A cup of poppyseed tea kept beside a spoon containing poppy seeds
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4.08 from 51 votes

How To Make Poppy Seed Tea

High tea. Literally!
Prep Time5 mins
Passive Time15 mins
Total Time20 mins
Course: Beverage
Cuisine: European
Keyword: poppy seed tea
Servings: 2 cups

Ingredients

Instructions

  • To start off with the recipe, first, pour the poppy seeds into a bottle through a funnel to avoid spillage.
    A spoonful of poppy seeds and red poppy flowers on a wooden background
  • Add 2-3 cups of warm water to the bottle. Ensure that it is not boiled.
  • Close the bottle and shake gently for 2-3 minutes. This will “wash” off the active compounds, effectively infusing the tea. The water should range from a mild yellow to a dark brown, depending on the type of seeds.
  • Let the tea steep for 15 mins. You may also keep it longer depending on how strong you want the flavor to be.
  • Strain the tea into a pot using a strainer.
    A teacup with a tea strainer and lemon slices in the background
  • Add lemon juice to the pot and serve hot.
    A cup of poppyseed tea kept beside a spoon containing poppy seeds

Notes

There is not a standard strength for poppy seeds, so some may be more powerful than others. When you are preparing and drinking poppy seed tea for the first time, err strongly on the side of caution in terms of how many seeds you use. If you do not notice any effects, try using more seeds in the future. Again, you should not be using poppy seed tea on a regular basis, as it has proven addictive qualities.
Lemon juice, added to the tea, helps to increase the potency by changing the acidity component of the seeds. It also helps to release more of the active ingredients into the water.