Kratom tea is one of the oldest and most popular ways to use kratom. People in Southeast Asia have been brewing leaves from the Mitragyna speciosa tree for centuries. The method is simple. The results depend on your ingredients, your water temperature, and a few tricks most guides skip over.
This guide covers multiple brewing methods, from the classic simmer to cold brew and iced variations. Whether you're making your first cup or your five-hundredth, there's something here worth trying.
What Is Kratom Tea?
Kratom tea is a brewed beverage made from the dried leaves of the Mitragyna speciosa tree, the same plant the kratom powder and capsules you've seen on shelves come from. The leaves are simmered in water (often with citrus juice) to release the alkaloid content into a drinkable form. The result is a warm, earthy tea with a bitter edge that softens with sweetener and lemon.
People in Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, Indonesia, and Malaysia, have been brewing kratom tea for centuries. It's part of the daily working culture in those regions the way coffee is in much of the world. The modern American version comes in a few different formats: hot brewed from powder or crushed leaf, cold brewed for smoother flavor, and iced for hot weather. Each method extracts a slightly different cup.
Why People Drink Kratom Tea Instead of Capsules
Tea is one of the older formats and still one of the most popular. People who prefer tea over capsules or powder shots usually mention three reasons: the ritual (brewing is part of the routine), the flexibility to adjust serving size precisely by the gram, and easier flavor management when paired with citrus and honey compared to dry powder. It's also more economical per serving than capsules.
Hot Tea, Cold Brew, or Iced?
All three work. Hot brew is the traditional approach and the most common. Cold brew runs overnight in the fridge and produces a smoother, less bitter cup; it's the move if you find hot kratom tea too intense. Iced kratom tea is brewed concentrated and poured over ice, giving you a cold drink without the overnight wait. The full method-by-method walkthrough is below.
Whichever format you pick, brewing your own gives you more control than ready-to-drink options. If you'd rather skip the brew step entirely, ready-made kratom seltzers deliver kratom in a sealed can with no prep.
What You Need
You don't need much to brew a solid cup of kratom tea. Here's the starting lineup:
- Kratom powder or crushed leaf. Powder is the most common format and the easiest to find. Crushed leaf brews a cleaner cup but takes a bit longer. Either works. If you want consistently good tea, start with quality kratom powder that's been lab-tested and properly stored.
- A small pot or saucepan. Nothing fancy. You're simmering, not running a chemistry lab.
- A fine mesh strainer, cheesecloth, or paper filter. Essential for keeping sediment out of your cup, especially with powder.
- Water. Filtered is better. Tap works fine.
- Lemon or lime juice. This is the real tip. Citric acid changes the extraction and improves the taste significantly. A squeeze or two makes a noticeable difference.
- Optional flavor additions. Honey, agave, ginger, cinnamon, or a regular tea bag.
That's it. No special equipment. No expensive tools. Just basic kitchen stuff.
The Basic Simmer Method (Start Here)
This is the standard approach and the best place to begin if you've never brewed kratom tea before.
Step 1: Measure your kratom. Start with the amount you'd normally use in any other format.
Step 2: Bring 2-3 cups of water to a light simmer. You want small bubbles forming on the bottom of the pot, not a rolling boil. This matters. Aggressive boiling can degrade the alkaloid content in the leaf.
Step 3: Squeeze in the juice of half a lemon or lime. Stir.
Step 4: Add your kratom to the simmering water. Stir it in so nothing clumps on the surface.
Step 5: Let it simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes. Stir occasionally. The water will take on a yellow-green color.
Step 6: Remove from heat. Let it cool for a minute or two, then pour through a fine strainer or cheesecloth into your cup.
Step 7: Add honey, agave, or your sweetener of choice. Drink while warm.
The result is a warm, earthy tea with a distinctive bitter edge. The lemon helps round it out. The sweetener helps even more.
Cold Brew Kratom Tea
If you prefer a smoother, less bitter cup, cold brewing is worth the wait.
Step 1: Add your kratom to a jar or bottle with 2-3 cups of cold or room-temperature water.
Step 2: Squeeze in citrus juice. Lemon works best, but orange juice is a popular choice too.
Step 3: Seal the container and shake it well.
Step 4: Refrigerate for 8-12 hours. Overnight is ideal.
Step 5: Strain through a fine mesh filter and pour.
Cold brew takes longer but produces a noticeably smoother result. The lower temperature extracts differently than heat, and many people find the taste more tolerable. It's also great for batch making. Brew a large jar on Sunday night and you've got tea ready for several days.
Kratom Iced Tea
This is the quick route to a cold cup without the overnight wait.
Step 1: Brew a concentrated version of the basic simmer method. Use less water, about 1-1.5 cups instead of 2-3. Same amount of kratom.
Step 2: Simmer for 15-20 minutes as usual. Strain.
Step 3: Pour the concentrated brew over a glass full of ice.
Step 4: Add sweetener, a splash of lemon, or mix with your favorite juice.
The extra strength in the initial brew compensates for the ice diluting it. This method works especially well in summer or when you want something refreshing instead of warm.
Kratom Tea with Citrus (The Lemon Trick)
You've seen lemon mentioned in every method above, and there's a reason for that.
Citric acid helps break down the plant material during brewing, which leads to better extraction. It also shifts the pH of the water slightly, which can preserve alkaloid content that might otherwise degrade under heat.
But the biggest benefit most people notice is taste. Kratom on its own is bitter. Really bitter. Lemon or lime juice cuts through that bitterness in a way that honey alone can't match. The two together, citrus plus sweetener, transform the flavor from "medicine" to "something you'd actually make twice."
Some brewers go further and use orange juice as the base liquid instead of water. The natural sweetness and acidity of OJ make it a solid all-in-one solution. Mix kratom powder into cold OJ, shake it hard, and strain. It's not traditional tea, but it works.
How to Make Kratom Tea Taste Better
The honest truth: kratom doesn't taste like chamomile. It's an acquired flavor, and most people benefit from some help. Here's what actually works:
Honey or agave. The classic move. A tablespoon goes a long way. Agave dissolves faster in cold liquid.
Ginger. Fresh grated ginger added during the simmer brings warmth and spice that plays well against the bitterness. Also makes the kitchen smell great.
Cinnamon. A cinnamon stick or half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon added to the simmer rounds out the flavor profile.
Regular tea bags. Brew your kratom alongside a chai, peppermint, or ginger tea bag. The tea's own flavor takes the lead while the kratom sits behind it.
Juice blending. After straining, mix your kratom tea 50/50 with apple juice, pineapple juice, or lemonade. This works better for iced preparations.
What doesn't work as well: Milk or cream. Some people try it, but dairy tends to create an odd texture with kratom. Stevia on its own can amplify bitterness instead of masking it. And adding nothing at all is an option if you've built up a tolerance for the taste, but most people haven't.
Powder vs Crushed Leaf: Which Is Better for Tea?
Both work, but they brew differently.
Kratom powder is more widely available and easier to measure. The downside is that it creates fine sediment that's harder to strain completely. Even with a good filter, you'll likely get some powder in the bottom of your cup. Some people don't mind this. Others find it gritty.
Crushed leaf brews more like traditional loose-leaf tea. It strains cleanly, leaving you with a clear cup. The flavor tends to be slightly lighter. The tradeoff is that crushed leaf is less common, may take a bit longer to steep, and the selection is more limited.
If you're making tea frequently, crushed leaf is worth seeking out. If you want convenience and already have powder on hand, powder works perfectly fine. Just commit to a good straining method.
Tips from Experience
A few things you pick up after making a lot of kratom tea:
Don't boil, simmer. This comes up constantly and it's worth repeating. A gentle simmer extracts what you want. A hard boil can break down the good stuff.
Make it in batches. Brewing a single cup every time gets tedious. Make a larger batch, strain it all, and store in the fridge. It keeps for 4-5 days refrigerated. Label it clearly if you share a fridge.
Reheat gently. Microwave works but stovetop is better. Keep it below boiling, same as the original brew.
Second steep is a real thing. If you're using crushed leaf, you can get a second brew out of the same material. It'll be lighter than the first, but it's not wasted. Powder doesn't work as well for this since most of the material passes through the strainer on the first round.
The color tells you something. A rich yellow-green means you got good extraction. Pale and watery means you need more time, more heat, or more leaf. Dark brown usually means you let it go too long or the heat was too high.
Invest in a good strainer. A nut milk bag or reusable coffee filter works better than a standard kitchen strainer for powder. Cheesecloth is the middle ground. Whatever you use, strain it twice if the first pass still looks cloudy.
Want to try different formats beyond tea? Explore the full Club13 lineup to see capsules, extracts, seltzers, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should you steep kratom tea?
15-20 minutes at a gentle simmer is the sweet spot for most brewing methods. Going longer won't ruin it, but the returns diminish after about 20 minutes and the taste gets more bitter. If you're cold brewing, 8-12 hours in the fridge is ideal.
Can you cold brew kratom?
Yes. Add kratom to cold water with citrus juice, seal it, and refrigerate for 8-12 hours. Cold brew produces a smoother, less bitter result than heat-based methods. It takes planning ahead, but the taste difference is significant for people who find hot-brewed kratom too strong.
Does boiling water destroy kratom alkaloids?
Prolonged boiling at high temperatures can degrade some alkaloid content. That's why a gentle simmer, with small bubbles forming but not a rolling boil, is the recommended approach. Adding citric acid (lemon juice) may also help preserve alkaloids during the heating process.
Can you reuse kratom leaf for a second brew?
Crushed leaf can usually produce a worthwhile second brew. It'll be lighter and milder than the first, but there's still extractable material left. Powder is less effective for re-steeping since most of the plant material already passed through the strainer. If you're using powder, one brew is usually the practical limit.
What does kratom tea taste like?
Earthy and bitter, with grassy undertones. The flavor is often compared to a strong green tea crossed with something more herbal and raw. Most people add sweetener and citrus to make it more pleasant. Brewing method affects taste too. Cold brew is smoother. Hot brew is more intense. Adding ginger, cinnamon, or a flavored tea bag alongside the kratom changes the character significantly.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Kratom is not approved by the FDA for any medical use. Consult your healthcare provider before adding any new herbal product to your routine.