Does curling up with a good book and cuppa cannabis tea sound like your kind of rainy-day ritual? What about waking up with an invigorating, mood enhancing brew featuring your favorite weed strains? What about putting your pinkies up and feeling a little fancy while tipping back a classy beverage?
You’re in the right place.
In this post, we’re going to walk through the basics of cannabis tea, what it is and how to make it. Then we’ll give you some inspo for experimenting with flavors, effects, and ways to dial up potency—so you can find a cannabis tea recipe to elevate your daily life.
What is Cannabis, or THC, Infused Tea?
Put simply, cannabis tea is a drink containing both cannabis and tea. From fruity and floral herbals to bold blacks, bright greens, and more, tea paired with cannabis just makes sense. After all, cannabis and tea are both brimming with feel good and wellness properties. Why wouldn’t one enhance the other?
Like other edibles and beverages, weed tea can kick in about 30 minutes after ingested, but it could take up to 2 hours for you to feel the effects. It all depends on you and your personal endocannabinoid system. So, remember the first rule of cannabis ingestion: start low, go slow. Effects can last anywhere from 4 to 6 hours.
What is a Basic Cannabis Tea Recipe?
Making cannabis tea is relatively easy—and you have some options depending on how much time you want to invest.
The fast and easy way? Brew a cup of your favorite tea and add a few drops of cannabis tincture procured from your local dispensary. Or, if you like sweetener in your tea, pick up some cannabis-infused honey. Add a dash and you’re done.
Making THC tea from scratch? The process takes about 20 minutes from start to finish. It’s not difficult, but there are some key steps to remember.
What You’ll Need to Make Weed Tea from Scratch:
- Tea (loose leaf or bagged)
- 1 gram of cannabis
- 1 tbsp of coconut oil or butter (your choice)
- 4 cups of water
- 1 pot to boil water
- A strainer (fine mesh or cheese cloth)
- Prep your flower. To experience the euphoric effects of cannabis, it must go through a process called decarboxylation. This is heating the cannabis to a point where the THCA in the flower converts to THC. To do this, you can preheat your oven to 240-degrees Fahrenheit. Put your flower on a baking sheet and let it cook for about 30 minutes until it’s golden brown. Then, go ahead and grind it.
- Bring water to a boil, then add coconut oil or butter. Your coconut oil or butter will extract the THC from the flower, essentially unlocking the euphoric effects of your cannabis. Make sure the coconut oil or butter dissolves completely.
- Add your flower and tea. Then turn the heat down to a simmer for about 15 minutes. A lower heat over a longer period helps to preserve the terpenes and other natural properties of the plant. Tip, you can wait to add your loose leaf or tea bag based on your preference – the longer it steeps, the stronger the flavor.
- Strain your brew. We recommend a fine mesh strainer or cheese cloth to remove the plant matter. Pour into a tea pot.
- Enjoy. Add your sweeteners, milk, and/or honey and enjoy your tea.
What About Weed Stem Tea?
Yep, you can make that, too. Just follow the steps above, swapping out the flower for stems. But, to brew a batch with enough THC to feel the effects, you’ll need about 2 cups of stems.
How much THC is in Cannabis Tea?
Before we talk about taking your tea to the next level, let’s make sure you know what you’re already working with. Remember, everyone’s body is different… and while consuming more THC than you’d like isn’t poisonous, it sure isn’t pleasant.
If the strain you chose has 20% off THC per gram, you’re infusing 200 mg THC into your tea (little trick to find the mg, just add a zero to the percentage of THC). So, that means you’re getting 50 mg THC per cup (CUP as in the measurable amount – not your MUG size).
If you don’t regularly consume THC, 50 mg is likely to produce very strong effects. This dose is more appropriate for medical patients in need of relief or regular consumers who have built up a tolerance.
How to Make Cannabis Tea More Potent
Want to Elevate your cannabis tea with more THC? Here are some options to make your tea even more cozy (or dozy).
Drop in a bit of tincture. After you’ve strained your tea, drop in a bit of cannabis tincture to enhance the THC dose.
Add a dash of kief. You can mix it in with your flower while it’s simmering. But remember, kief is very potent. So, use it sparingly.
Flavor with THC-infused honey. This is a perfect solution if you like tea with a dash of sweetness.
Add a concentrate. Choose FECO, RSO, Distillate, or CO2 oil if you want to drop in an extra potent punch without having to decarb. Other concentrates (like shatter and wax) will have to be heated to activate the THC. Remember a little goes a long way.
What Strains Pair Well with Tea?
Different cannabis strains offer distinct flavors, aromas, and effects—all thanks to terpenes. There are many terpenes found throughout nature, from trees, to fruits, herbs, spices and more.
Relaxing Cannabis Tea Recipes
Want to unwind? Choose an herbal or caffeine-free tea. Pair with an indica strain rich in beta myrcene or linalool.
Beta Myrcene: Earthy and spicey, beta myrcene is also found in bay, hops, lemongrass, thyme, and verbena.
Linalool: Sweet and floral, linalool is also found in bergamot, coriander, guava, lavender, and rose.
Get cozy with these calming strains:
- Hell’s OG
- Sour Indigo OG
- Star Killer
- Strawberry OG
Uplifting Cannabis Tea Recipe
Looking for a more energizing experience? Choose a black or green tea. Pair with a sativa strain leading with limonene or alpha pinene.
Limonene: Fresh and sweet, limonene is also found in grapefruit, lemons, limes, oranges, and mandarins.
Alpha Pinene: Tastes like pine and juniper, and can be found in conifer trees, eucalyptus, orange peel, pine trees and rosemary.
Get a boost with these motivating strains:
- Appalape
- Grapefruit Durban
- Sour Garlic Cookies
- Lemon-G
- Mimosa
- Safety Meeting
Want a terpene tour? Check out a more comprehensive list over here.
It’s (Cannabis) Tea Time!
We’ve just started to scratch the surface here—there are lots of great cannabis tea recipes out there! And at the end of the day, it’s all about you and your preferences. So, keep exploring and experimenting and remember your Key Budtender is ready to answer any questions you have.So, find a Key near you!
Until then, stay elevated friends!
