Vaping CBD is one of the most popular ways of consuming CBD especially since it most closely resembles the way you actually smoke weed. There are two main types of CBD weed inspired vape liquids available in the UK - higher concentration CBD vape oil that are usually 50 - 70% CBD in strength (sometimes referred to as CBD distillate) or lower concentration CBD e liquids that are usually no more than 10% strength (sometimes referred to as weed flavoured e liquid, marijuana e liquid or CBD vape juice by retailers). In this post I will be focusing on the latter - all things CBD e liquid - which is often preferred by people who are looking to vape CBD more regularly throughout the day.
So what makes up a legal, weed flavoured e liquids? In the UK, CBD e liquid is usually made from a mixture of propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG) which is the base combination used in traditional vape e liquids. The ratio of PG to VG will determine the type of vape experience you have. For example - the more VG, the thicker the white plume of cloud and more PG, the more flavour, but with a slightly harsher smoke on the back of your throat.
The only key difference between CBD vape e liquids and non-CBD vape e liquids is that rather than containing nicotine, CBD e liquids are nicotine free and blended with hemp extract.
Due to regulation, none of the CBD e liquids for sale in the UK will contain any THC, so the e liquids you will come across will only be marijuana or weed flavoured e liquids. But how do e liquids get this cannabis flavour? The answer is simple - terpenes. Most “cannabis” e liquids in the UK are infused with natural terpenes to give them their authentic, natural cannabis flavour.
Terpenes are responsible for giving any plant their specific smell (not just cannabis flower) so, in the case of weed flavoured e liquids, they are the natural flavour compounds found in the cannabis plant. This does not mean, however, that they contain illegal parts of the cannabis plant - they are totally legal and will not get you high. They have been found to enhance the effects of the CBD in what's known as an entourage effect, but, aside from that, they will only make it taste like the real thing and won’t act like the real thing!
I am not a huge fan of too sickly or sweet CBD vape liquids so I tend to avoid cartridges that add synthetic flavours and go with more natural cannabis terpenes that give that more natural weedy flavour. Most marijuana e liquids are named after the cannabis strain of the terpenes they have been infused with and certain terpenes are associated with specific flavours such as more earthy or citrus (I’d suggest a quick google or asking the shop assistant to walk you through these when you are browsing). Personally, I think some of the best tasting weed flavoured e liquids in the UK are made up from natural terpenes derived from the following strains: Super Lemon Haze, Mango Kush and Sour Diesel. One of my favourite brands, Paso, has a range of 10% e liquid cartridges which smokes super well and has a delicious flavour profile as well as a tasty high strength (65%) CBD vape oil that I like to switch to on occasion.
Irrespective of the marijuana e liquid you decide to go with, I leave you with my final words of wisdom - it is important to ensure you are buying from a legitimate seller or brand and that you ask for lab reports! Vaping has received some negative press recently (more so in the US), but this is driven by bad actors incorporating additives to thicken the e liquid so it’s always best to check that what you are getting is safe and contains only what it says it does with no bad surprises!
