Cannabis honey for tea is made by stirring decarboxylated cannabis into honey, holding it at about 160°F for one to three hours, then straining out the plant material. A teaspoon of infused honey usually carries 5 to 10 mg THC, so it goes into warm tea rather than boiling water, and you wait up to two hours before adding more. The whole batch takes about four hours and keeps for months in a sealed jar.
Strain for Honey Cannabis Elixir: The Ultimate Guide
Why does decarboxylation come first?
Raw cannabis holds mostly THCA, which will not get you high. Heat drives off a carbon dioxide molecule and converts THCA into THC, and that step cannot happen inside a mug of tea.
Spread coarsely ground flower in a thin layer on a lined baking sheet and bake at 240°F for 30 to 40 minutes, stirring once. The color should shift from green to a toasted olive, and the smell turns nutty rather than grassy.
What do you need for the recipe?
- 3.5 g decarboxylated cannabis flower, roughly ground
- 1 cup (about 340 g) mild honey, such as clover or wildflower
- A double boiler or a heat-safe bowl over a pot of water
- Cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer
- A clean glass jar with a tight lid
- A kitchen thermometer
How do you make cannabis honey step by step?
- Decarboxylate the flower and let it cool completely.
- Warm the honey in the double boiler to 160°F. Keep the water below a simmer so the honey never scalds.
- Stir in the ground flower until it is fully coated, then hold the mixture between 150°F and 170°F for 1 to 3 hours, stirring every 20 minutes.
- Let the jar cool for 15 minutes, then pour the honey through cheesecloth to catch the plant matter.
- Squeeze the cheesecloth gently to recover the last of the honey, and jar the finished product.
Does honey actually extract THC well?
Honey is a sugar syrup with almost no fat, and cannabinoids dissolve far better in fats than in sugar or water. The infusion works, but it is less efficient than butter or coconut oil, so the same amount of flower yields a milder result.
Expect a soft, floral honey with a grassy edge and a modest potency. If you want a stronger teaspoon, add a teaspoon of infused coconut oil to the cup alongside the honey.
How much cannabis honey belongs in a cup of tea?
Start with half a teaspoon and treat that as a full dose for the day. Standard commercial edibles use 10 mg THC as a serving, and homemade honey varies too widely to guess at.
- New users: 2.5 to 5 mg THC, roughly half a teaspoon of a typical batch
- Experienced users: 5 to 10 mg THC, one teaspoon
- Wait at least 2 hours before redosing, since edibles peak late
How do you keep hot tea from ruining the dose?
Stir the honey into tea that is warm enough to drink, not boiling. Very hot water can degrade some THC at the surface and it also makes the honey clump at the bottom of the mug.
Black tea, chai, and rooibos mask the herbal note best. A splash of milk or oat milk gives the cannabinoids a little fat to bind to and may improve absorption.
How should you store infused honey?
Keep it in a labeled glass jar in a cool, dark cupboard, where it stays good for about six months. Refrigeration slows crystallization but makes the honey stiff, so warm the jar in water before serving.
Label the jar with the date, the strain, and the estimated milligrams per teaspoon. Anyone in the house should be able to see at a glance that it is not ordinary honey.
Is store-bought infused honey worth the shortcut?
Pre-infused honey exists and removes the decarb and strain steps entirely, which is why convenience has become the deciding factor for many tea drinkers. The trade-off is cost per milligram and less control over potency, so read the label for THC per serving before you spoon it in.