Cannabis tea is a soothing drink made by steeping cannabis in hot water. Weed tea has been used for millennia to treat a variety of ailments from nausea to chronic pain.
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Drinking your weed in tea form offers the same potent and long-lasting effects as edibles, but with little-to-zero calories. Tea is also an excellent option for individuals who don't enjoy, or want to avoid the potential risks of, smoking but still want the benefits of cannabis.
What do you need to make weed tea?
It's simple to brew cannabis tea with a few ingredients, supplies typically lying around the house, and your favorite bud. For this recipe, you'll need to assemble the following:
- 1 gram of cannabis.
- 1 tbsp of unsalted butter OR coconut oil.
- 1 teabag, or loose-leaf tea, if preferred.
- 4 cups of water.
- Any ingredients you'd add to tea, such as honey or cinnamon.
- A mug.
- A teapot or saucepan.
- A spoon.
- A fine strainer, cheesecloth, or coffee filters.
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How to make weed tea
Time needed: 15 minutes.
- Gather the ingredients
1 gram of cannabis, 1 tbsp of unsalted butter OR coconut oil, 1 teabag, or loose-leaf tea, if preferred, 4 cups of water, a mug, a teapot or saucepan, a spoon, a fine strainer (cheesecloth or coffee filters are fine), and any ingredients you'd add to tea, such as honey or cinnamon.
- Grind the cannabis
To begin, grind your cannabis until it's broken up but not completely powdered. You can also opt to chop your bud with a sharp knife. Be sure to separate all the stems and seeds from the mix, if desired.
- Boil water
Boil four cups of water in the teapot on the stove.
- Add oil
Once the water boils, add the butter or coconut oil and allow it to completely dissolve. This fatty addition acts as a binder for the cannabinoids so they distribute throughout the tea.
- Add tea and boil
Next add the cannabis and the teabag/loose-leaf tea. Allow to boil for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. To boost the potency, you can add additional trim, stems, or flower during this step.
After 10 minutes, the tea should be thoroughly infused. Remove from heat and remove the teabag. - Filter the tea
Now it's time to filter out the plant matter from your tea. Using a teapot, it's easy to secure a coffee filter around the spout with a rubber band or place the filter inside the teapot. If you used a saucepan, secure the coffee filter over the top of a mug to strain the tea. Another option is to use a tea infuser for the cannabis and/or loose tea.
- Enjoy
Voila, you're ready to enjoy infused weed tea. Feel free to add any milk, cinnamon, honey, or lemon as desired. Sweet additions such as honey or sugar are popular choices to mask the distinct weedy flavor. Follow your heart and taste buds and enjoy!
What are the effects of weed tea?
Since weed tea is basically an edible, the effects are the same as consuming the same amount of the same strain via other edible methods. It can take about 30 to 90 minutes for the full effects of weed tea's THC to kick in, but the actual onset you can expect depends on a variety of factors, including the makeup of your endocannabinoid system and other health factors.
It's important to dose in moderation, follow the “start low, go slow” adage, and wait at least two hours after consuming cannabis tea before ingesting any more. Also, as an edible, the THC in weed tea metabolizes in the liver, which transforms it into the much more potent and long-lasting 11-hydroxy-THC. The effects of weed tea typically last up to eight hours.
Other weed tea recipes
Boiling your herb in hot water isn't the only way to brew weed tea. You can also simply place cannabis butter or cannabis oil, such as infused coconut oil or products purchased directly from a licensed dispensary, in your beverage and allow it to dissolve in the hot water. Mix infused butter or oil with a teabag of choice, allow it to steep, and enjoy it with any milk, spice, honey, or sugar you desire.