Speakeasy 710 Review

Written by Tyler Swell — Edited by Cathy Rozyczko on February 9, 2021

Speakeasy takes us back to the roaring 20s with their prohibition-era aesthetic. The branding is strikingly appropriate for the cannabis industry, a clever move for this popular company with an award-winning vape pen and multiple big media plugs. But for all the fun marketing, we struggle with the basic elements that Speakeasy seems to be lacking. For one, there are zero test results for purity or potency available for public view. We also take issue with a void of comprehensive ingredients lists for their CBD products, something we don’t take lightly. Hopefully, this brand with an old school feel can adopt the current standard practices of reputable CBD vendors.

Speakeasy draws their inspiration from the American prohibition era in the 1920s and early 30s. This influence spreads across everything they do, from their packaging to the branded videos explaining their products. It’s a clever and appropriate connection to make, since recreational cannabis is not federally legal, and hemp products with 0.3% or less THC were only recently removed from the U.S. Controlled Substances List.

Speakeasy touts themselves as one of the most highly regarded CBD oil producers in the world, and they certainly have popularity going for them. Their CBD vape pen was voted best in the business by OC Weekly (the company’s primary operations are in Orange County), and their lead scientist apparently has won the Cannabis Cup multiple times.

Speakeasy provides an interesting selection of CBD products, with both common items and others that we don’t see all the time. Their lineup includes:

• CBD Tonic (tinctures)
• CBD Crystal Isolate
• Isolated CBD Terpenes including limonene, linalool, myrcene, caryophyllene, and pinene
• CBD Lip Balm
• CBD Full Spectrum Softgels
• CBD Vape Pens and Cartridges
• Dab Dispenser
• CBD Sunscreen SPF 30

We have a few issues with Speakeasy that prevent us from giving a glowing review. First, even though they provide kitschy, branded videos for most of their products, there’s a key element missing in each description — the ingredients. We know their CBD tonic contains organic grapeseed oil and that the softgels have organic hemp seed oil and terpenes, but the rest is largely a mystery. For the more naturally inclined consumer, we advise caution with the CBD sunscreen and CBD vape until comprehensive ingredients lists are posted, as these types of products often contain synthetic components.

Next, there are zero third-party tests posted on the Speakeasy site. The company claims that each product is tested by SC Laboratories, which may be true, but we need to see both cannabinoid profiles and contaminants tests to award the Safety Badge.

Finally, Speakeasy is not clear about whether each product contains isolate or full spectrum CBD, and they do not disclose the extraction method they employ. Since their CBD oil is sourced from organic hemp grown under the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, we could let the extraction method slide, provided we had a current test to look at. But without this backup, we cannot guarantee quality — too many unknowns.

Bottom Line – Speakeasy has cool throwback branding, but they’re lacking an essence of transparency when it comes to disclosing their ingredients, CBD extraction method, and test results. Consumers have a right to know exactly what they’re putting on and in their bodies, and we stand behind that 100%.