeal. Always be ready to pivot and adapt.

DO YOUR TRADEMARK HOMEWORK

So many companies have had to rebrand as a result of insufficient competitor research, or worse, the hubris of believing that since CBD is quasi-legal it is immune to trademark infringement complaints from fully legal markets. You don’t want to go through the work of painstakingly building up a brand identity only to find out via cease-and-desist that you have to start all over. Think outside the box and find an unusual, attention grabbing name.

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Why Do Most Cannabis Products Taste So Bad?

fruity drinks in mason jars

Let’s be honest. Many cannabis-infused products, both CBD and THC, taste awful. The reason why is simple: cannabinoid extracts are intensely bitter, earthy, and difficult to work with, owing respectively to the cannabinoids themselves, terpenes, flavonoids, and the complex interactions between them and other ingredients.  

When the plant material impacts the flavor profile so intensely, formulating infused foods and beverages is a huge challenge. In the past, consumers bought products for their effects, not for their taste – but now consumers are looking for great-tasting, effective products. Companies that can offer both efficacy and great taste will have an enduring market advantage. 

In most emulsified cannabinoid products, carrier oils, preservatives, and surfactants intensify the bitterness. When cannabinoids are broken down into small particles for an emulsion, that creates more surface area for the bitter compounds to interact with the taste receptors. Fortunately, SōRSE emulsion allows for masking any bitter flavors with minimal sugars and additives. 

Increasing the concentration of cannabinoids increases the bitterness, a particularly challenging issue for product formulators trying to create tasty CBD-infused products. 

WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO FIX IT? 

Options for dealing with bitterness fall into two main categories: incorporation or masking, which can be thought of as either going with the flow, or fighting it. 

Incorporating the Flavors of Cannabinoids

Incorporation means accepting the naturally bitter, complex flavor of cannabis and working with it rather than trying to hide it. It means thinking of the flavor of the extract as an ingredient in the overall sensory formulation. Generally, we experience sweet, sour, salty, and umami tastes positively; however, bitterness is a component in many pleasant tastes.  

Flavors that are naturally bitter, such as peppermint, chocolate, coffee, citrus, or beer, trick the brain into incorporating the bitterness into the familiar flavor, such that it doesn’t register as bitter, but acknowledges it as “peppermint, which is a little bitter.” 

Many cannabinoids are bitter, and customers can accept that bitterness is the cost they pay for the effect, or even celebrate and cultivate it, much as we do with caffeine or alcohol. 

The trouble with this approach is it limits flavor options. The market is laden with chocolates, sour candies, and peppermint mouth sprays. The industry needs to evolve and match the sophistication of today’s consumers with flavors that appeal to them. 

Masking the Flavors of Cannabinoids

Masking is a more traditional, low-tech option that works similarly to incorporation but has the goal of completely erasing the taste of the cannabinoids rather than complementing them. The modern version involves bitter blockers as a process aid, which interfere with the taste buds’ ability to perceive bitterness. 

Even though we can eliminate the herbaceous, bitter taste of cannabis, should we?  Some people argue that cannabis shouldn’t taste good because its bitterness will make people think of it as medicine, or that without the distinctive taste, accidental ingestion will happen. The fact is, most consumers know their limits, and are looking for other means of recreational or medicinal consumption beyond inhalation. In turn, companies have responded to the growing demand for high-quality infused food and beverages, and are creating products that taste great and deliver cannabinoids efficaciously.  

If you are a product developer who has an idea for a great infused product and would like some advice working with the flavor of cannabinoids and terpenes, our R&D team is here to help. They are well-versed in all aspects of product development, from ideation to scale, and are experts when it comes to working with the flavors that cannabinoids offer. Book a call today! 

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What To Expect When Creating Your First CBD-Infused Product Line

hand pouring SoRSE cbd emulsifier into plastic cup

The emergent CBD industry is a very exciting, dynamic place. The opportunity to capitalize on a rock n’ roll ingredient with meaningful and ever-expanding scientific validation behind it is compelling and potentially very lucrative. However, for producers who want to add CBD to their existing products, or develop new CBD products, a spate of novel challenges await. More than just the usual ins and outs of product development, working with CBD has multiple dimensions of complexity and several co-evolving variables.

Here are the main challenges that you can expect when creating your first CBD products, as well as how to address them.

CBD IS A NOVEL ACTIVE

Now that the stigma around cannabis has relaxed a bit, more mainstream producers are open to formulating with CBD. However, cannabis extracts are a unique class of chemicals with many synergistic–and some antagonistic–properties. (For example, CBD is a more potent inhibitor of liver enzymes than grapefruit, and is contraindicated in all the same medications.) Scientific research has been hobbled by federal scheduling, which until recently included CBD along with THC in its most restrictive category (it is still unclear whether CBD or just the CBD-derived drug Epilodex will be reconsidered, but the DEA has demonstrated no willingness to criminalize CBD producers). Most of what we know about CBD comes from overseas, from very recent research, or from massive anecdata. The pressures of this longstanding quasi-prohibition have also dictated that formulation prioritize delivering active over sensory considerations, but contemporary CBD customers are beginning to demand more palatable options. Because CBD is a weak actor on its own, potency must be high to deliver the results the customer expects. This relatively high proportion of active has a cascading effect on formulation. CBD’s weak action also benefits from supporting chemicals: terpenes, flavonoids, or synthetic dermal absorption enhancers.

Contrary to public perception of cannabis as more art than science, cannabis science experts do exist, some with decades of formulation experience. They have unique knowledge of terpene & flavonoid balances, form factors, and extraction methods. Do not discount expertise because someone worked in the pre-legalization market. You will want to make sure you have a cannabis-specific expert on your team.

REGULATORY IS COMPLEX, UNCERTAIN, AND CONSTANTLY CHANGING

2018’s Farm Bill did a lot to legitimize CBD derived from hemp, but it still exists in a tenuous legal purgatory. Fortunately, federal regulatory hearings are happening, and generally moving in a direction that is more supportive of legal commercial access.

State to state, however, regulatory requirements are either nonexistent or conspicuously unenforced. THC markets have much more stringent regulatory requirements; much of what producers do in the CBD landscape amounts to asking forgiveness rather than permission.

As a producer, the best you can do at this time is follow best practices. Don’t cut corners, because enforcement is coming, and soon. Put the effort into developing thorough processes now. Follow FDA protocols–terms such as “natural,” for example, have precise definitions. CBD products cannot be certified organic, but they can get Clean Green Certified, the cannabis industry’s certification for growers who use organic processes, in 7 states. Carefully avoid structure-function and/or medical claims.

SOURCING

CBD suppliers can be fickle; locking down reliable, high-quality extracts is difficult. Know the right questions to ask and, if possible, tour their facilities in person. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, either: many CBD sources appear reliable at first but will falter on execution within a few months. Be ready with backups should the relationship with your first choice supplier fail.

Do your own independent testing of concentrates at all stages of the development process, making sure the lab includes testing for terpenes and pesticides. Confirm that batches are consistent within an acceptable range. This goes double for full spectrum extracts, which by their nature can vary more widely batch to batch.

Be thoughtful about packaging. Cannabinoids degrade faster when exposed to light and heat. Choose opaque packaging and speedy shipping. And perhaps this goes without saying, but test for potency in the final product and print the result clearly on the label. Customers are increasingly discerning and deserve to know what they’re getting.

MARKET RESEARCH

The CBD market is growing, but mercurial. It doesn’t follow demographic lines the way many industries do and it’s so new that little research exists, creating a unique burden for market strategy. CBD appeals to everyone while stigma crops up in surprising places. When deciding on new products, producers should bear in mind positioning and efficacy.

Your new product should have a compelling reason for the inclusion of CBD. It should be a real value add; the uncritical addition of CBD to existing products fuels the fad hype and shortens the viability of your product. Be thoughtful and conscientious: does this product make taking CBD easier, more convenient, faster? Is it a novel form factor? Aligned with your values and the values of your customers?

Arrange as large a customer test group as possible; there may be scientific data for the results you’re claiming, but are your customers experiencing them? Often the effects suggested by rodent studies aren’t borne out in humans (or the interactions are sufficiently complex that they can’t be reproduced reliably).

SENSORY

For obvious reasons, sensory took a back seat to efficacy in the pre-legalization market. CBD, like all cannabinoids, is intensely bitter. Since it needs to be present in high potency, overcoming bitterness is a leading challenge in developing CBD food and beverages. In the past, developers have used complementary bitter flavors such as peppermint to mask the taste. However, now the technology exists to make CBD and other cannabinoid preparations comparably palatable to non-infused products.

To sum things up, the advice to producers entering or thinking about entering the CBD space boils down to common sense: do your homework, find and support reliable suppliers, and engage the expertise of industry veterans. It’s a wild new world out here.