Cannabis Tea: The Old-Time Tradition

Many people believe that cannabis tea is a new age trend that sparked toward the end of cannabis prohibition. But in fact, cannabis tea has always been used in traditional medicine in many different cultures across the globe.

However, in the US, cannabis tea is making a comeback and we’ll be sharing with you a few different methods to making a delicious cup of canna-tea. Cannabis tea can be made in several ways. It just depends on the desired effect.

In this article, we’ll be covering five different straightforward weed recipes. We’ll help you create the perfect cup of cannabis tea for your lifestyle. For those who wish to use cannabis as a medicine without getting high, you’re in luck. Not all recipes call for psychoactive ingredients.

Tea Facts

When it comes to creating a perfect tea blend, there are a few rules tea experts swear by. For one, the more contact the water has with tea ingredients the better. And, using tea bags, metal balls or coffee filters interferes with the steeping process and affects the final flavor of the tea.

To achieve the full effect and flavor of the tea, they suggest pouring hot water directly over the plant matter. Steep as usual and then pour the tea through a strainer to separate out the plant matter. These are just simple tid bits.

If you’re an experienced tea drinker, then you know how you like to prepare your tea. You know your preferred method to steep your tea and for about how long and how hot your water should be. For those who never prepare their own tea, don’t be afraid of a little trial and error.

Psychoactive Weed Tea

A half gram is technically all you need to feel the long-lasting relief that THC has to offer. It’s similar to consuming edibles, as it takes about 45-90 minutes for the body buzz to kick in. The steps are close to the same for psychoactive tea as traditional tea.

Don’t just pour hot water over whole buds, you need to grind the buds first. You can also infuse butter to make the process better. Just don’t saturate your ground cannabis with butter, simply ensure your product is completely coated. You can grind up leftover stems, leaves and shake. Then add your mixture to a metal ball, coffee filter or an emptied tea bag. You can also use the direct steeping method.

Now it’s time to cook your tea. Place your tea material in a pan with 1-2 cups (8-16 oz) of water. Simmer your mixture on medium high and keep it at a low boil for 30 minutes. This process is to decarboxylate the cannabis. Add a bit more water if the level gets low.

After 30 minutes, turn off heat and let your mixture cool down. You may add any extra flavoring to help make the tea extra tasty. Here’s an idea, add your favorite regular tea and a little honey. After separating the mixture from hot water, pour your tea over the new tea bag and let it steep for 3-5 minutes. Remove the tea bag and add a little more honey if you’d like.

How to Make Raw, Non-Psychoactive Cannabis Tea

For this recipe, there is a small amount of THC. So, to say that it won’t get you high is incorrect. However, you won’t get blazed using this method taken from an ancient Chinese and Jamaican medicine book. They recommend juicing your raw cannabis directly into delicious juices and smoothies.

Then boil any leftover stems, leaves and shake into a tea. This will deliver a relaxing and mildly sedative body high without too much cerebral euphoria. What you are after using this recipe are the cannabinoids found within marijuana that offer medicinal comfort without getting too high. 

The first thing you do is cut, crush and grind half a gram of cannabis stems, leaves and/or buds. Then spoon your ground ingredients into a metal tea ball. Or pack it into a folded coffee filter. Pour your tea ball or folded coffee filter into a mug and pour low boiling water.

You don’t want to use boiling water that is too hot because it’ll turn THCA into THC. Unless you want to get high drinking this tea then by all means pour really hot boiling water into the mug. Let it steep for five minutes. Its ok to blend other herbal ingredients into the mix, to help the tea taste better. FYI, milk or cream will make the tea more psychoactive. Also, mixing extremely hot water with milk causes it to curdle. You’ll most likely regurgitate drinking curdled milk so be aware.

Cannabis Chai Latte

Did you know you can drink cannabis in the form of a chai latte? This Indian Bhang inspired drink is easy to make. All you need are a few ingredients such as milk, vanilla extract and butter. Of course, don’t forget your weed.

First thing you do is grind about a half gram of cannabis. Then mix it in a blender with a half gram of butter, 1 cup of whole milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Blend everything until it looks like a smooth milk-shake liquid. Don’t drink it yet, let it sit for an hour. This allows the aromas to mingle together.

Bring a half a cup of water to a low simmering boil in a stovetop pan. Add your mixture and stir for 30 minutes. Add a little bit of water at a time to keep mixture from evaporating and burning.  After 30 minutes, remove pan from heat and add chai tea bag as it cools. Let the chai tea bag steep for about 3-5 minutes.

Remove chai tea bag and strain mixture. Pour your tea into a mug and stir in more milk, sugar or even whipped cream. And enjoy.

Cannabis Tincture

People like to create cannabis tinctures to add spice to their lives. The idea is that you would create your regular coffee, tea or other hot beverage then add a few drops of cannabis tincture to make your drink highly medicinal. The process takes a bit of time to create, but you can make enough tincture to last for days or weeks.

There are two ways to make cannabis tincture. The long way is to add ground cannabis into a mason jar and fill it up with Everclear. Close the lid and shake the concoction. Then put it away in a dark cool space for two weeks. Be sure to shake the jar at least once a day. When the two weeks are up, strain tincture through a coffee filter to remove plant matter. The rest can be stored in any type of dropper bottle.

The quicker method is to buy a cannabutter machine. The process can be complete within an afternoon and the directions make it easy to complete the project. The machine costs around $200, but the cost is worth it for quicker flawless results.

Just Stems can be Used for Canna-Tea

By breaking about 5 grams worth of stems, you can make cannabis tea. But the THC and CBD count will be real low. Bring two cups of water to a boil along with two tablespoons of butter. Once it comes to a boil reduce to a low simmer. Add your stems and cover, letting the concoction simmer for an hour until the water turns brown. Add more water if necessary. Uncover and add one cup of milk.

Turn the heat back up to a boil, while stirring for 10 minutes. Afterward, turn the heat off, let the mixture cool, strain and add clean mixture to a mug. Add sugar, cinnamon, honey or chai seasoning to help add flavor. You should feel a buzz within 45-90 minutes.

Cooking with only stems is not as tasty as using nugs or turning it into a chai or tincture. It is a subpar method for making a substance that gets you stoned.

Adam Rhodes

An adventure seeking nerd, nothing too serious but people seem to like him, Adam is also the creator and writer for The Strain Domain