The Hemp Blog

Most brewing guides tell you to use "hot water" for hemp tea and leave it there. That's not wrong, exactly — it's just not useful. Water temperature is one of the two variables (alongside steep time) that determines what actually ends up in your cup, and skipping over it means you're guessing every time you brew.

Here's the specific mechanics of why temperature matters, and what ranges actually make a difference.

Why temperature changes what comes out of the flower

Cannabinoids and terpenes are not water-soluble in the way that, say, tannins or caffeine are. They're lipophilic — they bind more readily to fat than to water — which is why a lot of hemp tea drinkers add a splash of milk or oat milk to the cup. Temperature is what drives the extraction rate of these compounds into the water (and any fat present) in the first place.

Higher water temperature increases the kinetic energy in the liquid, which speeds up how quickly plant material releases its compounds. That's true of tea in general and it's true of hemp tea specifically. The catch is that cannabinoids and terpenes don't respond to heat the same way.

Cannabinoid acids and their decarboxylated forms are relatively stable across normal brewing temperatures — a near-boil won't destroy the cannabinoid content in the time it takes to steep. Terpenes are a different story. Many of the terpenes in hemp flower — limonene, myrcene, pinene, and similar monoterpenes — have boiling points that overlap with, or sit close to, standard kettle temperatures. Sustained contact with water at a full rolling boil (100°C / 212°F) can drive off a portion of these volatile compounds before they make it into your cup.

This is the reason hemp tea is often brewed slightly cooler than a full boil, even though most people associate "strong tea" with boiling water.

How this differs from regular tea

Black tea is typically brewed at a full boil because tannins, catechins, and caffeine are heat-stable and benefit from maximum extraction speed. Green tea is brewed cooler (roughly 70-80°C / 160-175°F) because its more delicate compounds degrade at higher heat, and the leaf itself can turn bitter if scalded.

Hemp tea sits closer to the green tea end of that spectrum, but for a different reason: it's not bitterness you're managing, it's terpene volatility. The goal is enough heat to extract cannabinoids and flavour compounds at a reasonable rate, without holding the flower at a temperature that boils off the terpenes you're trying to taste.

Practical temperature ranges

In practice, this means:

• Just off the boil (90-96°C / 195-205°F): Water that's been boiled and left to sit for 30-60 seconds before pouring. This is the range most hemp tea benefits from — hot enough for efficient extraction, cool enough to preserve more of the terpene profile than a full rolling boil would.
• Full rolling boil (100°C / 212°F): Still usable, and won't ruin the tea, but you're trading some terpene retention for marginal extraction speed you likely don't need given typical steep times.
• Below 80°C / 175°F: Extraction slows down noticeably. You'd need a longer steep to reach the same result, and at typical steep times the tea will taste under-extracted and thin.

If you don't have a temperature-controlled kettle, the practical version of this is simple: boil the water, then let it rest off the heat for 30-45 seconds before pouring over the flower. That's usually enough to drop from 100°C into the 90-96°C window.

Steep time works alongside temperature, not instead of it

Temperature and time trade off against each other. A 5-8 minute steep in the 90-96°C range is the general starting point for most hemp tea. Brewing on the cooler end of that window, lean toward the longer steep time; closer to a full boil, you can shorten it, since extraction happens faster.

Steeping much beyond 8-10 minutes doesn't meaningfully increase cannabinoid extraction at these temperatures — most of what's going to transfer into the water already has. What longer steeping adds is more plant matter flavour, which some prefer and others find heavier than they want.

For a fuller breakdown of the brewing process itself — water-to-flower ratios, straining, and repeat steeps — see our guide on how to brew hemp tea. And if you're unsure how much flower to start with before you even get to temperature, we've covered that separately in how much hemp tea you should actually use.

The short version

Use water just off the boil — roughly 90-96°C / 195-205°F — rather than a full rolling boil. Steep for 5-8 minutes, leaning longer if your water is cooler within that range. This gets you consistent cannabinoid extraction while holding on to more of the terpene content that a full boil would drive off.

Frequently asked questions

Does boiling water destroy the cannabinoids in hemp tea?

No. Cannabinoids are heat-stable across normal brewing temperatures, including a full boil. What a full boil affects is the more volatile terpene compounds, not the cannabinoid content.

What's the ideal water temperature for hemp tea?

Roughly 90-96°C (195-205°F) — just off a full boil. This is hot enough for efficient cannabinoid extraction while reducing the loss of volatile terpenes compared with a full rolling boil.

Can I just use boiling water if I don't have a thermometer?

Yes, and it won't ruin the tea. Boil the kettle, then let the water rest for 30-45 seconds before pouring over the flower — that's enough to bring it down into the 90-96°C range without needing a thermometer.

How long should hemp tea steep?

5-8 minutes is the general range at 90-96°C. Lean toward the longer end if your water has cooled more, and toward the shorter end if it's closer to a full boil.

Does steeping hemp tea longer make it stronger?

Only up to a point. Most extraction happens within the first 8-10 minutes at standard brewing temperatures. Steeping well beyond that adds more plant matter flavour rather than meaningfully increasing cannabinoid content.

Why do terpenes matter if I'm brewing tea, not smoking flower?

Terpenes are the aromatic compounds responsible for the flavour and scent of the flower — they're part of what distinguishes one hemp strain from another in a cup of tea. Preserving more of them during brewing means a more accurate representation of that strain's actual flavour profile.