About CBD
The hemp we grow
Legal, low-THC CBD hemp.
All of our flower is grown from seed selected from industrial-hemp cultivars listed in the EU/EEA Common Catalogue of agricultural plant varieties — sometimes informally referred to as the EU “blue list”.
Our flower is produced as industrial hemp and is kept below 0.20% THC, within the Icelandic framework for approved hemp seed and low-THC hemp production.
About CBD
What CBD is — and what it is not.
Cannabis plants naturally produce a family of compounds called cannabinoids. Two of the best known are CBD (cannabidiol) and THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). They come from the same species, but they are not the same compound and they do not have the same intoxicating effect.
THC is the cannabinoid mainly associated with the classic cannabis “high”; CBD is not intoxicating in that way.
Same species. Different chemistry.
So a “CBD plant” and a “THC plant” are not two completely different kinds of plant. A clearer way to describe them is CBD-rich and THC-rich cannabis cultivars: plants that have been selected and bred to produce different cannabinoid profiles. Hemp is the agricultural and legal category used for cannabis grown within a very low THC limit.
Selected toward a cannabinoid profile dominated by CBD, with only very small amounts of THC in legal industrial-hemp cultivars.
Selected toward higher THC. These cultivars can produce the intoxicating effect commonly associated with cannabis and are not the type of hemp flower we grow.
Some cultivars sit between the two, producing more comparable proportions of CBD and THC. The ratio is a plant trait that can be shaped by genetics and selection.
Think of tomatoes
One species can contain enormous variety.
For generations, people have selected tomatoes for characteristics they value. The result is a huge range of varieties: tiny cherry tomatoes and large beefsteaks, yellow, green, orange and deep red fruit, with very different sweetness, acidity, texture and flavour.
Cannabis has been shaped by selection in much the same way. Growers have selected plants for growth habit, colour, aroma and flavour, as well as their cannabinoid profile. Over time, breeding can shift that profile toward higher CBD, higher THC or a more balanced ratio. As one profile is selected more strongly, the relative balance between CBD and THC changes. That is why cannabis varieties can look and smell similar while having very different CBD-to-THC ratios.
Using CBD flower
Roll it, vaporize it, or infuse it.
CBD-rich hemp flower can be used in several different ways. The same flower can be rolled and smoked, heated in a dry-herb vaporizer, or prepared without inhalation as a food or drink infusion.
Rolled or pre-rolls
CBD flower can be hand-rolled in paper or used as a ready-made pre-roll. This burns the plant material, so the user inhales smoke and combustion products. If you prefer not to inhale smoke, dry-herb vaporizing or an infusion provides a different way to use the same flower.
Dry-herb vaporizer
A dry-herb vaporizer heats the flower to temperatures high enough to volatilize cannabinoids such as CBD and aromatic compounds, while leaving much of the plant material unburned rather than combusted. This can reduce exposure to smoke and combustion products compared with smoking.
Tea & infusions
Cannabinoids such as CBD are much more compatible with fats and oils than with water. Flower can be prepared in cooking oil or butter, and a fat-containing milk can also be used directly as the infusion medium. That makes this approach especially well suited to our forthcoming High Latitude Hemp Tea.
Milk works too
Yes — you do not necessarily need to make a separate oil first. Because CBD is lipophilic, a milk that contains fat can provide a more suitable medium than water alone. Whole or full-fat milk generally makes more sense than skim milk, and a richer plant milk containing fat can also provide a suitable base.
For a tea preparation, the hemp can therefore be gently warmed with the milk and the plant material strained out, or the prepared milk infusion can be added to the finished tea. Plain hot water on its own is a much less suitable medium for cannabinoids.
Heating matters because fresh hemp flower contains cannabinoid acids such as CBDA. Heat converts some of these compounds into forms such as CBD, so preparation and heat treatment affect the final cannabinoid profile.
CBD & medication: CBD can interact with some medicines. If you take any medication, consult your doctor or pharmacist before using CBD. Homemade infusions can also vary considerably in strength, so use small amounts and proceed cautiously. Always follow the rules that apply where you live.