Recipes: How to Make Cannabis Infused Lavender & Lemon Tea

In these spring months, it's all about staying warm and cozy through seasonal colds, allergies, and rainy days. If you don't have a trusty electric blanket to keep you warm on the couch, it's time to turn to a drink to heat you up from the inside out. A cup of tea is perfect for warmth and relaxation, so why not infuse your favorite herb into it? Below we'll break down some unlikely weed tea history and how to make a cannabis-infused tea with the perfect floral and citrusy notes. 

A Rastafarian Tea Party

Cannabis has been around as long as humans have been walking the earth, and cannabis use started somewhere around 500 BC in Asia. It's an herb that has crossed cultures and religions, from the Hindu Bhang tradition to the island life of Jamaica and Rastafarianism. While the Rastafarian faith is Abrahamic, there is no central authority, no specific building for meetings, and it is primarily associated with Jamaica because of the reggae singer Bob Marley. However, the reach of the Rasta mindset is global. 

Brought in the late 1800s by indentured Indians, cannabis was initially used by herbalists in Jamaica as medicine in teas. As the Rastafarian culture spread throughout the island, the love of ganja also spread. According to the Rastafarian beliefs, ganja is a source of wisdom and higher power. Partaking in smoking cannabis results in becoming closer to God and is even considered part of a religious rite. It is condemned to use weed for the sole purpose of being stoned. 

Rastafarians use cannabis above all else to achieve a heightened spiritual state. Because of their strong religious presence on the island, cannabis is used rather freely, and the government turns a blind eye to it (mostly). 

Cannabis Tea Benefits 

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Even if you don't consider yourself a Rastafarian, you can still feel multiple therapeutic benefits from consuming this kind of tea. Think of cannabis tea as any other kind of edible marijuana product. THC tea can relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and enhance mood. It can also combat insomnia and nausea while quieting an anxious mind through the cup's warmth in your hand - and what you're digesting. 

Consuming cannabis tea is an excellent option for those who don't want to hurt their lungs via smoking or vaping. Cannabis tea typically has a lower potency of THC, which means the high will be a more mellow yet euphoric one. Because tea is considered an "edible" here, the process that your body goes through is entirely different than consuming via smoking. While smoking flower is a more traditional route, this method of consuming THC works much quicker in the body. Consuming via smoking sends THC straight to the lungs and is absorbed into the bloodstream almost immediately, which means you're going to be high almost instantly. 

Consuming cannabis via tea means that it needs to be digested and broken down within the body before it hits you. The cannabis will be absorbed through the stomach and metabolized in your liver before it finally makes its way into the bloodstream and the brain. This means that it will take longer to kick in, but the weed tea high will be more sustainable and will last longer. An edible high will last anywhere from 4 to 6 hours, while consuming marijuana via smoking will have a high that lasts anywhere from 1 to 2 hours. 

How to Make Cannabis Tea

There are a few options with this weed tea recipe. Option one is to have your cannabis bud, decarboxylated of course, bind with coconut milk. Option number two is to make some cannabis-infused honey as a sweetener for your tea. Either works great, but this recipe calls for the latter, and we have an in-depth guide on how to make it here. 

Weed-Infused Lavender & Lemon Tea 

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Here's a recipe for a perfect pot of tea to help you relax. Choose a strain high in linalool, like LA Confidential, to complement the linalool-rich lavender for ultimate chill time. This recipe makes two cups. 

For this recipe, you'll need:

• 2 tablespoons lavender flower buds
• 2 cups water 
• 1 tablespoon cannabis-infused honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Instructions:

1. Fill a tea kettle with water and bring to a boil. 
2. Put the lavender flowers into the teapot strain.
3. Measure out the honey and set it aside. 
4. Measure out the lemon juice and set it aside. 
5. Pour the two cups of boiling water over the lavender flowers in the teapot and cover.
6. Steep tea for 5 to 10 minutes. 
7. Add infused honey and lemon juice. 
8. Voila! 

Have you tried your hand at weed tea before? How would you describe the high that you felt? Tell us the best tea recipe in the comments below.