Brewing kratom into tea is one of the most popular ways to take kratom and experience the effects of the alkaloids in the Mitragyna speciosa tree. And for good reason. Tea—and the sweeteners people commonly add to it—is a great way to mask kratom’s notoriously bitter taste. Lemon, and other natural additives to your cup of tea, also helps your body absorb the kratom.
That said, there’s also a wrong way to brew kratom tea. And if you’re not careful, you can even render the kratom ineffective. With this in mind, we wanted to create a comprehensive guide to the various methods for brewing kratom tea. Let’s start with some broad questions and topics people frequently want to know about.
No matter your brewing method, make sure to carefully measure your ratio of kratom powder or leaves and your brewing liquid. We generally recommend anywhere between 1-3 grams of kratom raw leaf powder per 8oz cup of tea. First timers and people who are sensitive to kratom should start with 1 gram, while more experienced users may opt for a larger serving size. In addition to the serving size, you can also influence the strength of your kratom tea through the brewing method and flavor additives.
Informally, kratom potentiators are anything that increases your body’s ability to absorb the kratom and/or reduce your tolerance. Many of these potentiators are also commonly added to tea including lemon (and other citrus juices), chamomile, ginger, lavender, and cinnamon. It may not make a world of difference, but especially if you’re using a larger serving size of kratom, you should at least be aware of the potential for effects that are stronger than intended.
You can even add your favorite potentiator while the tea is still brewing to dissolve even more kratom into the tea. Just be sure to drink the kratom tea in the first few hours when using citrus, as prolonged exposure to these acids may slowly degrade the kratom’s alkaloids.
First, know that you don’t truly need to brew kratom in order to make tea. You can simply buy kratom powder and stir it vigorously into your usual cup of tea or hot water. By using a modest amount of fine powder, all the kratom should dissolve in the hot water. You can always strain out any remaining powder or slowly add more water to dissolve the remaining powder.
Second, know that you don’t need traditional tea to make “kratom tea”. If you’re looking for a straight kratom brew, go ahead and leave your regular tea in the cupboard and just use fresh kratom leaves or powder. Or you can even add a modest amount of liquid kratom extract. You’ll still be able to mask the taste by adding lemon and/or sweeteners.
Kratom is slightly less soluble than most other types of tea, so heat is essential for brewing a strong cup of kratom tea. At the same time, most online guides recommend using hot—but not boiling—water to brew their kratom. It’s believed excessive heat has the potential to degrade kratom’s alkaloids. In fact, many kratom companies use a cold-water extraction method, in part, to preserve as much of the alkaloid content as possible.
While some studies suggest kratom’s main alkaloid, mitragynine, is stable at boiling temperatures, it’s likely some of the other 40+ alkaloids don’t hold up as well. Long story short, while we don’t know for sure, we do not use boiling water when brewing our own cup of kratom tea.
Kratom Tea Bags
You can buy pre-made tea bags from select vendors or make your own kratom tea bags. Once you have these tea bags, it’s incredibly easy to brew a cup of kratom tea. Simply follow the same method you would use for a regular cup of tea, except it’s a good idea to steep kratom tea for a couple extra minutes to dissolve more of the alkaloids.
Teapot or Coffee Maker
This is probably the most popular method overall. These devices are perfectly fine for making kratom tea, and most people already have one in their home. If you’re using kratom powder and want to avoid the earthy taste of kratom grounds, we recommend using a device with a coffee filter or straining the tea. If you don’t do drip coffee, you can also use a French Press, percolator, or other type of coffee maker.
Large Batch Kratom
Great for parties and group adventures, you’ll need a large pot, strainer, pitcher jug, and kratom for this method. Boil a large pot of water and then reduce the heat just enough to stop boiling. Add the kratom and let steep for a full 15-20 minutes or more. Strain the tea into the pitcher.
Sun-Brewed Kratom Tea
With sun-brewed tea that’s given an entire afternoon to steep, you can get close to the best of both worlds with a cup of kratom tea that’s dissolved a significant amount of kratom but has less of the bitter taste. Put a jug of filtered water with kratom in a sunny spot on your windowsill or porch. Wait 3-4 hours, strain (if desired), and enjoy.
Cold-Brew Kratom
If you’re in no big rush and want to remove as much bitterness as possible, you can also make cold-brew kratom. Simply put a large jug of filtered water with kratom in the refrigerator for 2-4 days. You’ll still likely need to add some sweetener, just not as much. Likewise, you may not dissolve quite as much kratom, but it should still be a decently strong cup depending on the serving size.
Do not leave kratom to brew in room temperatures. It will spoil after several hours.
Storing Your Kratom Tea: How Long Does It Last?
Finally, know that even the best batch of kratom tea doesn’t stay that way forever. Know that freshly made kratom tea will last a handful of days in the refrigerator or up to a week in an airtight container. If you make a large batch of kratom tea but it isn’t a hit at your party, you may need to put it in the freezer where it will stay good for about 6 months.
