Cannabis tea turns dried flower into a warm, drinkable edible. Making it well takes three things: heat, fat, and patience.

This guide walks through decarboxylating your flower, choosing a fat source, steeping, and understanding your dose before your first cup. Expect about an hour from start to finish, most of it hands-off.

Key Takeaways

• Raw cannabis flower needs heat first. Without it, called decarboxylation, your tea won’t produce any effects.
• THC and CBD only dissolve in fat, so butter, coconut oil, or whole milk is required, not optional.
• Cannabis tea typically takes 45 to 90 minutes to kick in and can last four to six hours.
• A homemade cup can carry far more THC than New Jersey’s 10 mg legal serving cap for store-bought edibles, so start small.
• The most common mistake is redosing before the first cup has had time to work.

What Is Cannabis Tea?

Cannabis tea is a hot drink made by steeping decarboxylated cannabis flower, or a cannabis extract, in water alongside a fat source. Technically, it’s a tisane rather than a true tea, since it doesn’t use leaves from the Camellia sinensis plant that regular tea comes from.

People have been drinking cannabis in this form for thousands of years. Bhang, a milk-based cannabis drink from the Indian subcontinent, is one of the oldest documented cannabis preparations, with textual references appearing in the Atharva Veda around 2000 to 1400 BC.

Modern cannabis tea works the same way bhang always has: grind the plant material, bind it to fat, and steep it in hot liquid.

Why Decarboxylation Comes First

Raw cannabis flower contains THCA, not THC, and THCA does not produce a high. Heat is what converts THCA into the psychoactive THC your tea needs to do anything.

A 2016 study published in Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research mapped exactly how fast that conversion happens at different oven temperatures:

• 110°C (230°F): conversion is nearly complete in about 30 minutes.
• 130°C (265°F): conversion completes in about 9 minutes.
• 145°C (293°F): conversion completes in about 6 minutes.

Lower and slower preserves more of the flower’s flavor and aroma compounds. Higher and faster is quicker but sacrifices some of that character. Either way, skipping this step means your tea will taste like cannabis without doing anything else.

The Fat Step: Why You Need Butter, Oil, or Milk

THC and CBD are fat-soluble compounds, meaning they bind to fat rather than water. Steeping decarboxylated flower in plain hot water without any fat wastes most of the cannabinoids, since they simply won’t dissolve into the liquid.

Research backs this up directly. Studies pairing cannabinoids with dietary fat have shown oral absorption increase by roughly 2.5 to 3 times compared to fat-free delivery. A full tablespoon of butter, coconut oil, or a generous splash of whole milk gives the THC and CBD something to latch onto.

Skipping this step doesn’t make your tea weaker. It makes most of your cannabis go down the drain with the used leaves.

How to Make Cannabis Tea, Step by Step

1. Decarboxylate your flower. Grind 1 to 2 grams of cannabis flower and spread it evenly on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 230°F for about 30 minutes, or 265°F for about 9 minutes, stirring once halfway through.
   
   
2. Simmer your fat. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil per serving, then reduce to a simmer. Stir in 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter, coconut oil, or a splash of whole milk.
   
   
3. Add your tea and cannabis. Drop in your decarboxylated flower along with a tea bag or loose-leaf tea of your choice. Simmer gently for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
   
   
4. Strain, sweeten, and enjoy. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer or coffee filter to catch the plant material. Add honey, cinnamon, or a squeeze of lemon to taste.
   
   

Skip the Prep: Buying Ready-to-Steep Products

The oven step is the part most people want to avoid. Buying already-decarbed flower or a cannabis tincture from a licensed dispensary skips it entirely. A dropperful of tincture stirred into a regular cup of tea delivers the same fat-bound cannabinoids without touching an oven.

GW Leaf carries tinctures and other ready-to-use products for exactly this reason. If you’re new to dosing with tinctures, our guide to cannabis tinctures covers how they compare to homemade infusions.

How Much THC Is in Your Cup?

The math is straightforward once your flower is decarbed. Multiply the grams of flower by its THC percentage to get total milligrams of THC in the batch, then divide by the number of cups.

Check your flower’s exact THC percentage on the lab-tested label; it varies by strain. For a full breakdown of how flower weight and potency interact, see our guide to weed measurements.

This math gives you a ceiling, not a guarantee. Homemade tea doesn’t extract cannabinoids as efficiently as a commercial infusion, so your actual dose will land lower, with real variation from batch to batch. For comparison, New Jersey caps a single serving of a store-bought legal edible at 10 mg of active THC. A homemade cup using even a modest amount of flower can land well above that.

What to Expect: Onset Time and the Redosing Mistake

Cannabis tea behaves like any other edible: slow to start, long to last. Oral cannabis effects are typically delayed and don’t peak until 1.5 to 3 hours after drinking, compared to the near-immediate effects of smoking or vaping.

Expect onset within 45 to 90 minutes, with effects lasting four to six hours total. The classic mistake is deciding the tea “didn’t work” at the 45-minute mark and drinking a second cup. Both doses can then hit at once, well past the point either was expected.

Pour a small first cup, wait at least 90 minutes, and see where you land before considering more. Don’t drive a motor vehicle or operate heavy machinery while feeling any effects.

Cannabis Tea and Medications: What to Know

If you take prescription medication, cannabis tea is worth a conversation with your doctor or pharmacist first. THC and CBD are broken down by liver enzymes called CYP2C9 and CYP3A4, and cannabis can slow those enzymes down enough to change how your body processes other drugs.

In one controlled study, a cannabis-infused brownie containing both CBD and THC raised the body’s THC exposure by 161%, because the CBD component slowed down THC’s usual breakdown. The same liver pathway handles many common prescriptions, so a similar slowdown is possible with other medications too.

This isn’t a reason to avoid cannabis tea. It’s a reason to loop in a pharmacist if you’re managing regular prescriptions, the same way you would before adding any new supplement to your routine.

Storing Leftover Cannabis Tea

Refrigerate any extra tea in a sealed container and use it within three to four days, the same window you’d use for any dairy- or oil-based homemade drink. Reheat gently on the stovetop rather than in the microwave to avoid uneven hot spots.

Don’t leave finished tea at room temperature for more than two hours. The fat content that makes the tea effective is the same reason it spoils like a dairy product rather than like plain tea.

Cannabis Tea vs. Other Edibles

Tea wins on ritual and customization. Store-bought edibles win on knowing exactly what you’re getting, milligram for milligram.

Getting Your First Cup Right in New Jersey

Adults 21 and older in New Jersey can legally possess up to six ounces of cannabis and cannabis products, more than enough for plenty of tea experiments. Dispensary purchases are capped at one ounce of flower equivalent per transaction, so plan your flower needs accordingly if you’re brewing for a group.

Start with the smallest realistic batch, track how much flower you used, and adjust the next round based on how the first one felt. Cannabis tea rewards patience more than any other homemade edible, since the wait between sipping and feeling anything is the longest part of the process.

Explore GW Leaf’s Flower Selection

Whether you’re decarbing your own batch or looking for a tincture to skip the oven, GW Leaf’s flower and product selection has options for both approaches. Stop by to ask our team which strain fits the mellow, slow-release experience cannabis tea is known for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use cannabis stems or shake instead of buds for tea? Yes. Stems and shake contain less THC by weight than buds, which makes them a gentler starting point for a first batch.

How strong is homemade cannabis tea compared to store-bought edibles? It’s harder to predict. Homemade tea depends on your flower’s exact potency and how well it steeped, while store-bought edibles are lab-tested to a specific milligram count per serving.

Can I make cannabis tea with iced drinks instead of hot ones? Yes. Brew it hot to extract the cannabinoids properly, then chill and pour over ice once it’s strained.

Is it legal to make cannabis tea at home in New Jersey? Adults 21 and older can legally possess and use cannabis purchased from a licensed dispensary, which includes preparing it at home. Cannabis must stay within New Jersey; it cannot be transported across state lines.

How long does cannabis tea take to kick in? Most people feel effects within 45 to 90 minutes, with the full effect building over the next hour or two.

Disclaimer (matches GW Leaf’s site-wide footer language): Our products contain cannabis. For use only by adults 21 years of age and older. Keep out of the reach of children and pets. Please consume responsibly. There may be health risks associated with the consumption of this product, including for women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or planning on becoming pregnant. Do not drive a motor vehicle or operate heavy machinery while using this product.

State-lines warning: Cannabis remains illegal under federal law. Products purchased at GW Leaf are intended for use only within New Jersey. Transporting cannabis across state lines, even between two states where cannabis is legal, is a federal offense. Please consume responsibly and within New Jersey’s borders.

FDA disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Cannabis products should not be used by pregnant or breastfeeding individuals. Keep out of reach of children and pets. For use only by adults 21 and older.