What is CBD Tea and How To Make Your Own

The history of tea spans thousands of years and is filled with mystery and fascinating legends.  The general consensus is that tea originated in regions around China, Tibet, and Northern India, while modern expansion occurred in Japan, the Arab world and into Europe and the West by way of the British.

Tea has been described as one of the healthiest beverages in the world with many medical benefits including cognitive effects, cardiovascular aid, gut health, and weight loss.  There are bountiful varieties of teas around the world, and many share the same benefits, but some focus on promoting unique health benefits.

CBD tea has become an increasingly popular drink for many who are looking to enhance the benefits of tea with additional all-natural plant-based remedies.

What is CBD?

Cannabidiol (CBD) is one of 113 cannabinoids found in cannabis. CBD oil is extracted from the flowers, leaves, and stalks of the cannabis plant. (Not to be confused with Hemp Seed Oil, which is extracted solely from hemp seeds and only carries trace amounts of CBD.) 

Cannabinoids have been used for their medicinal qualities for ages, with CBD being one of the most powerful in this respect. While THC is the most famous cannabinoid for its ability to get you high, CBD is a rising star for its ability to holistically improve our health and wellbeing, without any intoxicating effects.

What Makes CBD and Tea Such a Great Combo?

The benefits of CBD mimic many of the same reasons why people drink tea.  CBD can help promote a more relaxed mood, it can enhance cardiovascular health and gut issues, and can be a great sleep aid.

Combining the miraculous compound of CBD with tea can create a powerhouse combination for your overall health and well being.  Many people find greater enjoyment consuming CBD when they can incorporate it into a ritualistic custom such as drinking tea.

Furthermore, the relaxing effects of CBD can help offset the caffeine content in some teas, allowing you to enjoy the full benefits of reduced stress and anxiety, and enhanced focus without feeling jittery.

Lastly, many people drink herbal tea before bed in order to relax and improve their sleep.  CBD has also been shown to promote better sleep.  Adding a serving of our CBD softgels with melatonin to your CBD tea would be a surefire way to get a great night’s sleep!

How to Make CBD Tea

Since tea is made by steeping tea leaves in hot water, many people assume that CBD tea can be made the same way simply by steeping hemp leaves. Unfortunately, this isn’t very practical.

First of all, raw hemp leaves and flowers are not readily available in many locations as widely as other standard loose leaf teas.

Secondly, there is decarboxylation, which is the process of removing moisture and “activating” CBD from the raw hemp plant. Decarboxylation of CBD typically takes place by applying low heat during the extraction process.  Decarboxylation by steeping hemp in hot water would be a very long and slow process (1+ hour!), and you run the risk of drying out or burning the active cannabinoids.

Another factor to keep in mind when making your own CBD tea is that oil and water don’t mix well, so ideally you would need to add some milk, butter, or coconut oil, etc to aid in the solubility and absorption of the CBD.

A Better Way…

As many people are not used to adding cream or oil to their tea, one way to add CBD is to use a tincture. Tessera Natural tinctures are oil-based so the CBD won’t absorb into the tea, but our tinctures contain an MCT carrier oil to aid with the absorption concern.

CBD tinctures are simple to use and you can add however much or little as you want. CBD tinctures also come in various flavors. If you’re a purist, you may enjoy our natural flavored tincture, which maintains the earthy flavor that compliments many teas such as black, green, Oolong, or Darjeeling.

Our mint flavored CBD tincture adds a delicious flavor complement to lighter teas or various herbal teas such as chamomile, jasmine, rooibos, or white tea.

One of our personal favorites is adding our natural CBD Tincture to yerba mate. Yerba mate is an extremely healthy tea that is traditionally consumed in many regions in South America. The drink is traditionally prepared by steeping the leaves with hot in a gourd to drink through a metal straw called a “bombilla”.

Quality Matter for CBD Tea

If you are interested in trying CBD tea, not only should you use a high-quality tea, but be sure to source high-quality CBD products as well. Unfortunately, due to the lack of regulation from the FDA, many CBD products on the market today are low quality and may or may not contain the amount of CBD that the label claims.  Be sure to do your due diligence and learn what to look for when buying high-quality CBD.

Key Takeaways

• Tea is an extremely healthy drink and has been used for centuries to aid in cognitive effects, cardiovascular aid, gut health, and weight loss, and many others.
• CBD can holistically improve your health and wellbeing, without any intoxicating effects.
• Combining CBD and tea can enhance the health benefits of one another.
• Steeping hemp leaves in hot water to make CBD is not practical, nor effective.
• Due to the required decarboxylation process, and lack of solubility of CBD, it’s better to use CBD tinctures to add to tea beverages.
• High-quality tea and high-quality CBD must be used in order to reap the health benefits that CBD tea can offer.