The summer may be drawing to a close, but there’s still enough sunshine in Ohio to try out this unique recipe for CBD-infused iced sun tea. Our reviewer Andie used One Love Tea’s loose leaf CBD tea to make her SustainabiliTEA sun tea. Here’s how to make your own:

Trying Out CBD-infused Iced Sun Tea

While it is still hot out, I want to share one of my favorite hacks for making a refreshing, sustainable, and CBD-infused iced tea. I adapted the steps and recipe for sun tea to include One Love Tea’s loose leaf CBD tea. This method results in zero waste and requires almost no electricity. 

What is sun tea? 

Sun tea differs from hot tea and iced tea.  It is brewed in a glass vessel in the sun over several hours, whereas the other tea methods require boiling. While it takes a bit of patience to make sun tea, it doesn’t require much effort. It is a great way to take advantage of the sun’s natural energy to make a thirst-quenching beverage to beat the summer heat. 

How is this tea zero waste and sustainable?

  • Reusable container
    • Bonus points if you can use a glass container you already have or find one secondhand!
  • Plastic-free (except for the container the tea is packaged in)
    • Less exposure to microplastics 
  • No tea bags
    • Some brands use polypropylene (a plastic) to seal their bags. These bags are not biodegradable. 
  • No waste
    • Tea leaves can be composted
    • One Love Tea packaging can be recycled or repurposed 
  • Natural energy / limited use of electricity
    • Only need electricity to cool the tea down in the fridge
    • Harness the sun’s energy 

About One Love Tea

One Love Tea produces non-infused loose leaf tea, but they also have CBD and CBD/CBG infused options. Their CBD and CBD/CBG teas can be purchased from their website, as well as from both locations of Ohio CBD Guy in Cincinnati. 

I purchased the One Love Planet Passion Green Tea from Ohio CBD Guy (2817 Woodburn Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45206) for $19.99 plus tax. I selected this flavor because the notes of passion fruit are the perfect summer vibe. 

The packaging is very informative about its contents. It lists the other flavors available, a brief description of CBD, and instructions for how to make hot or iced tea. It also clearly mentions that there are up to 200 mg of CBD in the container and yields about 12 servings. There are about 16 mg of CBD per serving. My only critique is that they do not describe what a serving is in terms of liquid ounces. 

Another aspect of the packaging that I appreciated was how simple it was to open. The cap pops open when you pinch the tube under the cap. As someone who experiences slight mobility problems with my hands, this was one of the easiest packages I’ve encountered for CBD products. 

Equipment: 

  • Glass jar with lid (i.e. Mason jar, pitcher, etc.)
  • Tea infuser (alternatively, a strainer)
  • Water
  • One Love CBD tea
  • Sun 
  • Refrigerator

Instructions for preparing SustainabiliTEA: 

Prep time: 5 minutes

Brewing time: 1-4 hours

  1. Fill a glass jar with water. 
  2. Fill the tea infuser with loose leaf tea. It is recommended to use 1 ½ teaspoons of loose leaf tea per 8 ounces of water. Depending on the size of the jar, you might need multiple infusers. 

Note: If you don’t have a tea infuser, place the loose leaf tea directly in the water. 

  1. Place infusers in the jar and close the lid. 
  2. Let the jar sit outside in the sun for 1-4 hours depending on desired strength. For best results, I make this tea on days that are sunny and above 75℉. 
  3. Remove the infusers and place the jar in the fridge to cool. 

Note: If you didn’t use a tea infuser, you will have to strain the leaves with a strainer.

  1. Once cooled, serve over ice. 

Extras to add to your tea: 

Review of One Love Planet Passion Green Tea as Sun Tea:

Before: right after being placed outside to brew (8/25/23, 9:30a, 82℉)

After: at the end of brewing (8/25/23, 2:00p, 92℉)

After my sun tea was done brewing and cooling, I enjoyed a glass of it over ice. I was surprised by how smooth the flavor was. It had a crisp, light hint of passion fruit. I was expecting a slight earthy flavor from the CBD but it didn’t taste like hemp at all. It didn’t taste infused, which makes this tea a great option for those who want a CBD beverage without the terpene taste. I will definitely be making this again and experimenting with more flavors from One Love Tea. 

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Author

  • Andrea "Andie" Chaillet

    Andrea "Andie" Chaillet is a medical patient, an advocate, and an industry worker. When she graduated from the University of Cincinnati with her Bachelor of Science in environmental studies, she also received the Cannabis Studies Certificate and the Horticulture Certificate. Andie is also a contributing author for Courage in Cannabis Volume 2: The Triumphant Stories and a recipient of the 2021 Veriheal Innovation in Cannabis Scholarship Award.

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