About a week ago, I was generously “gifted” the leaves, stalk and root originally belonging to a 6 foot tall Sativa plant. The first few steps of being able to make something usable out of these parts, was to clean and dehydrate them. These steps, let me preserve or cure the components for longer term storage and different applications over time.
My ultimate plan is to use most of the plant to make different tea blends and topical ointments.
It is generally accepted that “tea” is made from steeping the leaves and buds of the Camellia Sinensis plant, in water. We could call this process “making a simple herbal infusion”.
I have chosen to showcase two separate infusions that can be combined to make a stronger 3rd infusion by mixing the first two.
(Instead of using Camellia Sinensis, as the bulk of the plant material, I’m using Cannabis Sativa.)
My ingredients for the first cannabis leaf tea blend: The Simple Infusion are:
1.5 grams organic lemongrass (in bag)
1.5 grams organic chamomile (in bag)
1 tsp organic mango (dried and cut into small bits)
1/4 cup organic cannabis (loose leaf)
750 ml of boiling water (cooled for 2 minutes, so it wouldn’t scorch the leaves)
Directions:
1. Place the cannabis leaves and dried mango bits in a tea pot or steeping vessel.
2. Add the lemongrass and chamomile to your pot and slowly pour 750 ml of hot water over the ingredients and let the concoction steep for 30 minutes so that you can pull nutrients out of the plant material and meld the flavours.
3. Pour into a cup and enjoy this simple cannabis leaf tea infusion.
Once it is steeped it will become a beautiful golden brown colour.
(1 Delicious cup of Cannabis Leaf tea.)
(I haven’t used anything that is sweet, as I prefer to enjoy the flavours uncomplicated by sugar, but if you like your beverages on the sweeter side, just add honey to suit your taste. If you add honey, it will no longer be a vegan blend. Use maple syrup, instead.)
The benefit of making this type of basic tea infusion from the cannabis leaves is purely for its nutrient value. There is no psychoactive effect and no fat present to provide a binding agent for THC.
All is not lost though, the lemongrass, chamomile, basil and mango all have specific terpene profiles that prime the cellular receptor sites, in which THC and other cannabiniods bind to. Priming these sites in advance of ingesting the decarboxylated buds, produces a stronger psychoactive effect. If you are using this tea, for that reason, you would want to drink it about 45 minutes prior to smoking, vapourizing or ingesting an active cannabis edible.
My ingredients and special equipment used to for the second cannabis leaf tea blend: The High Fat Blend are:
1.5 grams organic lemongrass (loose powder)
1.5 grams organic chamomile (loose powder)
1.5 grams organic Thai basil (loose leaf)
1 gram of whole cloves
1 tsp organic mango (dried and cut into small bits)
1 cup organic cannabis (loose leaf)
1 tsp organic mango (dried and cut into small bits)
1 cinnamon stick
2 slices of fresh ginger root (about a knuckle’s width or 1 inch’s worth)
1/4 tsp of ground cardamon
1/8 tsp of ground cinnamon
2 400 ml cans of high fat coconut milk
A medium size piece of cheese-cloth and some string (to tie the cheese-cloth with).
A crock pot
A medium size pot
Directions:
1. Spread a medium size piece of cheese-cloth out flat and place 1 cup of dried cannabis leaves on top to create a base.
2. Layer the loose chamomile, lemongrass, Thai basil, cloves, ginger and cinnamon stick on top of the cannabis leaves.
3. Gather the edges of the cheese-cloth together and tie securely with a piece of string to make an “infusing sachet”.
4. Pour 2 400 ml cans of high fat coconut milk into a crock pot.
This is the brand of coconut milk that I like to use because it is high fat.
This brand contains 17 grams of fat per 125 ml or 1/2 cup serving. This becomes important if you want to use activated (decarboxylated) cannabis buds in this recipe instead of leaves. The THC will bind to the fat and is necessary in order to be able to get the most medicine and psychoactive effect out of the plant. The leaves only produce a minuscule, almost undetectable “high”.
5. Add the herbal sachet to the middle of the crock pot and submerse it in the coconut milk.
6. Cover the crock-pot with its lid and cook on low for 6 hours. Then turn it off and let it continue to infuse for 8 more hours.
7. Remove the herbal sachet from the crock pot and transfer the infused coconut milk to another pot to reheat on your stove top.
(After 14 hours.)
(The herbal sachet, after I pulled it out of the crock-pot.)
8. Reheat the infused coconut milk, on medium-low heat and add 1/4 tsp of ground cardamom and let simmer for 10- 15 minutes. Stir occasionally to ensure the milk isn’t sticking to the bottom.
This hot milk infusion is ready to drink. If you like your beverages sweet, honey can be added to suit your taste. You can use 1/8 tsp of ground cinnamon to dust the top once it’s been poured into a cup. ( As mentioned previously, if you use honey, it will no longer be vegan.)
My ingredients and special equipment used to for the third cannabis leaf tea blend: The Cannabis Chai Latte are:
2 cups of the simple infusion blend
1 cup of the high fat blend
1/8 tsp of ground cinnamon
A high speed blender
1. Add the simple infusion blend and the high fat blend to the high speed blender and blend on high speed for 3 minutes. I used a Vitamix blender and it heated the latte as it whipped it. You could easily blend and then reheat the combined mixture on your stove top to the temperature you prefer. This drink is delicious hot or cold.
(Vegan Cannabis Chai Latte.)
The colour contrast is beautiful and it looks very appealing in a clear glass mug. You’d never know there was cannabis in it, by the colour or the aroma.
The blender, produces a substantial froth, which is light and airy. I have dusted it with an 1/8th of a tsp of ground cinnamon.
It was an absolute pleasure to enjoy.
As mentioned earlier, if you wanted to make this special treat psychoactive, you would simply replace the cannabis leaves with decarboxylated buds, in the herbal sachet. I would recommend starting with 5 grams and producing 4 cups of finished latte. If you attempt this, only consume 1 cup at a time and wait 2 hours before you consume more. This is a suggestion to avoid couch-lock for an indefinite amount of time.
