As the demand for kratom has expanded significantly in the past decade, various forms of the plant have risen and fallen in popularity. Though there are many different types of kratom products available on the market, not all are equal. This is especially true of liquid kratom. So what’s the best liquid kratom type out of the many options, and how are kratom liquids altogether different from other formulations of kratom?
Unlike kratom powder, liquid kratom is far more convenient to consume. That’s right! There’s an alternative to knocking back a mud-water slurry riddled with bitter leaf granules. Thanks to an ever-expanding market, you can find a wide variety of kratom beverages for sale.
So, say goodbye to choking down that green sludge from your local head shop. Our liquid kratom guide will help you find a superior kratom drink experience.
The Different Types of Liquid Kratom
Here are the different varieties of drinkable kratom:
- Liquid kratom shots (extract)
- Liquid kratom shots (powder)
- Kratom tinctures
- Crushed-leaf kratom tea
- Kratom seltzers
- Extract kratom tea
When it comes to the category of kratom drinks, one of the first things you may find confusing is the difference between kratom extract liquids, liquid kratom shots, and the various types of kratom tea. People sometimes use the same terms to refer to multiple types of formulations. Here’s a simple explanation of the different terms and varieties:
Kratom shots: Kratom shots tend to come in small bottles, similar to caffeine-based energy shots. Some contain extracts (one or a few alkaloids that have been separated from the leaf material via one of the many methods of extraction). Others are a suspension of kratom powder in water, potentially mixed with other liquids, sweeteners, or plants like kava.
Kratom extracts: Most kratom shots contain liquid kratom extract, but not all liquid kratom extracts are considered kratom shots. Rather, some kratom extract liquids are called “kratom tinctures.” Kratom shots are typically concentrated and contain a single serving, while tinctures are even more concentrated and contain multiple servings.
Kratom teas: Kratom tea also comes in a few varieties. Traditional kratom tea is made by steeping kratom leaves (crushed or whole) in water, just like black tea and herbal teas (or tisanes). Some companies sell “tea” that is actually an extract (usually mitragynine) that they dilute with water and flavor so that it tastes like iced tea.
On many forums and websites, you’ll also find that people make kratom “tea” by mixing powder and hot water, which is a form of slurry. This became popular before crushed-leaf kratom tea was available in the United States, and so the term kratom tea still refers to a range of kratom preparations.
What Is Liquid Kratom? Comparison to Other Types
True to its name, liquid kratom is a drinkable kratom product. The liquid kratom is derived from the leaves of kratom trees, Mitragyna speciosa. It comes in the many forms listed above, from single-serving kratom shots to kratom tinctures, and kratom teas.
Currently, kratom liquids are not quite as popular as other types of kratom. They’re often (but not always!) more expensive than kratom powder. This is in part because they require more complex processing and packaging.
Kratom Liquids vs. Kratom Powder
Kratom powder is made from finely crushed, micronized kratom leaves. Pure leaf kratom powder is the most widely available form of kratom you can buy online. So, it’s no surprise that it’s the most popular kratom product.
If you’re familiar with buying kratom, you’ve probably tried kratom powder. Have you ever hastily mixed a pile of plant powder into a concoction resembling pre-ground coffee in the garbage disposal? It’s a mess, and it’s difficult to get down — and keep it there. Importantly, too, it’s likely not something you’d want to whip up at work or on the go.
With liquid kratom products, you can enjoy the experience of consuming your kratom, not just the benefits of kratom you get after having it. Many liquid kratom products and kratom drinks can provide a great experience outside of the bottom-line effects, much like a piping-hot latte at your favorite café.
Let’s dive a bit deeper into what sets the various types of liquid kratom apart.
1. Liquid Kratom Shots: Single- or Multi-Alkaloid Extracts
- Made with kratom leaf extract
- Some contain only one or a few alkaloids, some contain a full spectrum of naturally-occurring alkaloids
- Some contain other ingredients like flavoring and preservatives
- Pros: quick to consume, smooth texture, easy to transport, often available in stores
- Cons: usually expensive, sold in single-use plastic bottles, unnaturally high concentration of alkaloids, most taste bad, incomplete labeling
You may have heard about liquid kratom shots or seen small bottles of them for sale by check-out counters. Liquid kratom shots typically come in small, colorful bottles—like energy shots. The strongest kratom extract shots contain high concentrations of alkaloids, making them much more potent than other liquid kratom drinks.
Not only are liquid kratom shots similar in resemblance to energy shots, but they also share a similar perception surrounding their consumption. Like energy drinks, liquid kratom shots (also called liquid kratom extracts) come in single-use plastic bottles.
Most people quickly gulp them down, as they would a liquid energy shot. Kratom drink shots are not something to be sipped or enjoyed like other beverages. They’re a one-and-done product, and they typically don’t taste very good.
Pros and Cons of Liquid Kratom Shots
Although kratom shots are sometimes the first type of liquid kratom that consumers come across, there are some cons to kratom shots that prevent people from buying them regularly.
Price: For one, kratom shots are expensive. As we previously mentioned, each bottle tends to contain only one serving. Vendors may slyly label them to claim they contain many servings, though people still drink them all at once.
The cost of kratom shots can really add up over the course of a month if you buy them regularly. For most people, that makes them an unsustainable form of kratom to use in the long run.
Availability: There are a number of head shops, vape shops, and gas stations that sell kratom shots. One common variety is OPMS liquid kratom extract shots, a retail kratom brand commonly found at gas stations.
Ingredients: In the past, there have been issues with some manufacturers of liquid kratom extract shots labeling their bottles incorrectly. Most states still don’t regulate kratom, meaning companies can get away with mislabeling or making unfounded medical claims.
It is of vital importance that a kratom company share the full list of ingredients in their products. When it comes to kratom shots, this can sometimes be a longer list than desirable. Some kratom shots contain many other ingredients. These range from artificial colors, sweeteners, and flavors to preservatives and proprietary botanical extracts.
In general, the more ingredients involved, the more complicated the territory you’re getting into. Some liquid kratom products contain 100% natural ingredients, but many kratom extract shots are a mixed bag with a high price tag.
Strength: Finally, liquid kratom shots tend to be extremely concentrated. In just 8ml, OPMS Black liquid kratom shots (one of the strongest kratom extract shots) contain 180 mg of mitragynine.
By comparison, 1 gram of crushed-leaf kratom used in traditional tea contains, on average, about 10-15 mg of mitragynine. Consuming high concentrations of kratom alkaloids may result in reactions never before seen in the traditional context, and may be habit-forming.
Overall, the pros of kratom shots (in-store availability, quick and convenient consumption) are, for the average consumer, far outweighed by the cons (extremely high price, unprecedentedly high concentration of alkaloids). Plus, with less-than-detailed labeling, finding the answer to “just how strong are kratom extract shots?” is difficult.
2. Liquid Kratom Shots: Suspensions with Powder
- Made with kratom powder
- Some contain other ingredients like kava, flavoring, and preservatives
- Pros: quick to consume, easy to transport, natural spectrum of alkaloids
- Cons: usually expensive, gritty texture, bad flavor, single serving
- Liquid kratom shots made with powder largely resemble those made with extracts. Vendors typically sell them in small, single-use plastic bottles. However, they contain kratom leaf material, not just the extracted alkaloids.
Powder shots are basically pre-made slurries.
Pros and Cons of Liquid Kratom Shots
Price: Like extract shots, slurry shots are also expensive. They may be slightly cheaper than extract shots because the kratom requires less processing before packaging.
Availability: This type of kratom shot is not as commonly available in stores. You’re more likely to find it in an independent kratom-specific store, but not a gas station or chain store.
Ingredients: Some kratom powder shots contain just kratom and water, as well as some sort of preservative. As long as the powder is properly stored and combined with the right ingredients, the shot will have the full spectrum of alkaloids. The exact composition of alkaloids may vary from batch to batch, however.
Other shots may have flavorings or other plant-derived compounds, like instant kava. While natural and beneficial on their own, such compounds may have different (and uncomfortable) effects when combined with kratom.
Strength: These shots are typically not as strong as kratom extract shots. The strength is limited by the volume of powder that can fit into the bottle that the shots are sold in. The kratom leaf material takes up far more space than just the alkaloids.
Again, if the kratom is combined with other compounds, natural or synthetic, the effects may be stronger or different than what you’d get from just the powder. Other compounds can potentiate kratom, and vice versa.
3. Liquid Kratom Tinctures: Concentrated Extracts
- Made with kratom leaf extract
- Pros: quick to consume, easy to transport, fewer ingredients like sweeteners or preservatives
- Cons: usually expensive, unnaturally high concentration of alkaloids, some taste bad, incomplete labeling
Kratom extracts contain a higher concentration of kratom alkaloids. Most kratom extracts are liquid, but you can also find powdered or encapsulated extracts. This may sound unusual but is very commonplace within other categories, such as herbal supplements, which come in standard capsule or powder forms as well as extract and tincture forms.
For example, valerian root and melatonin—two herbal supplements commonly used as natural sleep aids—come in several different forms, including extracts or tinctures. Melatonin and valerian root extract liquids are similar to the other forms but more potent.
Often, the difference between a simple extract and a “tincture” comes down to the fact of whether or not you use an alcohol in the extraction process (though this is not always the case).The same can be said for kratom extract liquids and tinctures.
Kratom extract tinctures may contain a form of alcohol, which aids the extraction of the naturally occurring alkaloids found in dried kratom leaves. A liquid kratom tincture tends to come in a dropper bottle and is often (but not always) more concentrated than a kratom shot. While kratom shots can contain water and flavorings, a kratom tincture tends to have fewer ingredients.
Pros and Cons of Liquid Kratom Extract Tinctures
Strength: Like kratom shots, liquid kratom tincture extracts tend to be very concentrated. That makes them less ideal for those new to kratom. Even someone experienced with consuming kratom may find substantial drawbacks to liquid kratom extract tinctures, as they can quickly raise one’s tolerance to the alkaloids.
Exposure to a higher concentration of alkaloids creates tolerance, which means that you need more of this liquid for future uses.
Price: While a liquid kratom tincture may contain fewer ingredients than a kratom shot, these extract tinctures are still pretty expensive for their ingredients. Vendors usually charge more for tinctures because there are more complex steps in the manufacturing process.
Ingredients: Lastly, similarly to the CBD industry, the lack of regulation and oversight with the kratom market means that the quality control for liquid kratom tinctures is often lacking. This is a problem when vendors use alcohol and other solvents in the extraction process or in their final products. If done improperly, unwanted ingredients can end up in the final product. Additionally, they may unintentionally manipulate the composition of alkaloids.
It can be hard to distinguish a high-quality, lab-tested kratom extract tincture made with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) protocols from one made under more lackadaisical guidelines. Marketers aren’t exactly held to their claims, and may share inadequate lab results or other misleading evidence to tout their product as being superior, more concentrated, or more pure than it actually is.
As with the case of CBD extract tinctures, it’s good to exercise caution with kratom extracts, whether in liquid, powder, or capsule form. With the current unregulated market, it’s hard to consider the best liquid kratom variety to be kratom extract tinctures—too many questions up in the air with these products.
4. Crushed-Leaf Kratom Tea
- Made with kratom leaves, not powder or extract
- Contains the full spectrum of alkaloids found in the kratom leaves
- Some made without any added ingredients, some made with flavors or other spice blends
- Pros: tastes good, smooth texture, easy to make away from home, compostable & recyclable packaging, less expensive, multiple servings per package
- Cons: requires brewing before drinking
- Kratom tea is made just like black tea or herbal tea, by steeping the leaves in hot water. Most of the alkaloids, flavonoids, and other compounds move from the plant material to the water, and the remaining leaf matter is strained out.
The practice of making kratom tea made with fresh or dried leaves comes from the long-standing tradition of kratom use in Southeast Asia. While drinking kratom tea is lesser known in the U.S., it’s one of the most popular ways to consume kratom in other countries.
In Southeast Asia, the world, the best liquid kratom variety is kratom tea; it’s also the most familiar liquid kratom type as it has been consumed for centuries. Why go and change a good thing?
Pros and Cons of Kratom Tea
Availability: There are only a few kratom companies that sell crushed-leaf kratom. There are even fewer that sell kratom tea in tea bags. Kratom tea is not commonly found in stores, but is available online.
Top Tree was the first company to make kratom tea bags using crushed-leaf kratom. Before Top Tree was founded, the only kratom tea bags available in the U.S. were filled with micronized powder. A lot of the powder would end up in the tea because it was too fine to be held in by the tea bags, meaning the tea would have a gritty texture.
Ingredients: Most kratom teas contain just kratom leaves. The best kratom tea you can buy will contain easy-to-read, all-natural ingredients.
Top Tree makes plain kratom teas as well as kratom tea with organic flavors like peach or passion fruit. Top Tree also has herbal blends, which contain kratom and other herbs and spices that complement the effects of the kratom. These range from honeybush and tulsi to ginger and cinnamon.
Brewing kratom tea opens up many doors to customize your tea however you’d like to. Just as you can have your coffee black or add in creamer or flavors, you can brew kratom tea in a variety of ways depending on what you’re in the mood for.
Strength: Kratom tea is typically less concentrated than other forms of kratom. This makes kratom tea one of the most beginner-friendly types of kratom liquid available.
Because you brew your own kratom tea, you can adjust the strength to your own preference. You can brew kratom for a shorter time or with fewer tea bags for more energizing effects, or you can brew more tea bags or for a longer time to provide more relaxing effects.
Most tea bags contain 1.5 to 3 grams of crushed-leaf kratom. 3 grams of crushed-leaf kratom tea typically contains 20-30mg of mitragynine and 45-55mg of total alkaloids.Kratom tea is not highly concentrated like most other kratom liquids – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing!
Just like with coffee, moderation can be beneficial. Most people don’t want to end up drinking 3 or 5 or 7 cups of coffee a day; they consume as little as needed to get the effects. Kratom can similarly be habit-forming, so it’s great to have a more mild option.
People have consumed kratom tea for centuries in other regions of the world. This means that there’s a history of use we can look to, to better understand how kratom tea might affect individual people or populations over time. In Southeast Asia, there are few, if any, problematic associations with kratom in its natural form.
Price: Kratom tea is much more affordable than other types of kratom. Often, the price of one pouch of tea. which contains 5 to 15 servings, and costs the same amount as a single kratom extract shot. The best liquid kratom type for daily use by far, kratom tea is affordable, easy, and enjoyable.
5. Kratom Seltzer
- Made with kratom leaf extract
- Most contain only one or a few alkaloids, and have other ingredients like flavoring and preservatives
- Pros: easy to consume, tastes good, recyclable packaging
- Cons: usually expensive, heavy & difficult to ship, incomplete labeling
As liquid kratom has risen in popularity, the market has grown and come out with more and more unique products. While the diversity of available kratom products hasn’t yet caught up to feature as many strange products as the CBD industry has released, it’s not too out of the ordinary these days to see unusual products such as kratom gummies or even kratom honey sticks available on the internet.
Among these new and different kratom product trends is the kratom seltzer. Kratom seltzers are an increasingly popular form of liquid kratom made by combining kratom extracts with sparkling water and flavoring. The result is something on par with a green tea seltzer or sparkling lemonade drink, but with kratom as the featured plant instead.
Kratom seltzers come in many different flavors and concentrations. Since kratom seltzer is a newer product category, you’ll likely to find a few specific companies dominating it. Most kratom vendors haven’t yet created their own bubbling kratom beverage. As with anything, competition is a driving force in kratom sales – and the lack of competition in the seltzer arena may explain the high prices.
Pros and Cons of Kratom Seltzers
Strength: Currently, it’s unclear how concentrated most commercially-available kratom seltzer drinks are. Even with liquid kratom extracts, it’s sometimes hard to tell exactly how many alkaloids are in the drinks and what the percentages are for each alkaloid (kratom contains over 40 different alkaloids with varying effects, after all, and research is lacking for the majority of them).
Price: Similar to kratom shots and liquid kratom extracts/tinctures, kratom seltzers also tend to be expensive. They’re not exactly budget-friendly, especially when you don’t know the exact ratio of alkaloids, water, or flavors they contain.
Ingredients: Some kratom seltzers may use real fruit extracts as flavoring, while others use synthetic flavors.
While they may be a fun and interesting novelty in the ever-expanding kratom market, it’s uncertain how long kratom seltzers will last in terms of popularity. This is especially true as many kratom fans have become interested in making their own kratom beverages.
If you’re someone who considers the best kratom liquid to be kratom seltzer, why not look for a cheaper and easier way to make your own kratom seltzer, rather than buy one?
If you’re interested in a recipe on how to make a kratom seltzer at home, you can make it with kratom tea bags, sparkling water, and natural flavors, like lemon or peach. Check out the kratom tea section below to learn more about how kratom tea compares to other kratom liquids.
6. Liquid Kratom Tea from Extracts
- Made with extract and added flavors, diluted with water
- Usually contains just mitragynine
- Pros: tastes good, smooth texture, easy to consume away from home
- Cons: very expensive, contains added sweeteners and preservatives, heavy & difficult to ship, unnaturally high concentration of alkaloids
While these pre-made kratom drinks are labeled as kratom tea, they’re actually diluted extracts, They aren’t made by steeping tea leaves in water, but rather by extracting one or multiple alkaloids, and then diluting the extract with water and other flavors.
Pros and Cons of Kratom Tea from Extract
Strength: The range of pre-made liquid kratom teas on the market today doesn’t contain the full spectrum of kratom alkaloids. They typically contain just mitragynine, and usually contain more of it than you’d get by steeping crushed-leaf kratom to make a traditional tea. This is true despite the fact that the extract in the tea is much more diluted than a kratom shot.
Ingredients: Most pre-made teas contain a preservative and added flavors & sweeteners. Common ones include lemon, cane sugar, and stevia. You can’t adjust the sweetness to your own taste, but you can find brands that only use a moderate amount of sweetener.
Availability: Extract teas are available in some stores as well as online. Unfortunately, like seltzers, they’re quite heavy and hard to ship relative to other products.
Price: One bottle of kratom extract tea can be over $10, which is in the same range as, and perhaps even a little cheaper than, extract shots — but far more expensive than crushed-leaf kratom tea bags. If you’re in search of the best liquid kratom out there, you might want to look for something cheaper.
Different Kratom Liquids, Different Vibes
While there are various different types of kratom liquid available to buy, it’s important to look beyond the price and consider your experience. If you like kratom and hope to incorporate it into your routine, it’s just as important to find something enjoyable as it is to find something that’s affordable.
Picture this:
You’re on your way to work on a dreary, overcast day. Looking for a pick-me-up, you decide to stop by the gas station to see if they offer any kratom drinks for sale. At first glance, you can’t seem to find any kratom brands you recognize, but after a while, you decide to go with a product that’s vaguely labeled as some kind of liquid kratom shot.
You cross your fingers, hoping the card reader works quickly and doesn’t require you to re-insert your card six times, only for you to find out that you need to pay with cash or add another item to your purchase.
Once you’ve purchased the kratom shot, you dart out to your car, unwrap the plastic covering the bottle cap, and try to guzzle down the liquid as quickly as possible. You get to work, and, has it already worn off?
Should you have purchased a second bottle? Who knows, after all, you’d rather avoid the questioning glances from your coworkers. Do they think it’s an energy drink? Do they assume you’re fatigued? You think about it, and—yes, you decide—it’s better to keep the consumption to the car.
Now, picture this:
You’re just about ready to head out the door. You place your portable tea tumbler under your Keurig; this morning, you decide to go with Earl Grey kratom tea. You quickly take out one fresh, all-natural bag of kratom tea and place it in the thermos.
As the stainless steel bottle fills up with boiling water, the alluring scent of bergamot fills the air. As soon as the water cuts off, you stir in a splash of creamer and a bit of sugar. You screw on the lid, grab a jacket and your work bag, and head out the door.
20 minutes later, you hop out of your door and take a sip of your freshly brewed tea. The pleasant taste of your kratom beverage is something to savor. It’s a tasty and warming accompaniment to the chilly morning. You enter the building and place your thermos on the desk—your coworkers think it looks cool.
They assume it’s coffee, but you get to flex on them that it’s tea. A really awesome tea—and caffeine free! Wow. They wonder what superpowers you must have. (The secret’s all in the tea bag, baby—and with such limited ingredients, it’s hardly a secret at all!).
For the next half-hour or so, you enjoy every delightful sip. What’s more, an hour in, you enjoy getting up to refill your mug with more hot water. The second brew isn’t as strong, but it’s still an enjoyable (and tasty) asset to your workflow.
When you finally take your lunch break, you simply take out the extra tea bag you’ve packed away, add it to your tea thermos, refill it with hot water, and enjoy a little lift through the afternoon. You might even brew it a second time on your way out the door to take it with you on your drive back home – it won’t keep you up until 4 am like coffee would have.
Is the Best Kratom Liquid Kratom Tea? Find Out!
If you love kratom, why not also love the act of consuming it? Furthermore, why not love the company you’re supporting, and the flavors they offer?
As we’re a kratom tea company, we’re obviously biased in thinking the best kratom liquid is kratom tea… Yet, we believe the pros of kratom tea outweigh the cons of liquid kratom products, even if you choose to get your kratom tea from a different company.
There’s no messy powder to deal with, no gross-tasting shots to chug, and no plastic bottles to go to waste. Look for ethically harvested, lab-tested, crushed-leaf kratom tea bags that are biodegradable and 100% natural if you want to go all out!
As people in countries like Indonesia and Thailand have brewed kratom tea for centuries, there’s something moving about the act of carrying on traditional kratom practices into the modern day.
Furthermore, the art of brewing kratom tea leaves room for a highly individualized approach to your kratom experience—you can create your own kratom tea recipes, experiment with new flavors, and share them with others in the community.
Normalizing Kratom Consumption
An added bonus: since all types of kratom are still relatively new to the United States (and unfortunately facing some undue bad press), it’s wonderful to have an option that you can brew up just as normally as you would a cup of English Breakfast or chamomile tea.
You won’t have to explain what that tincture, kratom liquid shot, or pile of green powder is, and you won’t feel weird consuming it away from home. Kratom tea bags look just like any other tea bags, and produce a lovely golden-colored liquid kratom tea.
If you’re a kratom advocate, kratom tea bags are an easy, comfortable way to share and normalize this tropical evergreen tree leaf with friends and family. Not too many people know that the best liquid kratom variety is the one that’s been around the longest—kratom tea.
Where to Buy The Best Liquid Kratom?
Here at Top Tree Herbs, high-quality kratom is always worth getting excited about. We believe that every experience buying and consuming should feel exciting, not something to get over with as quickly as possible. That’s why we focus on every little detail—every aspect that goes into providing the best kratom products available.
We take no shortcuts in any step of the process. If you buy kratom tea from us, you can feel confident knowing that our lab-tested kratom has been produced in GMP facilities of the highest degree in terms of cleanliness, ingredient quality, and efficiency. We go beyond the quality standards set by the American Kratom Association.
If you want to know more about what kratom tea is good for (and how it compares to other types of products aside from just liquids) before trying it out, check out our kratom guides on the Better Brewing Blog.
So, if you’re interested in trying the drink that we strongly believe is the best liquid kratom around, check out our kratom tea for sale! We even offer variety packs so you can try different flavors and specialty tea blends.
