Hemp Tea: How to Prepare It, Step by Step (2026)

This article is for information purposes only and contains no health claims. Hemp tea is a traditional preparation made from industrial hemp flowers; SmokyHub products are aromatic products for adults. Hash is not a foodstuff and is not intended for making tea.

Quick answer (for those in a hurry)

You prepare hemp tea like any herbal infusion — with one special twist: cannabinoids and terpenes are fat-soluble, not water-soluble, so a teaspoon of coconut fat or a splash of whole milk belongs in the cup. The recipe in one line: a teaspoon of crumbled hemp flowers, 250 ml of water just below the boil, 7–10 minutes of covered steeping, fat, honey and lemon to taste. Details, nuances and mistakes below. 👇

Hemp tea: a tradition older than modern trends

An infusion of hemp leaves and flowers is part of the European countryside tradition — it was brewed in times when hemp grew next to every farm, for the same reason as chamomile or linden tea: because the plant was at hand and the infusion simply tastes good. Today’s return of hemp tea is less a novelty and more the revival of a habit — only with verified raw material: registered industrial hemp varieties with less than 0.3% THC and a batch lab analysis.

What you need

• Flowers: 1 heaped teaspoon (roughly 0.5–1 g) of crumbled dried hemp flowers per cup.
• Water: 250 ml, heated to just below the boil (90–95 °C) — like for green tea, only a touch hotter.
• Fat: a teaspoon of coconut fat, butter, or a splash of whole milk.
• A strainer or tea egg and 7–10 minutes of time.

Step-by-step preparation

• 1. Crumble: break the bud into small pieces between your fingers — more surface means a richer infusion. You can leave the stems in; they add a rustic tone.
• 2. Pour: put the pieces in a strainer or tea egg and pour over water just below the boil.
• 3. Cover: cover the cup with a saucer while steeping — terpenes are volatile and without a lid they literally evaporate into the air instead of into your tea.
• 4. Wait 7–10 minutes: the longer it stands, the deeper and more herbal the taste.
• 5. Add fat: a teaspoon of coconut fat or a dash of whole milk — cannabinoids are lipophilic (fat-soluble), so without it most of them stay in the plant material.
• 6. Round it off: honey, lemon or a slice of ginger to taste. Drink warm.

Taste: what to expect

Hemp tea is herbal and earthy in character — somewhere between chamomile, nettle and fresh hay, with a slight bitterness in the background. Strains richer in limonene give a brighter, citrusy infusion; those with myrcene a deeper, “darker” one. If the taste is too strong, shorten the steeping or use less; if too mild, crumble finer and add a minute or two.

Iced hemp tea: the summer version

In summer, brew a double-strength infusion (two teaspoons per cup, 10 minutes, covered), strain it, stir in the fat, then chill and pour over a glass of ice. Lemon, a mint leaf or a slice of cucumber turn it into a surprisingly serious non-alcoholic “mocktail” — hemp’s earthy base pairs with mint and citrus as well as classic iced tea does. It keeps up to two days in a closed bottle in the fridge; shake before drinking.

Common mistakes

• No fat: the most common mistake — an infusion without fat leaves most cannabinoids in the strainer.
• An uncovered cup: the aroma evaporates; always cover.
• Boiling water and “cooking”: prolonged boiling destroys terpenes; an infusion, not a decoction.
• Old, dried-out flowers: tea is an excellent way to use up an older batch, but it works no miracles — what the aroma has lost, the cup will not bring back.
• Hash in the cup: no — our hash is an aromatic product and not intended for ingestion.

A little pairing school

• Honey: the classic that softens the bitterness — add it once the tea has cooled a little, so it keeps its character.
• Lemon: underlines citrusy strains and adds freshness to the infusion.
• Ginger and cinnamon: for the autumn-winter cup; the warmth of the spices pairs beautifully with hemp’s earthy tone.
• Mint or lemon balm: herbal company that softens and brightens the infusion.
• Chamomile: the most natural partner for the evening cup.

Which flowers for tea?

In principle any — but the strain’s character shows in the cup. From our shelf: brighter, citrusy profiles for the morning cup, warm and rounded for the afternoon, deep earthy ones for the evening. You will find the full selection among our hemp flowers, and the broader view of handling buds in the guide How to use hemp flowers.

A tea ritual for three moments of the day

Hemp tea is a slow drink — ten minutes of steeping force a pause anyway, so many people build it into a ritual. A morning cup with a citrus profile and honey while planning the day; an afternoon one with a warm, rounded profile as the boundary between work and free time; an evening one with a deep earthy profile and coconut fat next to a book. The same three-moments logic our three characters are designed around — just in a cup.

Storage: raw material and tea

Store flowers for tea like any bud: cool, dark, airtight (details in the storage guide). Brewed tea is best fresh; in a closed bottle in the fridge it keeps a day or two — the fat cools and rises to the top, so stir or gently warm before drinking.

Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Does hemp tea get you high?

No. Industrial hemp flowers contain less than 0.3% THC — an infusion made from them is not psychoactive.

Can I put hash in my tea?

No — our hash is an aromatic product and not intended for ingestion. Use flowers for the cup.

How many flowers per cup?

A heaped teaspoon (0.5–1 g) per 250 ml of water. For a milder infusion use less; for a more expressive one crumble finer — increase surface before quantity.

Why does the tea need fat?

Because cannabinoids and terpenes are lipophilic: they bind to fat rather than water. A teaspoon of coconut fat or whole milk is part of the recipe, not a culinary decoration.

Does plant milk work too?

Yes, if it is fatty enough: canned coconut milk is excellent, while low-fat oat and almond drinks only do half the job. The key is the fat, not the type of milk.

Can I steep the same flowers twice?

You can — the second infusion will be milder and more herbal, much like with green tea. A third is usually not worth the cup.

Is hemp tea legal?

Yes — an infusion of industrial hemp flowers with less than 0.3% THC is not prohibited. The full legal picture is in our legality guide.

Be happy, be smoky. 💛