Cali Botanicals

The long-standing Cali Botanicals brand has been serving kratom users around the US for close to 10 years. And what was once a small start-up has now grown into a full-blown kratom brand that offers quite the selection of kratom powders and capsules.

Although they might not sell the cheapest products on the market, Cali Botanicals has secured for itself a solid base of loyal customers. And with over 2000 reviews for the brand, earning them a 4.6 star rating on TrustPilot, Cali Botanicals is here to stay.

Cali Botanicals Product and Service Overview

That first visit to the Cali Botanicals website might not have you particularly impressed. There’s really nothing too special about their online storefront. Clean and simplified, they lack the pizzazz and style necessary to call their branding minimalist.

At the end of the day though, their website works, and that’s what matters. It’s easy to navigate and offers all of the important information at a glance. They also place their products into neatly organized categories for easy, effortless browsing.

There are three main groups of products on the Cali Botanicals website and this includes powders, capsules, and enhanced kratom. Their strain selection extends beyond the basics, but doesn’t really include too many rarities. Nonetheless, you should find a few curious choices now and again.

To make it easier for their customers to perform due diligence, Cali Botanicals showcases thousands of reviews on their website. All of the feedback they receive gets verified by Trustpilot, so you can be sure they’re offering true, blue, customer generated comments.

And while the brand claims to go to great lengths to guarantee the quality of their product, they also place a high estimate on customer satisfaction. So if for any reason, you’re unhappy with their products, the vendor offers a money-back guarantee.

So, what do customers think about the vendor? Well, their ratings are pretty high on both their own website and on Google. Some reports on Reddit however allege that the vendor may have engaged in shilling during its early years, which always rubs kratom enthusiasts the wrong way.

Cali Botanicals Product Cost and Price Comparison

To be perfectly frank, Cali Botanicals range of products is anything but cheap. They actually price their products closer to the expensive side of the cost spectrum. Thus budget-conscious customers might have a hard time reconciling their prices, especially with cheaper, high quality alternatives available.

Compared to the other vendors in the table, Cali Botanicals is neither the cheapest nor the most expensive. But even then, the cost of their kratom is relatively steep. At $8 for 28g, you’re paying 0.28¢ per gram on their smallest packets. Their kilos on the other hand cost as much as 0.11¢ per gram.

Sure, that might not seem like a lot out of context. But with vendors like All Natural Artisan selling for as low as $60 a kilo, you’re spending close to double the cost on Cali Botanicals’ products.

Cali Botanicals Reviews

Many of those who enjoy Cali Botanicals claim to pay for much more than just the product. With fast shipping and accessible, responsive customer support, Cali Botanicals makes up for the cost of their product in other ways.

“Flawless product and service as usual. If only all businesses were run this way.” – Trustpilot review

“Great quality, I love them so much! Thank you so much for providing such a great quality stuff.” – Trustpilot review

“Customer service is A1! Not to mention knowledgeable staff and the best variety! Absolutely recommend this place! Plus they’re cheaper than smoke shops!” – Google reviews

“Really good high quality kratom. I come here every month for 3 years now. Never disapointed. Every strain ive bought has been the highest quality of that strain that I’ve ever had.” – Google reviews

“This place has the best kratom I have ever had. Nice people work there, and the prices cant be beat.” – Google reviews

Cali Botanicals Complaints

In a perfect world, companies like Cali Botanicals probably wouldn’t get any criticism thrown their way. But the kratom consumer base is a tough crowd, and there are bound to be a few tough cookies now and again. Fortunately for the vendor, they have yet to receive any truly damaging complaints.

“I ordered, paid with Zelle and they never sent my order. In email correspondence they denied receiving payment, even after I sent proof from my bank. Then they just quit responding to messages.” – Google reviews

“Paid Zelle for my order (46616) and never got any product. Received one response about USPS being slow, then crickets. Never had and issues before and I order regularly.” – Google reviews

“Picked up 100 capsules when I was in the area, wont be returning. Some of the capsules are full of kratom some are half full of kratom, no consistency.” – Google reviews

“There is a shill that goes around here promoting them all the time. Dunno if anyone has actually tried them. They are way over priced IMO.” – Reddit user

“I bought some tincture from them a while back and it was garbage. They do have a few people trying to promote this stuff every once and a while. Its funny because the same guy who promotes it also wrote their only reviews.” – Reddit user

Cali Botanicals Discount Codes and Coupons

Subscribing to the Cali Botanicals newsletter automatically gets you a 10% discount voucher that you can use on your first transaction. Of course, the mailing list also grants you exclusive access to their latest discounts and promotional offers which they send directly to your inbox.

At Cali Botanicals, you can also snatch up price cuts by joining their rewards program. My Kratom Coins lets you earn coins for every transaction. Accumulated coins can then be used to unlock discounts and promos down the line, depending on what the vendor makes available.

Cali Botanicals Lab Testing

According to the vendor, their products undergo third party lab testing before they put them up for sale. They go as far as saying these tests detect microbes, contaminants, adulterants, and alkaloid content to guarantee the purity and potency of their selection.

A few older reviews for the vendor makes mention of a dedicated lab reports tab that never actually worked. As of writing, the vendor has permanently removed the dedicated page. So while they do claim to test their products, they have nothing to show for it.

American Kratom Association Membership

American Kratom Association (AKA) issues Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) certificates to vendors that comply with strict protocol. These stand to guarantee that a vendor minimizes the risks of contamination by imposing strict guidelines to regulate their production.

To get AKA-GMP certification, a vendor should pay a one-time fee, submit various documents, and allow the AKA to perform a thorough inspection of their facilities and procedures, to name a few things.

Based on information listed on the web, the Cali Botanicals brand isn’t yet AKA-GMP certified, so no one knows for sure how they handle their products and whether their facilities meet standards for sanitation and safety.

Is Cali Botanicals Legit?

With thousands of reviews on Trustpilot and over 200 reviews on Google, Cali Botanicals seems to be doing just fine in the sales department. And with a solid base of customers, it would seem that Cali Botanicals stands proud as a legitimate source of kratom products.

If there’s anything that might place Cali Botanicals’ legitimacy in question, it’s a 2019 letter from the FDA addressed to the brand. Posted on the official FDA website, the agency shares a document that they sent to the Cali Botanicals brand for marketing their products in a way that misbranded kratom.

The letter goes on to mention various statements on their website, blogs, and Facebook page that made it seem like kratom was a new drug that fought opioid addiction. They were given 15 days to rectify the issue, which the brand did.

Other than that, there’s the issue of shilling. This entails paying people to pose as customers and post positive reviews online to sway prospects into making a purchase. The brand used to shill bigtime when their brand was just starting out, and that kind of tainted their image for more die-hard kratom enthusiasts.

Should You Buy from Cali Botanicals?

They’re definitely not the perfect vendor. Their prices shoot higher than most brands, they don’t have lab tests on their website, and they have yet to receive AKA-GMP certification. But with thousands of positive reviews online, Cali Botanicals builds its reputation on a strong reputation alone.

If money is no object and you want to try something new, Cali Botanicals might not be a bad choice. But since they can be pretty expensive, it’s tough to call them anything more than a one-time trial brand.