There’s a strong possibility you won’t see snow outside your window this winter, but that doesn’t mean you can’t cozy up with a mug of hot cannabis tea, hot toddy, cocoa, or any other cannabis-infused beverage!
Cannabis tea imparts a long-lasting, full-body relaxation that chases aches, pains, anxiety, and stress away. We’ll share a recipe for infusing your own cannabis tea (or any other warming beverage). We’re pretty sure it’ll become your go-to on a chilly SoCal night!
Cannabis Tea: How to Make Your Own Infused Beverages
Cannabis tea is simple enough to make, but there are a couple of ways to make it depending on your level of ambition. The easiest way is to simply stir in a few drops of a cannabis tincture or a cannabis-infused honey to your beverage. The heat of your beverage won’t alter the effects of the cannabinoids, and you can infuse nearly any drink or food you like this way.
But for some of us, nothing but homemade will do. And that means making your own cannabutter. Here are the basic steps:
- Measure out equal parts fresh cannabis flower (or already vaped bud) and the cooking oil or butter of your choice. Butter will be lovely with an infused latte, hot cocoa or toddy, but you could go with neutral-tasting coconut oil as well.
- Grind the cannabis. Because you’ll strain it later, you want to end up with small chunks, not a fine powder.
- Combine the butter or oil with the ground flower, and place them in a double-boiler or a slow cooker. You’re going to heat them on “low” or “warm” for several hours, so the lower the better. You could use a regular saucepan, but your cannabutter will require frequent checking (especially if you’re using butter, which burns easily). Be sure to have a kitchen thermometer close by; you want to make sure the temperature doesn’t exceed 245°F.
- Now comes the wait: We recommend you let the infusion cook 4 – 6 hours in a slow cooker, 6 – 8 hours in a double-boiler, or at least 3 hours in a saucepan.
- Once the oil is infused, let it cool so that you can handle it safely. Then carefully pour it through a kitchen strainer, ideally lined with cheesecloth. Resist the urge to squeeze out the plant matter. This will add more of the “weed flavor” but it won’t make your infusion more potent.
- For extra credit, try making cannabis-infused honey! In that case, place 3 or 4 grams of cannabis flower on a sheet pan in an oven preheated to 245 degrees. Set a timer for 40 minutes; every ten minutes or so, give the pan a gentle shake. When it’s done, combine the toasted flower with a cup of honey, and place it on the stovetop over the gentlest heat (you don’t want it to boil). After 40 minutes, strain the honey as you would the cannabutter.
Cannabis Tea: Best Practices
You’re done! Your homemade cannabutter or cannabis-infused honey will keep for at least two months on a dark pantry shelf, and about twice as long if stored in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. Before you put it to use, here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Whether it’s a store-bought tincture or homemade cannabutter, each cannabis product has a different strength based on its cannabinoid content. Start slow, using a small amount—like 1/2 a teaspoon—and wait to assess the results. Remember: You can always take more, but you can’t take less!
- How long till my cannabis tea takes effect? Because edibles and infused beverages are metabolized through our liver, they take quite a bit longer to take effect than inhaled cannabis. Allow at least an hour—better yet two—before you decide to take more. On the upside, you’ll feel the effects of a cannabis tea a long while: From 3 to as long as 12 hours in some cases.
You can also stock up on infused beverages at our Venice Beach dispensary. Check out our menu to see what’s in stock.
