We love coffee; well, most of us love it. And we're sure we all love cannabis, but what happens when we combine the two? Millions of cups are drunk daily (95 million in the UK alone), and many of us will start the day with a wake and bake beside a tasty blend, but are we starting the day all wrong, and can coffee ruin your high? There is no simple answer because the way coffee and weed affect someone differs for each person.
The coffeeshops of Amsterdam are often rammed packed with people rolling up with a cup of coffee by their sides. We're about to find out if that's a bad idea. So, before boiling the next pot of your favourite blend, strap up! Strap in! Let's go as we learn how caffeine affects cannabis.
Coffee and Cannabis
When you break it down, coffee, a stimulant, and cannabis, a plant with psychoactive compounds, probably shouldn't go together. But they do, and to remarkable effect, well, most of the time.
Can Coffee Ruin Your High
Do you want your coffee black, flat white, latte? Or do you prefer tea? It doesn't matter what you drink. Whether coffee can ruin a cannabis high is subjective because the effects of caffeine and cannabis vary from person to person.
What happens when you drink coffee and get high
Some research suggests that caffeine may affect how our bodies break down THC. Coffee and tea could be altering the absorption, distribution, or elimination from the body of THC and other cannabinoids. We know caffeine increases your heart rate and can raise your blood pressure. And for some, it heightens the experience of smoking weed. However, some users get extra anxious, struggle to sleep or have an increased dry mouth. Sometimes, the effects of the two work against each other and can potentially ruin your high.
Remember, you might forget.
When testing cannabis and caffeine on rats, researchers expected caffeine to counteract the effects that THC has on user memory. What they found is that when consuming both THC and Caffeine, the rat's memory is worse than when consuming THC alone.
Avoid ruining your high
You can avoid coffee ruining your high by not drinking too much or having it before you sleep. It's the same for cannabis. The more you consume, the more tolerant you become. And if you have too much before bed, you risk disrupting your sleep rhythms and negatively impacting your day-to-day activities.
The best cannabis strains for coffee and tea
Selecting the right cannabis strain can help enhance your coffee or tea experience. Go for strains known for uplifting, energetic, or focusing properties that work well with caffeine. Look for sativas or 60/40 hybrids.
Put another pot on
We should remember that we are all different, and what works for one doesn't for another. Cannabis and coffee might be your dream combination, or it might be the reason your anxiety increases throughout the day. If you take a sip and a puff and feel better for it, that's great; if you do that and feel worse. Probably lay down the coffee. Or maybe switch to decaf.