Illinois residents may purchase up to 30 grams of flower/pre-rolls; up to 500 milligrams of THC-infused edibles; and up to 5 grams of concentrates. Non-residents may purchase up to 15 grams of flower/pre-rolls; up to 2.5 grams of concentrates; and up to 250 milligrams of THC-infused edibles.
Cannabis Tea Recipe: How To Make Cannabis Tea in 5 Steps
Sometimes, it’s nice to find new ways to enjoy cannabis and that’s exactly what cannabis tea is. It’s a warm cup on a chilly night, a relaxing sip at the end of the day, or just a great mug when reading a book at home—the only difference is that it’s also infused with cannabis.
In this guide, we’ll share more about this unique beverage, including:
- What is Cannabis-Infused Tea?
- Cannabis Tea vs Cannabis Stem Tea: What’s the Difference?
- How Much Cannabis Do You Need for Tea?
- How to Make Marijuana Tea
- How to Dose Canna Tea
- How to Make Marijuana Tea More Potent
- Answering Cannabis Tea FAQs
What is Cannabis-Infused Tea?
Cannabis-infused tea is a THC-infused beverage that combines the enjoyable properties of cannabis with the comforting ritual of sipping tea. Cannabis tea is created by steeping decarboxylated cannabis flower in hot water with a bit of butter or coconut oil, allowing the cannabinoids to infuse into the liquid. This turns your favorite tea into a delicious, drinkable edible.
Cannabis-infused tea can be made with any type of flavoring you might regularly enjoy, from Earl Grey to chamomile to rose and honey. It can also be made more potent with the addition of other marijuana products. (More on that below!)
Cannabis Tea vs Cannabis Stem Tea: What’s the Difference?
While cannabis tea is made using the flower from the plant, cannabis stem tea, as the name suggests, utilizes the stems and other less desirable parts of the marijuana plant. The stems contain fewer cannabinoids than the flowers, resulting in a milder infusion. The choice between the two depends on the desired potency and the parts of the plant you have available. A cannabis enthusiast who is allowed to grow their plants might find stem tea is a great option to keep from wasting any part of the plant. If you can’t grow your marijuana, cannabis tea made using flower is likely best.
How Much Cannabis Do You Need for Tea?
The amount of marijuana needed for cannabis-infused tea can vary based on your preferences and tolerance levels. If you are adding a gram of a strain that has 10% THC, that’s 100 mg. Depending on how much cannabis you consume, that might be a lot more than you want or less than you prefer. When it comes to cannabis tea, we recommend the same process we do anything else—start slow and low. You can always add a tincture or a concentrate to your tea if you’re not getting what you want out of your infusion, but you can’t remove the THC once it’s infused.
How Do You Make Marijuana Tea?
You may be surprised to learn that making marijuana tea isn’t really all that difficult, especially if you’re following our own cannabis tea recipe:
Step 1: Decarboxylate Your Cannabis
Decarboxylation is the process used to activate the cannabinoids (THC, CBD, etc.) found in cannabis. Without going through this process before cooking or baking with cannabis, your creation won’t provide the effects you’re seeking. Be sure to read our guide on how and why you’ll need to decarboxylate your flower when making edibles.
Once your cannabis has been decarboxylated, it’s ready to use in your cannabis tea or a variety of other cannabis recipes, from brownies to edible gummies.
Step 2: Boil Your Water & Add a Fat
Start by boiling 4 cups of water in a pot. Once the water is boiling, add a tablespoon of coconut oil or unsalted butter and make sure it completely dissolves. Adding coconut oil or butter is imperative because cannabis is lipid-soluble, meaning it needs to be combined with fat in order to be infused.
Step 3: Infuse Tea
Next, add the gram of ground cannabis into the pot and lower it down to a simmer. If you want your cannabis tea to come out high-quality and delicious, you’ll want to use premium flower in your recipe. Premium flower is rich in scent, flavor, and appearance, which makes for great cannabis tea.
Step 4: Simmer & Strain
Once you’ve added the cannabis to the pot, you’ll want to let it simmer for at least 15 minutes. It’s important to let your cannabis simmer at a very low heat for a long period of time in order to preserve the properties of the plant. Letting your cannabis marinate in the water also helps to maintain some of the more subtle flavors of the strain. If you heat your cannabis at too high of a temperature, you run the risk of burning the terpenes, which give the cannabis its flavor and aroma.
Once it’s ready, strain your cannabis using either a cheesecloth or a fine strainer. Pour the cannabis water through the strainer and into a bowl or empty teapot.
Step 5: Add Tea
Once you’ve strained the leafy bits out of the water, you’ll want to add the tea bag into the mixture. This is also when you can put in any additives you desire, like sweetener or milk. Let this steep for about three minutes, remove the tea bag, stir, and enjoy.
How to Dose Canna Tea
While it’s an imperfect rule of thumb, the best way to dose canna tea is to add a zero to the end of the THC percentage of your flower. So if you make cannabis tea using a strain that has 20% THC, you could get 200 mg of THC in your tea. If you’re someone who needs a 10 mg edible to get the effects you need, you’ll want to ensure you’re careful to only add a little bit of infused tea into your mug. We recommend making a batch of tea and trying it, a little bit at a time. This way, you’re going to find the right dose for you.
How Do You Make Marijuana Tea More Potent?
Whether you’ve made tea but it doesn’t seem to have much of an effect, or you want to add a little bit of an oomph to your already-effective tea, there are ways to make your marijuana tea more potent. You can add:
- Kief: Kief, or dried and processed trichomes, can be added to your water during the simmering process. The thing to remember, however, is that kief is potent, so use caution when adding it to avoid adding too much.
- RSO (Rick Simpson Oil): When it comes to Rick Simpson Oil, a little goes a long way. This cannabis oil is one of the most potent on the market, and it doesn’t always taste the best. You can add a tiny bit to your cup, or you can add it while the tea is simmering.
- Tinctures: Unlike kief and RSO, tinctures should be added directly to your cup for a little extra potency to your cannabis tea. If you like a creamier consistency, opt for an oil tincture. Otherwise, any tincture should do nicely.
Answering Cannabis Tea FAQs
Cannabis tea is a creative way to make the most of your favorite flavors of both cannabis and tea. Here are a few answers you might find useful:
Do I need to decarboxylate the flower before making tea?
Yes. If you want the psychoactive effects of cannabis, it has to be decarboxylated before making tea. Fortunately, we have the perfect guide to decarboxylating cannabis to help you with this process.
Can I make cannabis tea with stems?
Yes, you can make cannabis tea with stems, but it’s important to manage your expectations. It may be a milder experience due to the lower cannabinoid content in stems.
Can I use concentrates to make cannabis tea?
Yes, you can. Concentrates can turn your tea into a powerhouse, and it’s a good way to use your dabs if your rig isn’t available. You will likely need to decarb your concentrate first, and you will need to remember that concentrates are incredibly potent. A little goes a long way.
Make Your Own Cannabis Tea
The best part of cannabis tea is that you can make it your own. You can choose the potency and the flavors, and infuse it with concentrates. You can serve it warm or cool, and you can make a batch to keep in a cool dark place so you have it ready when you want it. Whether you’re going for an elegant sip or something a little more laid back, cannabis tea is a fun way to get creative with both your beverages and your cannabis.
Recreational cannabis is not available in all states. Cannabis is for medical use only and may only be used by certified patients in Pennsylvania. State laws impact what dispensaries can and can’t sell to recreational customers and certified patients. Not every type of product, consumption method, dosage form, or potency mentioned on this blog will be permitted in all locations.
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