How to Make Kratom Tea [The Right Way]

If you enjoy drinking tea, I have great news for you. I learned how to make kratom tea from professional herbalists Thomas Easly and Steven Horne in their book The Modern Herbal Dispensatory, and now I’m going to teach you step-by-step.

Table of Contents

How to Make Kratom Tea Basics

Before we jump in the kitchen, there’s a few things you should know.

Firstly, kratom tea can be made with dried/crushed leaves, fresh leaves, or powder. If you decide to use fresh or dried/crushed kratom leaves, make sure they’re “cut and sifted,” which means they’ve been cut into tiny pieces.

You can cut them yourself or purchase them from kratom vendors, like ourselves, which sell dried kratom leaves already cut and sifted.

If possible, grind the leaves into a powder using a coffee grinder. If you don’t have a grinder don’t sweat it, cut and sifted is fine for making tea. The reason behind grinding your leaves into a powder is due to oxidation.

Kratom leaves MINIMIZE the surface area exposed to oxygen and therefore retain their potency better than kratom powder during storage.

However, once you’re ready to make tea, you’ll want to grind the leaves to MAXIMIZE the surface area exposed to water, which extracts the alkaloids, mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine.

This doesn’t mean that if you bought kratom powder from a vendor it won’t be potent. You can still obtain potent and satisfying results with kratom powder. Kratom powder is the most common way of making kratom tea.

Last thing before we get started, there are three primary methods for making kratom tea:

Hot infusion is going to be the superior way for preparing your kratom tea because the heat exposure during the simmering process is best for extracting alkaloids. Never boil water and kratom together as this will destroy the alkaloids.

Sun teas and cold infusions will be relatively similar with regards to potency. If there are any differences it will be very minor.

Always use the purest water you can get when making teas. The purer the water, the more constituents, or in this case alkaloids, will be released.

Okay, that wraps up the basics! Let’s start with the first recipe.

How to Make a Hot Infusion Kratom Tea

There are three types of hot infusions: weak, standard, and strong. A standard infusion is classified as a potent tea, so this method will be more than enough for today’s purpose.

The dose is AT MOST 1 cup of tea, but start with less if it’s your first time.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Pot for boiling water
Canned jar, covered pan, tea pot, or any type of covered glass for the extraction process
Kratom powder, dried leaves, or fresh leaves
Strainer (if you’re using powder, a cheesecloth or coffee filters will also be necessary)
Cup or mug for drinking your tea
Weight scale (you can find the one I use on Amazon. I’m not affiliated)
Measuring cup
Coffee grinder, vinegar, or lime (all optional)

Boil 16 oucnes of the purest, most distilled water you can find.
Weigh 10 grams of kratom. If it’s your first time, start with less.

If you’re using leaves, make sure they’re cut and sifted. You can cut the leaves yourself or purchase them already cut and sifted.

If you’re using cut and sifted leaves, you can take it a step further and grind them into a powder using a coffee grinder to increase the potency a bit more. That, however, is optional.

If you’re using kratom powder, you’re all set for step 3.

Pour the boiling water into the jar, pan, or pot containing the kratom and cover it. Let the infusion steep for 30-60 minutes.

Optional: Adding a little vinegar and/or lemon juice as the infusion seeps will help extract the alkaloids.

Strain the infusion as you pour it into your drinking cup or mug. If you used powder, you’ll want to place a coffee filter or cheesecloth in your strainer. Otherwise, you’ll end up with too much kratom powder in your tea.
You can drink your tea hot, lukewarm, or cool. If you have leftover tea, you can refrigerate hot infusions for up to 3 days.

How to Make a Cold Infusion Kratom Tea (Cold Brew)

Cold infusions are a bit less potent than hot infusions due to the lack of heat during the extraction process. Hence, why I usually only make these on hot summer days to feel refreshed.

The dose for a cold infusion is 1 cup.

Tip: it’s best to make cold infusions overnight so they’ll be ready by the time you wake up the following day.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Container (no cover necessary)
Measuring cup
Kratom powder, fresh leaves, or dry leave
Strainer (if you’re using powder, a cheesecloth or coffee filters will also be necessary)
Cup or mug for drinking your tea
Weight scale, coffee grinder

Weigh 8 grams of kratom in whatever form you choose, powder or cut and sifted. Just like with a hot infusion, you can also grind your cut and sifted leaves into a powder for more potency.

Use 16 ounces (2 cups) of the most purified cold water you can obtain to soak your kratom in a container for at least 8-12 hours. No lid or cover is necessary for cold infusions.

If you’re using kratom powder, stir thoroughly until all the dry kratom is mixed with the water.

Optional: Add vinegar and/lime to help extract the alkaloids. 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar is sufficient.

Strain the infusion as you pour it into your cup/mug. If you used kratom powder for the infusion you’ll want to use a cheesecloth or coffee filter along with your strain to avoid too much powder in your tea. You may need more than one coffee filter.

Optional: Add ice.

Do not refrigerate cold infusions with the intention of drinking it the following day. Make fresh cold infusions daily.

How to Make a Kratom Sun Tea (Solar Infusion)

Making sun teas is extremely similar to preparing cold infusions. The only difference includes placing the container with kratom and water anywhere outside during the extraction process where it will be exposed to the sun for at least 5-6 hours.

Everything else is the same as cold infusions, including dosage and refrigeration. You can use powder, fresh leaves, or dried leaves.

How to Make Kratom Tea Taste Better

If you’ve ever drank kratom tea, you’re probably quite aware of the bitter taste. Luckily for us, there’s a few ingredients we can add to our kratom teas to significantly improve the taste.

I am not affiliated with any of these products. I’m simply sharing what I personally use.

Raw Honey

My favorite, and the most popular method, for sweetening literally any type of tea is adding delicious raw honey.

Although honey packs more calories per serving than sugar, raw honey contains amazing antioxidants to fight disease and improve your health while providing a myriad of vitamins and minerals.

Honey is also sweeter than processed sugar. It’s a win win!

Buckwheat Honey is the most complimentary type of honey for herbal teas because the buckwheat provides a bit of an herbal taste as well, but any type of honey will be just fine.

Just make sure it’s minimally processed. I can’t emphasize enough how delicious this honey is. It’s a bit pricey but 100% worth it.

Dosage: Start by adding 1 teaspoon of honey to your already prepared tea. Mix it well and take a sip. If it’s not sweet enough add more.

I use Sandt’s Buckwheat Honey (I am in no way affiliated with this product). You can click on this link here to find it on Amazon. It’s delicious and not too pricey. It comes in a 2 pound bottle so it’ll definitely last you a while.

Raw Sugar

Raw sugar is not sugar that’s unprocessed. This type of sugar is far from its natural state. However, when compared to white granulated sugar which is 100 percent sucrose, raw sugar retrains some of its natural molasses, which contains a wide variety of minerals.

Both contain about the equal amount of calories, but if you had to pick one, stick with raw sugar. If you can, use organic honey mentioned above instead of raw sugar.

Dosage: Begin by adding 1 teaspoon to your completed tea, stir, and taste. If your tea still isn’t as sweet as you’d like, add more and sample again. Continue until you find the perfect balance of flavors.

Note: Kratom is extremely bitter. You will not be able to completely remove the bitter taste from kratom tea. Add sufficient honey or raw sugar to mitigate the pungent bitterness without adding an excessive amount of sugar.

For raw sugar I use Wholesome Organic Raw Cane Sugar (I am in no way affiliated with this product). You can click the link here to find it on amazon. It comes in a 1.5 pound bag, it’s gluten free, non GMO, and it’s unrefined.

prevGetting Started And Making The Most Of Kratom Liquid Extract NextMaeng Da Kratom: Benefits, Side Effects, and Where To Buy