Making the Cup: A Practical Guide to Brewing Hemp Tea

Brewing Hemp Tea

We've covered the why in the last couple of posts. Why genetics matter, why this is about aroma and flavour rather than dosing, what's actually going on with raw cannabinoids. This one's more straightforward. How do you actually make the thing.

Nothing here is complicated, and you don't need any special kit beyond what most kitchens already have. But there are a few small things that make a noticeable difference, so worth a read before your first cup.

What you'll need

A kettle, obviously. A mug or teapot. And something to strain with, this is the bit people sometimes miss. None of flower, hash, sugar, crumble or similar formats dissolve in water, they're plant derived material, so you'll end up with bits floating around unless you strain them out. A tea infuser ball, a small metal strainer, or even a piece of muslin cloth all work fine. If you've got a proper loose leaf tea infuser already, that'll do the job perfectly, and it's genuinely the easiest setup for flower specifically.

Getting the water right

Just off the boil is the sweet spot, somewhere around 80-90 degrees rather than a full rolling boil. If you've got a temperature controlled kettle, great, if not, just let it sit for thirty seconds or so after boiling before pouring. The reason for this is terpenes, the aromatic compounds that give everything its smell and flavour, are volatile, meaning they evaporate easily. Hitting them with the hottest possible water can drive some of that aroma off before it ever gets near your cup.

How much to use

This comes down entirely to how strong you like the flavour, the same as deciding how many tea bags to use. There's no fixed rule, but it depends a bit on the format.

For flower, a teaspoon's worth, roughly half a gram, is a sensible starting point, the same as you'd measure out any loose leaf tea. For hash, a small piece, roughly pea sized, works similarly. For the more granular formats like sugar or crumble, a quarter of a teaspoon is a reasonable amount to start with.

If the flavour comes through too faint for your liking, use a bit more next time. If it's overwhelming, use less or steep for less time. It's genuinely just about finding what tastes good to you, the same way you'd adjust any other tea to your preference.

The actual method

If you're using hash or a piece that needs breaking down, crumble it into smaller bits first, this helps it steep more evenly. Flower and the granular formats can go straight in. Place your chosen amount in your infuser or strainer, then pop that into your mug or teapot.

Pour the water over, just off the boil as covered above. Cover the mug if you can, a saucer works fine, this helps keep the aromatic compounds in the cup rather than escaping as steam.

Leave it to steep for five to seven minutes. Longer steeping pulls more out of the material generally, including some of the more bitter plant compounds, so don't feel like longer is automatically better. Five to seven is a good range to start and adjust from there.

Remove the infuser, and that's it. Drink as is, or move onto the pairing ideas below if you want to build it out a bit.

Pairing ideas based on terpene profile

This is where it gets a bit more interesting, and it ties back to what we covered in the genetics and terpenes post. Different profiles tend to sit well with different additions, the same way you'd pair certain teas with certain flavours.

If you've got something Limonene led, like our Lemon Cherry Gelato hash, a slice of fresh lemon or a bit of lemon zest in the cup tends to complement it nicely, leaning into that citrus character rather than fighting it.

For something Myrcene and Caryophyllene heavy, like Permanent Marker or Wedding Cake, a bit of fresh ginger works well. The warmth and slight spice of ginger sits comfortably alongside that earthier, more grounding profile.

If you've got StrawCotti Cheesecake with its Linalool note, that floral character pairs nicely with a small amount of dried lavender or chamomile alongside it, similar territory, complementary rather than competing.

And for the brighter, sweeter profiles like Apples & Bananas Piatella, a small piece of fresh mint can lift things further, adding a cooling freshness on top of the existing fruitiness.

As flower joins the range, the same approach applies, check the terpene profile on the product page and use that as your starting point for pairing, the same way you'd treat a tasting note on a bottle of wine.

Flower, hash, sugar, crumble and badder

Flower is the most straightforward format here, it's loose, it steeps evenly, and it behaves the way you'd expect any dried herb to in an infuser. If you're new to this, flower is probably the easiest starting point.

Hash is similarly easy, it holds together as a piece so you can break off however much you want.

The more granular formats, sugar and crumble, work the same way in terms of steeping but they're a bit messier to portion since they're loose rather than a single piece. A small spoon helps here. Badder is softer and more spreadable, a small amount on the spoon works but it can be slightly more awkward to fully separate from the infuser afterwards.

Live resin and diamonds and sauce are stickier again, and while they'll still carry their terpene profile into an infusion, they're genuinely more practical for other uses than tea specifically. If tea is your main interest, flower, hash or the granular formats are the easier starting point.

Storing what's left

Whatever you don't use, store it the same way you would normally, sealed, cool, away from light. We've covered this in more depth in our format specific guides, but the short version is that heat and light are the enemies of terpene content, and that's true whether you're planning to use something for tea or anything else. A jar that's been left open on a sunny windowsill is going to brew a noticeably flatter cup than one that's been stored properly, and this goes for flower more than anything given how exposed it is.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I reuse the same piece for a second cup?

You can, though the second cup will generally be lighter in flavour since some of the aromatic compounds will have already been drawn out the first time. Some people like this as a gentler follow up cup, others prefer to start fresh each time. Worth trying both and seeing what you prefer.

Do I need special equipment?

Not really, a basic tea infuser or small strainer is genuinely all you need. If you don't have either, even a clean piece of muslin or a paper coffee filter folded into the cup works in a pinch.

What if I don't have a thermometer for the water temperature?

Don't worry about precision. Boil the kettle, then just leave it for thirty seconds to a minute before pouring. That's close enough and makes a noticeable difference compared to pouring straight off a rolling boil.

Can I mix more than one product in the same cup?

There's nothing stopping you, and it could be an interesting way to explore how different terpene profiles interact. We'd suggest trying products individually first so you know what each one brings on its own, then experiment from there if you're curious.

Is there a "correct" way to do this?

Not really, this is more guidance than rules. The terpene profiles on our product pages are a good starting point if you want to explore based on flavour direction, and our hash format guide covers the differences between formats if you're deciding what to try first.