How to Make Marijuana Tea

Marijuana tea is a simple and soothing way to enjoy the effects of cannabis. Like any other form of edible, its effects are strong and will take some time to kick in, so it’s best sipped slowly. We’ll show you how to prepare 2 easy cannabis tea recipes, as well as how to “activate” your cannabis, a necessary step if you want your tea to have psychoactive effects. We’ll also show you ways to up the potency of your tea to take your beverage to the next level.

Ingredients

Simple Marijuana Tea

1 g (0.0353 oz) of ground marijuana buds
1 US tbsp (15 mL) of butter, milk, or coconut oil.
1 tea bag (any flavor, optional)
4 c (950 mL) of water
Sugar or sweetener to taste

This recipe makes 2 servings

Marijuana Chai Latte

1 inch (2.5 cm) of fresh ginger
½ tsp (1 g) cardamom pods
½ tsp (1 g) whole cloves
1 g (0.0353 oz) of ground marijuana buds
1 c (240 mL) of whole milk
1 chai tea bag (optional)
1 drop of vanilla (optional)
1 tsp (4 g) of brown sugar or other sweetener (optional)

This recipe makes 1 serving

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Making Simple Marijuana Tea

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1
Boil 4 c (950 mL) of water and 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of butter on the stove. Combine 4 c (950 mL) and 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of butter in a medium saucepan. Then, heat the saucepan over medium heat until the mixture boils. Alternatively, use an equal amount of milk or coconut oil instead of butter.^{[1]
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- The butter, milk, or coconut oil is necessary to give the THC a fat to bind to, but skip it if you’re not looking for a high.
2
Add 1 g (0.0353 oz) of bud to the pot and simmer it for 15 minutes. Turn the temperature down so that your water is simmering. Then, add your ground bud to the pot and keep it at a simmer for 15 minutes, so that the THC binds to the fat and infuses the mixture.^{[2]
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- Note that if you want your tea to have psychoactive effects, first decarboxylate your bud to “activate” the THC.
3
Strain the mixture into a heat-safe mug. Place a fine-mesh sieve or a bit of cheesecloth over the mouth of a wide mug. Then, pour the water, butter, and cannabis mixture into the mug, straining out the particles with the sieve or cheesecloth.^{[3]
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- Keep an eye on the liquid levels in your mug. If you have more liquid than can fit, pour the rest into a sealable container like a thermos and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
4
Steep your tea of choice in your mug for 3 minutes. Add a standard tea bag or a tea infuser filled with your favorite loose-leaf tea to the hot liquid and let it steep for 3 minutes.^{[4]
X
Research source} We recommend teas with strong flavors to mask the cannabis, like peppermint or ginger.
- If you want to enjoy the natural flavors of your marijuana tea and enjoy more herbal notes, feel free to skip this step.
5
Add any additional sweeteners like sugar or honey, then enjoy. Stir in 1 tsp (4.9 mL) of your preferred sweetener, if you like. Then, bottoms up! As with most marijuana products consumed orally, marijuana tea takes 45-60 minutes or more to come into full effect.^{[5]
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- Note that like any other edible, this tea may cause a strong high. Wait 2-3 hours for the effects to kick in before consuming any more. Limit your consumption to 1-2 cups per day.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Marijuana Chai Latte

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1
Grind ginger, cardamom, cloves, and bud together. Combine about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of fresh ginger, then about ½ tsp (1 g) each of cardamom pods and whole cloves, and 1 gram (0.035 oz) of bud in a bowl, then use a mortar and pestle or a blender to grind them to a coarse powder.
- If you’d rather skip the work, break out a couple of chai tea bags and have them on hand instead, but we like the flavor of fresh spices.
- Note that if you want your tea to have psychoactive effects, you’ll first need to decarboxylate your bud to “activate” the THC.
Place your ground spices in a cheesecloth pouch or a tea infuser. Pour the ground spice and bud mixture into the center of a cheesecloth, then twist the cloth around the spices to create a sort of teabag, securing it with a bit of string.^{[6]
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Research source} Or, place your spices in a mesh tea infuser or a reusable tea bag.
3
Bring 1 c (240 mL) of whole milk to a simmer. Pour 1 c (240 mL) of whole (or 2%) milk to a simmer on the stove over low heat.^{[7]
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Research source} Give it a mix every couple of minutes to avoid burning it.
- We don’t recommend using low-fat milk or milk substitutes like almond milk, since THC needs a concentration of fats to bind to in order to be effective.^{[8]
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  PubMed Central
  Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
  
  Go to source}
4
Add the spice bag to the milk and steep it for about 2 hours. Set the cheesecloth or teabag of spices and cannabis in the simmering milk, and keep it simmering for 2 hours.^{[9]
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Research source} Stir the mixture every 10-15 minutes to prevent it from scalding or boiling over. Then, remove the spice bag and discard its contents.
- For added flavor and aroma, place 1-2 drops of vanilla into the milk as it simmers.
5
Serve the chai, and sweeten it with sugar or honey. Pour the mixture into a heat-safe mug. If you like, add about 1 tsp (4 g) of brown sugar to the drink to sweeten it and add depth. Or, add a bag of chai or English breakfast tea to intensify the flavor.^{[10]
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Research source} Also, add honey, white sugar, or another sweetener to your taste. Then, enjoy!
- Note that, like any other form of edible cannabis, it may take up to 2 hours to feel any results.^{[11]
  X
  Research source} Limit your consumption to 1-2 cups a day.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Decarboxylating Cannabis

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1
Crumble and spread marijuana buds onto a lined baking sheet. If you want your marijuana tea to you high, first you need to decarboxylate it, which is the process of activating the cannabinoids in your weed with heat.^{[12]
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Trustworthy Source

PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health

Go to source} This happens naturally when you smoke it, but not when you simply boil it in tea. To do this, first crumble ½ oz (14 g) of bud onto a parchment-lined baking sheet.^{[13]
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Research source} Aim to crumble the bud into pieces about the size of a pea.
- Spread the crumbled bud into a single layer so that it heats evenly.
- If you simply want to enjoy the flavor of marijuana tea but reduce the chances of a high, skip this decarboxylation method and use untreated bud in the recipes.
2
Bake the crushed bud at 220 °F (104 °C) for 20-45 minutes. Slide the baking sheet onto the center rack of your oven. Then, bake old or low-quality bud for 20 minutes. Bake new or higher-quality bud for 45 minutes.^{[14]
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- Gently shake the pan every 10 minutes or so to prevent burning.
Remove the weed from the oven and let it cool for about an hour. Then, grind the weed into a coarse powder, with particles about the size of loose-leaf tea grounds.^{[15]
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Research source} Voila! Your weed is decarboxylated and ready to be made into tea.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Making Your Marijuana Tea More Potent

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1
Add a pinch of kief to your ground bud. Kief is the sticky crystal coating on your cannabis flowers that often falls off when grinding the bud down, and collects in the bottom of your grinder. Add a small pinch of kief to your ground cannabis before you steep your tea to achieve a more intense high.
- Note that the potency of your kief depends on the strain of cannabis. Only use kief if you have previous experience or understand your own tolerance levels.
2
Add a couple drops of THC or CBD tincture. Tinctures are premade solutions of THC or CBD (or both) mixed with alcohol, and require no added prep to add them to your food and beverages. Add 1-2 drops of your tincture of choice to your finished beverage to improve your high or incorporate the calming properties of CBD.^{[16]
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- CBD is known to reduce pain, inflammation, seizures, anxiety, and swelling, as well as improve sleep. Consult your doctor before using THC or CBD to treat any ailments.
3
Add RSO (Rick Simpson Oil) to reap other health benefits. RSO is an oil made from many components of the marijuana plant that’s said to provide a number of anecdotal health benefits and is often used by cancer patients.^{[17]
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Trustworthy Source

PubMed Central
Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health

Go to source} Substitute half your butter or other added fat for an equal amount of RSO to intensify your high and possibly reap other benefits.^{[18]
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- Note that RSO is particularly strong, so only use it if you have past experience with the substance.
- RSO has not been proven to relieve any conditions beyond the established effects of THC and CBD.

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Tips

Substitute decarbed cannabis for 5 mL (1.0 tsp) of tincture or cannabis oil to streamline the recipe.^{[19]
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Feel free to use your seeds and stems in your tea. They may not get you as high as flower, but they still contain THC.^{[20]
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Use 2–3 tsp (9.9–14.8 mL) of a liquor like vodka or gin in place of butter or milk (add it after simmering), if you want a less creamy tea. Alcohol also binds to THC.^{[21]
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Research source} Drink responsibly.

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Warnings

Never attempt to drive or operate heavy machinery while under the effects of cannabis.

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Learn about the marijuana laws that are relevant to your location. Recreational use of marijuana may be illegal in your jurisdiction.

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When consuming cannabis of any sort, start low and go slow.^{[22]
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Research source} Try half a mug of tea at first, then finish the mug 1-2 hours later if the effects are mild or unnoticeable.

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