It's amazing how people have come up with so many ways to take advantage of the medicinal effects of cannabis. Some cultures have benefited from the use of cannabis for centuries. In India, cannabis is added into food and drinks as an edible preparation called bhang. Cannabis can be baked into foods, distilled into tinctures and oils, or it added to a favorite drink, like tea.
Can You Get High Drinking Cannabis Tea?
While some people seek the medicinal benefits of cannabis, many enjoy the accompanying intoxicating effect of THC in the plant. If you want to get high from cannabis-infused tea, it's not as simple as just putting weed in your Lipton's. The cannabis has to go through the decarboxylation process before you consume it.
In its raw form, cannabis contains the cannabinoid THCA. When the weed is decarboxylated through heat, the THCA is converted into THC, which will get you high. This 'decarbing' process isn't necessary if you smoke or vape your flowers, because the heat from smoking or vaping converts the THCA to THC. Decarbing your cannabis when you're baking with it also converts the THCA. If you want to get high from cannabis tea, you need to decarboxylate your weed.
How Long Does It Take To Get High From Weed Tea?
When you smoke or vape cannabis, you can begin to get high almost immediately as the smoke or vapor goes straight into the bloodstream from your lungs. When you use cannabis in edibles or beverages, it goes through the digestive system, and is then processed by the liver, which takes longer. It could be as long as an hour or even two before you feel the full effects.
The best rule of thumb when consuming weed edibles or beverages is to start slowly with a small amounts and wait for two hours to see what happens. If you're not as high as you'd like, you can always consume a little more. It's better to have too little than too much — you can always have more, but you can't have less! Plus, as most cannabis consumers users know, the strength of weed can vary a great deal.
Why Should You Use Butter In Weed Tea?
THC isn't water-soluble; it needs some type of fat to bind to. Butter works well. You can also use coconut oil. Not only does it provide the necessary fat, it also gives a rich and creamy flavor to the tea. Don't try to make weed tea without butter or oil — it won't get you high.
What Else Can You Put In Weed Tea?
Weed tea can be made using any number of ingredients. Some people like sugar, some people like honey. Some might like a little lemon. You could add chamomile, or rosehips. You might like a little almond milk, or coconut milk. The options are endless.
The amount of cannabis you use to make your tea is also up to you. We use about 2 tsp per mug, but this might be too much for you if the weed you're using is super potent. Start off with a small amount, and see how you feel. And remember: if you want to get high, you need to decarboxylate your weed by heating it. Check out our recipe below!
What Is A Tea Infuser?
A tea infuser holds your tea (or in this case, weed) leaves. You put your tea or flowers into the infuser, and then steep it in a mug or teapot of hot water. Tea infusers come in different shapes and sizes. Some look like a sieve-like spoon that you dip into the hot water, infusing it while keeping your tea leaves from escaping. Once the tea has steeped to the strength you want, you remove the infuser.
Another type of infuser looks like a little strainer, sized to fit a cup or teapot. There are also 'tea eggs,' which can come in different shapes. You pop open the 'egg,' put in the leaves, and the whole thing goes into the cup or teapot. Using a tea infuser is the best way to make a single cup of weed tea, or a full pot of weed tea to share. You simply have to adjust your cannabis amount accordingly.
Directions For 1 Serving Of Weed Tea:
You will need:
- ½ to 1 gram cannabis bud (about 2 tsp, or less depending on the potency of the weed)
- 1 teaspoon butter
- Tea infuser, teabag, or tea ball
- 1 ½ cup water
- Sugar, honey, milk or other additives (optional)
Prepare the weed by breaking it up into small pieces. You can use a grinder, but you don't want to grind the leaves into powder. You also don't want any stems — only buds. Once the weed is broken up, add it to the butter and mix well. Next, place the weed and butter mixture into a tea bag or other tea steeping device.
Bring the water to a simmer in a saucepan on low heat. Add the tea ball, bag, or infuser. Allow the concoction to simmer for 30 minutes to reach its full potential — this is when the cannabis will be decarboxylated by the heat. If the water gets low, you can add a little more. And you can add any other ingredients you like!
Of course, this is just a basic recipe to get you started. You can experiment with many different ingredients until you find the mixtures you love. Relax with a cup of cannabis-infused tea, and enjoy!