How To Make Shroom Tea? Step By Step

Making shroom tea is a simple process that takes about 15 minutes from start to finish. You boil water, steep dried mushrooms in it, and strain the solids before drinking. The heat extracts the active compounds from the mushrooms into the water, creating a tea that is faster-acting than eating dried mushrooms whole.

What You Need Before You Start

Gather your supplies before the water heats up. You need dried mushrooms, water, a pot or kettle, a strainer or tea infuser, and a mug. Some people add ginger, honey, lemon, or pre-packaged tea bags to improve the taste.

The mushrooms must be dried. Fresh mushrooms are roughly 90% water and will not brew effectively. Dried mushrooms are also easier to measure and store. If you have fresh mushrooms, dry them completely before attempting this recipe.

How To Make Shroom Tea: Step By Step

Start with 1 to 2 cups of water in a small pot. Bring it to a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil. Boiling water can degrade some of the active compounds in the mushrooms, so keep the heat moderate.

While the water heats, chop or grind your dried mushrooms into small pieces. Smaller pieces expose more surface area to the water, which helps extraction. A coffee grinder works well, but a sharp knife and cutting board are fine too.

Once the water simmers, add the mushroom pieces. Let them steep for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. The water will turn a brownish or amber color as the compounds infuse.

After steeping, strain the liquid into your mug. Discard the spent mushroom solids. Many people squeeze the solids to extract every drop of liquid, but this can add a stronger, earthier flavor to the tea.

Add flavorings if you want. Ginger and honey are common choices because they mask the bitter, earthy taste of the mushrooms. Lemon is also popular, and some research suggests acidic environments may help with extraction, though the effect is modest.

How Much Mushroom Should You Use?

The amount depends entirely on the type of mushroom and your individual tolerance. There is no universal dose that works for everyone.

For psilocybin mushrooms, common doses range from 1 to 3.5 grams of dried material for most adults. Beginners typically start at the lower end. However, no clinical guidelines exist for recreational psilocybin use, and individual responses vary widely.

For culinary mushrooms like reishi, chaga, or lion’s mane, the amounts are different. These are often brewed in larger quantities, sometimes 5 to 10 grams per cup. These mushrooms are not psychoactive and are consumed for their potential health benefits, though clinical evidence for many of these benefits remains limited.

Never estimate a dose based on someone else’s experience. Body weight, metabolism, prior use, and individual brain chemistry all influence how a person responds. Start low and wait. Effects can take 20 to 40 minutes to appear when consumed as tea, which is faster than eating dried mushrooms but still not immediate.

Does Making Tea Change the Effects?

Yes, and the differences matter. Tea generally produces a faster onset of effects compared to eating dried mushrooms whole. The active compounds are already extracted into a liquid, so your body absorbs them more quickly.

The overall experience is often described as shorter in duration but more intense at the peak. Some people report a cleaner, less nauseating experience with tea because they are not consuming the fibrous mushroom material itself. The chitin in mushroom cell walls can be difficult to digest and may contribute to stomach discomfort.

There is a trade-off. Some research suggests that a small amount of the active compounds may be lost during the brewing process, either through heat degradation or by leaving compounds behind in the strained solids. The practical difference is usually small, but it exists.

Can You Use Mushroom Powder?

Powdered mushrooms work well for tea. In fact, they are often easier to work with because they require no chopping or grinding.

The drawback is that powder is difficult to strain completely. Fine particles pass through most strainers and end up in your cup. This creates a gritty texture that many people find unpleasant. If you use powder, a French press or a very fine mesh strainer will give you the cleanest result.

Some people choose not to strain at all and simply drink the powder suspended in the water. This is sometimes called a “mushroom slurry” rather than tea. It preserves all the mushroom material, which means you get the full dose with no loss, but the texture and taste are significantly stronger.

Safety Considerations You Should Know

Mushroom tea is not risk-free. The most important safety step is identifying your mushrooms correctly. Misidentification is a real danger, and some toxic mushrooms look similar to edible or psychoactive species. If you did not grow the mushrooms yourself or buy them from a trusted source, do not consume them.

For psilocybin mushrooms specifically, the risks include anxiety, panic, confusion, and frightening hallucinations. These effects can be intense and are not predictable. People with a personal or family history of psychosis or schizophrenia are generally advised to avoid psilocybin entirely.

Never mix psilocybin tea with alcohol, prescription medications, or other recreational drugs. The interactions are not well studied, and the combination can amplify negative effects. Driving or operating machinery after consuming psilocybin is never safe.

If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, or under 18, there is no established safety data for psilocybin use. No clinical guidelines exist for these populations, and the prudent position is to avoid it entirely.

How To Store Leftover Tea

Brewed mushroom tea does not keep well. The active compounds degrade over time, and the liquid is a breeding ground for bacteria once it cools.

If you must store it, refrigerate the tea in a sealed container and consume it within 24 hours. Do not leave it at room temperature. Reheating is acceptable, but keep the heat low to avoid further degradation of the active compounds.

Freezing is an option for longer storage. Pour the tea into an ice cube tray, freeze it, and transfer the cubes to a sealed bag. Frozen tea can last for several weeks, though some potency loss is possible.