Hemp flower tea is made by steeping about 1 gram of dried, lightly crushed hemp flower in hot water (not boiling) for 5 to 10 minutes, then straining it. That is the whole base recipe. Everything else, such as flavorings, sweeteners and fat, changes the taste, and in the case of fat, it also changes the strength. This guide gives the method, the ratios, three variations and the safety points that matter before you drink it.

TL;DR

• Base recipe: 1 gram of dried hemp flower, 1 cup (8 oz) of hot water, 5 to 10 minutes, strain.
• A water-only brew pulls out little cannabinoid. Adding milk, cream, butter or coconut oil can raise the transfer sharply, even with hemp.
• Dosage is hard to control in drinks. The FDA advises talking to a healthcare provider first, especially if you take medication.
• Skip it entirely during pregnancy or breastfeeding. Adults 21+ only.

Table of Contents

• What hemp flower tea is, and what it is not
• Choosing the flower
• Equipment and ingredients
• The base recipe, step by step
• Three flavor variations (all water-only)
• Does adding milk, butter or coconut oil make sense?
• Safety: who should skip hemp tea
• Know your state and the 2026 federal change
• Our perspective
• Where to find flower for your tea
• Storing hemp flower and leftover tea
• FAQ
• Sources

What hemp flower tea is, and what it is not

Hemp flower tea is an herbal infusion. Dried hemp buds are steeped in hot water, much like chamomile or mint. Some recipes also use hemp leaves, and some add seeds or root, as Healthline’s overview of hemp tea notes.

It is not hemp seed tea, which is made from seeds and does not rely on the flower. It is also not a cannabis “edible” tea made with decarboxylated marijuana, butter and a long simmer. Many of the recipes that rank for this topic mix those methods together. We keep them apart here because the results differ in strength and risk.

A study that analyzed an aqueous infusion of dried cannabis described water-only tea from non-intoxicating, high-CBD hemp as generally a safe option. That holds as long as the preparation avoids excess fat. Effects, if any, typically show up within 30 to 60 minutes.

Choosing the flower

The flower you pick sets the flavor and the cannabinoid mix. A few practical rules:

• Use smokable-grade, lab-tested flower. Look for a certificate of analysis that lists total THC and CBD.
• Check the label for total THC. U.S. federal law defines hemp by a 0.3% delta-9 THC limit on a dry-weight basis. Our guide on whether hemp flower will get you high covers how that limit works in practice.
• Choose smalls or trim for tea. Small buds are cheaper per gram and break down easily. Whole nugs work too, you simply crumble them.
• Match the terpene profile to the cup. Citrus and mint-leaning strains pair with lemon and herbs. Earthy, piney strains suit chai spices.

If you want to browse, our hemp flower collection lists CBD flower by strain. Tune CBD Hemp Flower and Hawaiian Haze CBD Hemp Flower Smalls are two options. For a better understanding of what the labels mean, see our explainer on cannabinoids in hemp.

Equipment and ingredients

Equipment

• Kettle or small saucepan
• Fine mesh strainer, tea ball or reusable tea bag
• Mug or teapot with a lid
• Small kitchen scale (grams matter here, a pinch does not)
• Hand grinder, optional

Ingredients for one cup

• 1 gram dried hemp flower
• 8 oz (about 240 mL) water
• Optional flavor: a slice of lemon, a few mint leaves, a cinnamon stick, a slice of fresh ginger, or a spoonful of honey
• Optional: a regular herbal or black tea bag as the base

Start at 1 gram. Published recipes vary a lot, from about 1 gram to 2 to 4 grams per cup, and some call for a full teaspoon or two. A lower start gives you room to learn how the flower tastes and how you respond. Because the effect of a drink is slow to appear and hard to measure, do not stack a second cup within the first hour.

The base recipe, step by step

1. Weigh 1 gram of flower. Crumble it by hand or give it one short pulse in a grinder. You want pieces about the size of coarse tea leaves, not powder. Powder slips through strainers and turns the cup gritty.
2. Heat the water. Aim for roughly 175 to 185°F (80 to 85°C), the range given in this hemp tea guide. If you only have a kettle, let it rest about a minute after it boils.
3. Load the strainer. Put the flower in the tea ball or strainer and set it in the cup.
4. Pour and cover. Pour in the hot water and cover the cup with a saucer. A lid keeps the aromatic terpenes from escaping with the steam.
5. Steep for 5 to 10 minutes. Five minutes gives a lighter, greener cup. Ten gives a stronger, more earthy one.
6. Strain and flavor. Lift out the strainer, press gently, and add lemon, honey or herbs.
7. Drink it plain and wait. Note the amount you used and how you feel at 60 minutes before you change anything.

Hemp flower tea tastes grassy, a little bitter and a little sweet. That is normal. Honey, citrus and mint soften it.

Three flavor variations (all water-only)

These stay with water as the only liquid, so they keep to the base recipe’s strength.

Lemon-mint cooler

Steep 1 gram of flower with 4 to 5 fresh mint leaves for 7 minutes. Strain, add a squeeze of lemon and let it cool. Pour over ice. Lighter terpene strains work well here.

Spiced evening cup

Add one cinnamon stick and two thin slices of fresh ginger to the cup with the flower. Steep for 10 minutes, covered. Sweeten with a teaspoon of honey if you like.

Blended herbal tea

Steep 1 gram of flower together with one chamomile or rooibos tea bag for 5 to 7 minutes. The tea bag provides the body, and the flower adds its own character. It also helps if you find hemp alone too grassy.

Does adding milk, butter or coconut oil make sense?

Many recipes say to add a fat source, and they have a reason. Cannabinoids dissolve in fat, not water. CBD has poor water solubility and low oral bioavailability, about 6% in a fasted state according to the systematic review of food effects on CBD. The same review found that taking it with food raised exposure much more. A high-fat meal can increase peak concentration and total exposure by nearly 10-fold or more.

That is the catch. Fat does not just make the tea creamier. It changes what ends up in your cup. In the dried cannabis tea study, adding 10% fat increased the concentration of neutral phytocannabinoids, including THC, enough that a single 250 mL cup could exceed acute reference doses, even when the plant was a non-intoxicating hemp variety.

The practical reading:

• A water-only brew and a milk-and-butter brew are two different products.
• If you add fat, use less flower than 1 gram, and treat the first cup as a test.
• Check your own flower’s total THC on the lab report before you add any fat.
• Fat also affects how the body absorbs what you drink. Research on dietary fats and oral cannabis found that co-administered lipids raised systemic exposure to THC and CBD.

For more on how the oils and fats in a preparation shift what you get, and how heat and storage affect terpene profiles, see this explainer on how terpenes change in CBD.

If you want a creamy drink, a small splash of milk after steeping is gentler than simmering the flower in cream. Still, the safest route for a first try is water only.

Safety: who should skip hemp tea

The FDA lists real risks from CBD, including potential liver injury, interactions with other medications and possible harm to the male reproductive system. It also notes that dosage is hard to control in food and drink, and that there is no regulatory guidance on a safe daily amount.

What that means in practice:

• If you take prescription medication, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before drinking hemp tea. CBD can interact with other drugs and make them stronger or weaker.
• If you have liver problems, ask your doctor first.
• If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, do not use it. Per the FDA and medical reviews, no amount is considered safe.
• If you are subject to drug testing, know that hemp products can contain trace THC. Check with your employer or testing body before you drink it.
• If you are under 21, do not buy or use it.

Hemp tea is a cup of herbal infusion, not a medicine. We make no claims that it treats any condition. If you are looking for relief from a specific symptom, a physician is the right person to ask.

Know your state and the 2026 federal change

Hemp rules differ by state, and some states restrict flower, edibles or sales to adults only. Check your state’s rules before ordering.

Federal rules are also in motion. Legislation signed late last year redefines legal hemp-THC products as having a maximum of 0.4 milligrams of total THC per container, starting in November 2026. A September 2026 funding bill pushed that date to December 11, 2026, according to the law firm Foley Hoag. Rules may change again, so confirm the current status before you buy anything.

Our perspective

We grow and sell hemp flower, and we get this question often. Here is where we stand.

First, tea is a use of the flower, not its best use. Hemp flower is sold for its terpenes and cannabinoids, and hot water extracts little of the cannabinoid. If you buy flower mainly for the full terpene profile, you will notice the aroma in the cup more than any effect.

Second, start with water. The research is clear that fat changes the result. We would rather you learn your baseline on a plain infusion.

Third, quality of input matters more than the recipe. Our flower is organically grown without pesticides or synthetics and hand-trimmed, and that matters when you are steeping the plant in a cup you drink. Read the lab report on any flower you buy, from us or anyone else.

Finally, keep notes. Write down the strain, grams, steep time and how you felt. Small, careful steps beat guessing.

— Michael

Where to find flower for your tea

If you want flower for steeping, our hemp flower collection offers organic CBD hemp flower, grown without pesticides or synthetics and backed by a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Orders over $85 ship free. Businesses that want larger volumes can look at our wholesale hemp supply.

Storing hemp flower and leftover tea

• Dry flower: keep it in an airtight glass jar, away from light and heat. Heat and light break down terpenes.
• Brewed tea: drink it fresh. If you make a batch for iced tea, refrigerate it in a sealed jar and finish it within a day.
• Label it. If other people share your kitchen, mark any jar or pitcher that holds hemp tea, and keep it away from children and pets.

FAQ

How do you make hemp tea?

Steep about 1 gram of crumbled dried hemp flower in 8 oz of hot water, around 175 to 185°F, for 5 to 10 minutes. Cover the cup, strain, and add honey or lemon if you like. Skip added fat on your first try.

Does hemp tea contain CBD?

It can, but a water-only brew pulls out little. Cannabinoids dissolve in fat, not water, so most stay in the plant material. Adding fat raises the amount in the cup, which is why strength is hard to predict.

What are the side effects of hemp tea?

The FDA lists risks from CBD such as possible liver injury and interactions with other medicines. Because dose is hard to control in a drink, you can take more than you intended. Talk to a healthcare provider if you take medication.

Will hemp flower tea get me high?

A water-only tea from legal hemp is unlikely to. Adding fat can raise THC transfer, so check the lab report for total THC. Hemp flower is legally limited to 0.3% delta-9 THC, but that is not the same as zero.

Sources

• Tea Prepared from Dried Cannabis: What Do We Drink? (PMC)
• Food Effects on the Formulation, Dosing, and Administration of CBD in Humans (PMC)
• Dietary fats and pharmaceutical lipid excipients increase systemic exposure to orally administered cannabis (PMC)
• FDA: What You Need to Know About Products Containing Cannabis or Cannabis-derived Compounds, Including CBD
• Healthline: Hemp Tea, Uses, Benefits, Downsides, and Legality
• How to Make Hemp Tea for a Calming Experience
• Foley Hoag: A Temporary Reprieve for Hemp-THC Products

Recommended

• Will Hemp Flower Get You High? U.S. Tests and the 0.3% Catch
• Hemp Flower Shelf Life: How Long It Lasts and How to Store It
• How Are Hemp Pre-Rolls Made? From Harvest to Ready-to-Smoke