We are pleased to have discovered yet another manufacturer of CBD products, of which their CBD Fruit Snacks is their first product under our review (with a companion product, their Broad Spectrum Hemp Oil CBD Tincture with MCT Oil, following on the heels of this review). Before we begin our review, let us remind you of our scoring algorithm so you can better understand the value and importance of the ratings which we apply to every product we review.
Table of Contents
Our Scoring Algorithm
We have spent a lot of time designing a scoring algorithm which will accurately identify and gauge four important categories:
- Potency – we hire an outside professional third party who independently verifies the CBD content present of the product we are evaluating and compare those result to their own labeled claims
- Effects – regardless of lab results, people want to know how a product will affect them, which is what our testers reveal after trying the product themselves
- Taste – we are not believers in “bitter medicines,” but rather prefer the Mary Poppins approach of helping the medicine go down with good tastes and flavoring
- Packaging – in our opinion, presenting the product in its best light is equally important to effects and tastes, so we scrutinize the packaging of the product and offer our opinion on its ability to mirror the quality of the product itself
Three of these four factors (effects, taste, and packaging) are definitely the subjective opinions of our testers. However, our testers regularly use and compare various CBD products, so their point of view is more valuable than your average person on the street. Because we have professionals determine the potency, that is the only objective factor in our algorithms. Because of this, the potency factor carries more weight in the final analysis.
We use an 8-point weighted system, with 5 of those points applied to the potency factor, and each remaining factor allocated one point. For a better understanding of our scoring system, please see our CBD algorithm page.
With the technical explanation of our scoring system taken care of, let’s dive right into our exploration of CBD Infusionz and their CBD Fruit Snacks.
CBD Infusionz
Our typical first step in reviewing products is to visit their website and let the company tell us about them. With CBD Infusionz, we were immediately introduced to their vast product line, which is admittedly impressive. But as we went to dig deeper to learn about this company’s driving philosophy and mission statement, we immediately hit an impenetrable bottom with nary a note about the company’s founders or guiding principles. During our search, we found links for affiliates, wholesalers, and a broker network to follow. (The broker network was a first of a kind for us in reviewing different CBD manufacturers: it is available for those individuals with strong connections in the retail world, where they can earn recurring commissions by bringing new retail outlets into the fold.)
Mainly, we found the CBD Infusionz website to be a full-fledged online store with a comprehensive catalog of CBD products, spanning a broad range of categories, including:
- Capsules
- Concentrates
- Drinks
- Edibles
- Lotions
- Oils
- Pet Products
- Vapes
For the shopper fascinated by all things CBD, the CBD Infusionz website serves well as a one-stop shop with a wide array of CDB products. Because our search didn’t uncover a backstory we could share with our readers, we agreed that the website serves best as a customer portal for purchasing online CBD products. For the time being, we would have to remain satisfied with a well-designed and easily-navigable website.
Consequently, we headed straight to the product page for the CBD Fruit Snacks we were preparing to review.
CBD Fruit Snacks (Mixed Fruit Flavors, 200 mg, Full Spectrum)
The first thing that struck us about their CBD Fruit Snacks was the fact that they are a vegan product, but they hardly advertise this selling point, unlike Hemptotally’s Hemp Derived Cannabidiol Vegan Gummies, who announces their vegan properties in their product name. From our perspective though, this is a minor oversight that can be easily remedied by adding “vegan” to the product name at a later date. (We do feel they should capitalize on this benefit, as not all edibles can make this claim.)
Of greater interest to us were the ingredients and product options. To start with, the consumer can select between either broad or full spectrum CBD edibles (for our review, we chose the full spectrum option) and the following mg dosages:
- 100 mg – 10 pieces, 10 mg CBD each
- 200 mg – 10 pieces, 20 mg CBD each
- 600 mg – 30 pieces, 20 mg CBD each
- 1200 mg – 60 pieces, 20 mg CBD each
The ingredients for the three different flavors of fruit snacks (lemon, strawberry, and watermelon) were identical, as follows:
- Tapioca Syrup – a natural sweetening alternative to sugars, honey, corn syrup, and other sweeteners
- Organic Cane Sugar – this is unrefined sugar that omits cancer-causing and environmentally-damaging pesticides when grown
- Pear Juice – the ideal fruit juice to add to any fruit snack recipe, thanks to its light and pure flavor
- Pectin – a vegan alternative to gelatin, when added to sugar it thickens to a jam or jelly consistency
- Citric Acid – a tart sour taste, usually from the juices of lemons or limes, this acts as an antioxidant, protecting the body from free radicals
- Sodium Citrate – this is the salt from citric acid, and carries a salty, bitter taste
- Malic Acid – a dicarboxylic acid used as a food additive, it contributes to the sour taste of fruits
- Natural Flavors – adds the appropriate natural flavoring (lemon, strawberry, and watermelon) to each fruit snack
- Natural Colors – uses turmeric for lemon and black carrot for strawberry and watermelon colorings
- Naturally Occurring Cannabinoids – as we are working with a full spectrum product, all phytocannabinoids which naturally occur in the hemp plant are added, including not more than 0.3% THC
There is nothing that inspires and pleases our team of reviewers more than a clean and clear list of ingredients. Such transparent information perfectly preps us for the testing of their product, so we moved on to the next stage of our review: the independent analysis and actual test by our reviewers!
The CBD Informative Testing and Rating
Even though our attempt to learn more about the people behind the product failed, we agreed that the presentation of the product on their website kept our interest high. As is our standard protocol, we sent the product to Level One Labs, our favorite (and Arizona’s top-rated) cannabis testing lab. This is where we identify the potency of the product, expecting it to lie within a 10% range of the stated CBD content (any variance beyond 10% removes points in this most important scoring factor).
Third Party Test Results
When the results of the Certificate of Analysis from Level One Labs came in, we were beyond pleased.
While the company stated a content of 20 mg of CBD per fruit snack, Level One came up with 20.7 mg per fruit snack, a mere 3.55% variance, strongly within the 10% range we allow.
This gives CBD Infusionz the best possible start on our review, with a solid score for potency of 10 out of 10. Obviously, such strong and positive results only gets our testers even more ramped up to try out the product themselves!
CBD Informative Assessment
As always, our first assessment begins at their website…
The Manufacturer – CBD Infusionz
As mentioned already, we always love learning about the people behind the products. Unfortunately, that pleasure was not afforded us, but we agreed that their website did a good job of organizing and presenting their many products.
In our opinion, another way in which companies reveal themselves and their commitment to their product line is in the packaging itself. While we adhere to the idea of not judging a book by its cover, on the other hand we cannot help but insist that manufacturers show pride in their packaging, to best reflect the efforts they put into the creation of the product.
In this instance, we admit to disappointment in the packaging. They employ an old-school style logo which feels as if it was created using MS Paint and/or MS Word. Since logo relates to brand which relates to company reputation, we knocked two full points off the maximum score, earning them an 8 out of 10 in the packaging factor.
The Product – CBD Fruit Snacks (Mixed Fruit Flavors, 200 mg, Full Spectrum)
When it comes to product evaluation, there are two factors we zoom in on: taste and effects.
In the taste department, we admit to being sorely disappointed. We are not believers in bitter medicines delivering better results, but if this were the case, these CBD Fruit Snacks would be an amazing treatment, because they are really bitter tasting! We’re not just talking about aftereffects: the first bite delivered a shocking sour taste to our buds which wouldn’t go away. And yes, there is an aftertaste equally unpleasant. Frankly, we cannot imagine forcing these down on a daily basis. (We did note that three ingredients – citric acid, malic acid, and sodium citrate – all have bitter, tart, or sour taste effects; one or a combination of the three may be the source of this bitter problem.) Based on the universally negative reaction from all testers, the CBD Fruit Snacks earned a dismal 5 out of 10 for taste.
When it came to effects, there was an entirely different response. Everyone agreed that effects were about as good as you can get from an edible; it is the general experience of our testers that edibles miss the mark slightly in effects, because the CBD is not completely absorbed. Nevertheless, in comparison to the effects of other edibles we have tested, these effects were quite strong, earning the CBD Fruit Snacks a final score of 9.5 out of 10.
The CBD Informative Overall Rating for CBD Infusionz – CBD Fruit Snacks (Mixed Fruit Flavors, 200 mg, Full Spectrum) – 9.06
Based upon the strong showing in potency (10 out of 10), followed up with a very positive effects score (9.5 out of 10), the CBD Fruit Snacks ends up with a decent overall score of 9.06. Despite the unanimous and negative reaction to the taste of this product, our testers agree they would like to sample another edible to see if this bitter taste issue is isolated to these CBD Fruit Snacks. Meanwhile, we have also reviewed another CBD Infusionz product, their Broad Spectrum Hemp Oil CBD Tincture with MCT Oil (600 mg), which you should read to learn more about the products from this company. The final score for their tincture? Hey, we hate spoilers, so go read it and find out for yourself!
