Today we’re going to give you a few rules for making kratom tea blends. This is the second post in our series on brewing with multiple strains and additional herbs. If you haven’t read the first, we recommend starting there.
What Are Kratom Tea Blends?
Even though everyone’s kratom tea journey is unique, we all start with similar questions. You start by learning what kratom tea is, and what kratom tea is good for, then you try making it.
And only after that—after you’re convinced kratom tea is the best way to enjoy kratom—you start exploring ways to improve your brew.
If you’re at this stage, it’s time to dive into making kratom tea blends. Read on to learn everything you need to know to get started.
What is kratom tea?
Kratom tea is a traditional tea made from the dried leaf of the kratom tree. Even though its new to many US kratom consumers, kratom has been brewed in Thailand and neighboring parts of Asia for hundreds of years.
After harvesting and processing, kratom tea leaf looks like most herbal teas and tastes somewhat similar to green tea, with a slightly stronger and more bitter flavor. In terms of brewing, you have two main options:
Kratom Tea Infusions: An infusion is the classic way to make herbal tea. You put your herbs in a cup or jar, add water, and wait.
Traditionally, it’s used with flower or leaf-based teas, which are easier to extract than a root or bark-based tea. If you like keeping things simple, we recommend starting with an infusion.
Kratom Tea Decoction: A decoction is a slightly more involved process. It’s an herbal tea made by boiling or simmering your herb in a pot overheat. The result is a concentrated kratom tea.
When making decoctions, make sure to add your kratom leaf to the pot while the water is still cold. Some parts of the plant need to be extracted slowly, so skipping this step can limit your tea’s potency.
The Herbal Tea Formulation Pyramid
The kratom tea formulation pyramid is a model for developing kratom tea blends. In practice, the model helps us create balanced kratom teas that are both strong and delicious.
In practice, we use the kratom tea formulation pyramid to determine how much of each herb you should add to your tea. It works by classifying ingredients into one of three groups based on their role in the tea:
Active herb: This is the base ingredient in your tea, and it accounts for 50% of the herbs in your tea. The active herb in all our teas is kratom, so we know we’re working with a bitter herb that requires longer brew times.
Supporting herbs: These are the herbs you add to your tea to complement the flavor and effect of your active ingredient. And they make up 30% of the herbal mix.
Your supporting herb should improve the efficacy of your active herb, either by improving absorption or providing a similar benefit.
Catalyst herb: The final ingredient in your kratom tea is the catalyst herb. In addition to being 20% of your blend, it’s primary chosen to improve the flavor of your tea.
As you start experimenting with different kratom tea blends, use this methodology as a guide. Herbal teas are all about creating balance, so having a formal process can keep you on the right track.
4 Rules for Making The Best Kratom Tea
Here are a few guidelines to help you get started at home:
1. One thing at a time: we recommend adding new herbs one at a time so you can isolate the effects an individual ingredient. If you add 5 new herbs to your kratom tea at once, it’s much harder to tell which herb is doing what.
2. Less is more: if you’re new to kratom tea, best practices are two start with between 2 and 5 grams of kratom. And remember, you can always make another cup!
3. Know your ingredients: as we’ve discussed in this post, different herbs require different brewing processes. It’s hard to make a great kratom tea if you don’t realize there are unique aspects to brewing kratom.
4. Have fun: this process is all about experimenting and having fun. The stakes are low (usually), and if you mess up you can simply try again. Ultimately, if you take away the fun, the whole thing loses value. So if your first few brews aren’t great, don’t be too hard on yourself!
The point of all of this is developing a kratom tea practice that you enjoy. As you continue exploring the connection between kratom tea and wellness, we hope you’ll use these rules as a guide.
Conclusion
Well, there you have it – our tips for creating the best kratom tea blends at home. As you put this to practice, remember that the true power of herbal tea lies in a combination of herbs working together to support your well-being. Like always, feel free to reach out with questions! Until next time, cheers to better brewing.