I drank Jibby’s CBD-infused coffee for a week, and look at me now

As a (barely) functional caffeine addict, I’m a big proponent of slamming other ingredients into my coffee concoctions, be those ingredients chocolate, a mason jar full of plant protein or, in the case of Jibby Coffee’s product line, cannabidiol, a non-psychoactive ingredient from the cannabis plant commonly initialized to “CBD.”

How does it taste? How do the effects compare to normal coffee? Let’s find out.

Jibby send me a six pack of their “All Day CBD Cold Brew,” as well as their “CBD Cold Brew on Tap,” which is basically a bag of coffee inside a cardboard box, like the kind of boxed wine your aunt buys before explaining why America needs another Reagan. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this isn’t some flavored or even sweetened coffee “drink,” but a straight-up can of cold black coffee that I could consume however I wanted. After some light experimentation, I started enjoying my Jibby over ice, with a splash of 2% milk.

How does Jibby taste?

The first word that comes to mind with this brand is “crisp” – Jibby is almost sharp on the tongue, which is why I, a habitual black coffee drinker, saw fit to cut it with dairy. There’s a detectable chocolate aftertaste that becomes stronger with the milky texture and ice, and the fresh-coffee odor is detectable without being overpowering.

Since I wouldn’t drink it straight out of the can, I can’t really recommend it as a grab-and-go option for people who tend to rush through their morning, but it’s a great way to enjoy an afternoon pick-me-up once the fallout from your lunch starts to turn your brain to oatmeal.

As for the caffeine content, well, it’s definitely in there, but it never got me to that uncomfortable jittery/shaking place – even when I recklessly sipped it all day. It could be because of the CBD, it could be because my caffeine tolerance is such that I need a lethal dose to feel any effects whatsoever, or it could just be a really well-balanced coffee.

What does the CBD do?

I’ve never been able to identify any effects from consuming CBD, be it swallowed from a tincture, inhaled from a vape pen, or sipped in coffee. While I (and, presumably, you) have met people who claim that it helps with their anxiety, depression, or chronic pain, the science is still mostly out on that subject. Interestingly – though completely irrelevant to what we’re talking about – the strongest scientific evidence for CBD’s medical properties is in the treatment of severe, medication-resistant childhood epilepsy, such as Dravet syndrome and Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome. Which is neat!

In short, no one can promise it’ll help loosen up your stiff back – but maybe it will, and it almost definitely won’t make it worse.

How does Jibby Coffee work?

Like a lot of direct-to-consumer (DTC) companies, Jibby allows you to subscribe to their services and save 15% on every delivery. Since you can cancel any time, does that mean if you want to buy one six pack or 10 servings of bagged coffee you should just subscribe and then immediately cancel once your package ships? Maybe. I dunno! I haven’t gotten quite that far. But probably.

Order a 6-pack of Jibby for $36, a 12-pack for $66, or a 10-serving box for $38.

Joshua Sargent