There are multiple ways of making kratom, but not all are equal in their effectiveness to produce potent results.
I’d like to teach you three ways to make kratom tea based on what I learned from professional herbalists, Thomas Easley and Steven Horne, in their book, “The Modern Herbal Dispensatory.”
The three types of teas include hot infusions, cold infusions, and solar infusions. You can expect step-by-step instructions along with pictures I’ve taken to help clear any confusion. Ready? Let’s get started!
What You Need to Know Before Making Kratom Tea
Before we jump in the kitchen, there’s a few things you may want to keep in mind, such as what strain you need and what form of kratom you’re going to use.
The first question you need to answer is wether you’re going to use powder or leaves for tea.
Kratom Powder vs Leaves For Making Tea
The answer to this question is going to depend on how potent you want your tea to be.
Kratom leaves produce a more potent tea because they retain their potency better than powder. Leaves MINIMIZE the surface area exposed to oxygen during storage.
Therefore reducing oxidation and preserving more of the alkaloids, 7-Hydroximitragynine and Mitragynine, responsible for kratom’s many medicinal benefits.
Hence, leaves are the best way in which to store kratom.
However, once you’re ready to make the tea, you want to MAXIMIZE the surface area exposed to water by grinding the leaves into a powder because it’s the water which extracts the alkaloids. You can do this using a coffee grinder.
It requires a bit more work, but it’s worth it in my opinion.
By the way, if you’re wondering how to store kratom to preserve its maximum potency, click the link here to be redirected to a very thorough post I wrote regarding the subject.
Because kratom leaves are very hard to come by (even for vendors like myself), powder is the most popular way of making kratom tea. Don’t worry if you can’t get ahold of leaves, you can still make a potent tea using powder.
Also, if you do manage to get your hands on kratom leaves but don’t want to grind it into a powder, that’s fine as well.
The point is, if you grind kratom leaves into powder right before preparing the tea, you’ll end up with a slightly more potent tea.
Best Color Strain for Kratom Tea
The color of the strain is going to depend on the effects you want to obtain. The effects are going to be exactly the same once you convert your leaves or powder into a tea.
Take a look at the table below to get an idea of which strain is best for you.
How to Make a Hot Infusion Kratom Tea
Let’s begin with the most common way of making kratom tea, the hot infusion. This is how most people prepare any type of tea, such as green tea or black tea. Here’s what you’ll need:
The serving size is 1 cup.
- Pot for boiling water
- Strainer
- Coffee filter or cheesecloth (only if using kratom powder)
- 10 grams of kratom powder or leaves
- Glass or metallic container with a lid
- Measuring cup
- Weight scale
- Cup or mug
- 16 oz (2 cups) of water
- Coffee grinder (optional if using leaves)
- Vinegar (optional)
Now that you’ve got everything you need, simply follow the step by step instructions below to prepare yourself a delicious and potent tea.
- Boil 16 ounces of water in a pot
2. Weigh 10 grams of kratom powder or leaves and place it in the glass or metallic container (suggested dose for beginners) Optional: If you’re using leaves, grind them before placing them into the container.
3. As soon as the water boils, pour it inside the glass or metallic container containing the 10 grams of kratom, cover it with the lid, and let it sit for 30-60 minutes. Optional: Add half a teaspoon of vinegar before putting on the lid.
4. After the 30-60 minutes, pour the entire solution into a measuring cup.
4. If you used powder, use a coffee filter or cheesecloth along with the strainer to filter 1 cup as you pour it from the measuring cup into your cup/mug. If you used kratom leaves, a strainer alone should be sufficient.
5. Optional: Add honey
6 Refrigerate the remaining tea, but for no longer than 24 hours.
How to Make a Cold Infusion Kratom Tea
Cold infusions are easier to prepare, but require much more time to extract the alkaloids. Hence, why I recommend making tea at night so it’s ready in the morning.
The servings size is 1 cup. Don not refrigerate. Cold infusions should be prepared fresh on a daily basis.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Strainer
- Coffee filter or cheesecloth (only if using powder)
- 10 grams of kratom powder or leaves
- Container
- Measuring cup
- Weight scale
- Cup or mug
- 12 oz (1.5 cups) of water
- Coffee grinder (optional if using leaves)
- Optional: If you’re using leaves, you grind them into a powder. If you’re using powder or rather use leaves for tea you can skip this step.
2. Weigh 10 grams of kratom powder or leaves and place them in your container.
3. Add 12oz (1.5 cups) of water to your container. Optional: Add 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar. Be very conservative with the vinegar.
4. Place the container in your fridge for at least 8-12 hours.
5. Transfer the tea from your container to a measuring cup.
6. Filter 1 cup of tea into a cup or mug. If you used kratom powder, you will have to use a cheesecloth or coffee filter along with a strainer to filter the tea. If you used leaves, a strainer alone should be enough.
7. Add honey
How to Make a Solar Infusion Kratom Tea
Solar infusions are just as simple as cold infusions. However, instead of placing the tea in the refrigerator, you place it in the sun.
The serving size is 1 cup.
Do not refrigerate. Make solar infusions fresh on a daily basis.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- Strainer
- Cheesecloth or coffee filter (only if using kratom powder)
- Weight scale
- 10 grams of kratom powder or leaves
- Measuring cup
- Cup or mug
- 12 oz (1.5 cups)
- Coffee grinder (optional if using leaves)
- Glass container
- Optional: If you’re using kratom leaves, grind 10 grams into powder using a coffee grinder. If you’re using powder, you can skip this step.
2. Weigh 10 grams of leaves or powder.
3. Place the leaves in your glass container and add 12 oz (1.5 cups) of water.
4. Place the glass container where it will be exposed to sunlight for at least 5-6 hours.
5. After the 5-6 hours, transfer the tea to a measuring cup
6. If you used leaves, filter 1 cup of tea into a cup or mug using a strainer. If used powder, you’re going to have to use a cheesecloth or coffee filters along with a strainer to filter the cup of tea.
7. Add honey
How to Improve The Taste of Kratom Tea
There’s no denying kratom has a very earthy and bitter taste. However, I’ll show you three very popular ways of reducing the bitter flavor using raw honey and raw sugar.
Using Raw Honey With Kratom Tea
My favorite way for improving kratom tea flavor is using delicious raw honey. Specifically, Sandt’s Buckwheat Honey.
You can find it on Amazon by clicking the link here. If you place a purchase after clicking the link I receive a small commission. However, I only recommend what I use, and this honey is worth every penny.
However, if you’re not a fan of buckwheat honey, you can use literally any type of honey.
I love using honey over sugar for two reasons. First, it contains antioxidants that help to fight disease and improve your health while providing a wide range of vitamins minerals.
Second, when compared to sugar, honey’s sweet flavor blends better with kratom tea (especially buckwheat honey because it contains a hint of herbs).
When shopping for honey, one thing to keep in mind is to look for a very low processed product. The less processed the honey, the more health benefits it will provide.
As for the dose, one tablespoon per cup of kratom tea is sufficient. Mix well and take a sip.
If you feel like the tea is still very bitter, add more. However, neither honey nor sugar, will completely remove the bitter taste. It will only mitigate it.
Using Raw Honey With Kratom Tea
If you’re going to use raw sugar for your tea, I highly recommend Wholesale Raw Can Turbinado Sugar.
You can find it on Amazon by clicking the link here. Just like with the Buckwheat Honey, I’m affiliated, but I do use the product. I only recommend what I use.
The reason why I like this type of sugar is because, unlike granulated white sugar which is far from its natural state, raw cane sugar retains some of its natural molasses responsible for providing you with a myriad of minerals.
Keep in mind this raw sugar is extremely sweet, so adding 1 teaspoon per cup should suffice.
Probably the only upside to using raw sugar vs raw honey, is its lower amount of calories. If your goal is to cut back on calories, raw sugar is definitely the better choice.
Mixing Herbs With Kratom Tea
You can use other herbs to mask the bitter flavor. Herbs contain a plethora of vitamins and minerals which can significantly improve your health. The most common herb I like to use is peppermint.
Peppermint produces a soothing and calming effect on the nervous system. It’s great for treating acute ailments, specifically those that have to do with the stomach and colon.
Even though it’s a relaxant, you can use it with any kratom strain, regardless of its effects.
Note: If you’re going to use herbs to improve the taste of your tea, make sure to add them during the extraction process, not after your tea is complete.
