Reviewed by the Old World Leaf team. Educational information only — not medical advice.
Reviewed by the Old World Leaf team. Educational information only — not medical advice.
Two Plants From the Same Old Family
Put a coffee cherry and a kratom leaf on the same table and they look like strangers. One is a small red fruit with a seed inside; the other is a broad, glossy leaf with a vein running down its middle. Botanists, though, file them under one roof. Both belong to Rubiaceae, the madder or coffee family. Coffee comes from the genus Coffea; kratom is Mitragyna speciosa. Different branches of the family tree, then, but kin all the same, and both are at home in warm, wet, tropical country.
That shared lineage is a pleasant fact, and it also gives us a useful way in. Most people already know how to care for coffee. They know that beans go stale, that water temperature matters, and that a careless brew wastes good ingredients. Every one of those habits carries over to kratom leaf. This guide leans on that familiarity to describe an old, simple way of preparing powdered leaf in hot water. It is a guide to the craft of the cup, not a claim about what either plant does. If the leaf itself is new to you, our introduction to what kratom is is a good first stop.
A Kettle on Either Side of the World
Coffee has its coffeehouses, its pots kept warm on the back of the stove and its morning pour-overs. Kratom has a quieter, older habit. In the Southeast Asian communities where the tree grows, the leaf has long been brewed in hot water and shared, much as a household elsewhere might put on a pot of tea. Neither ritual is complicated. Each one turns a dried plant into something warm to sit with, and each one rewards a little attention more than any special equipment.
What to Gather Before You Begin
You will not need anything you don’t already own if you make coffee at home.
- Powdered leaf. Loose, finely milled powder brews far better than capsules, which are made for swallowing whole. Our powders collection holds the whole-leaf options from Whole Herbs and Kraken.
- A kettle and a small saucepan. The saucepan is for a gentle simmer if you prefer that method.
- A fine strainer or a paper coffee filter. A pour-over cone with a paper filter works beautifully here.
- A spoon and a measuring scoop. Use the serving size on the label as your guide, not a guess.
The Steep, Step by Step
This is the slow version, the one a patient grandmother would recognize. Read it through once before you start.
- MeasureSpoon out one serving of powder, following the serving size printed on the label.
- Warm the waterBring fresh water up to just short of a rolling boil, as you would for green tea or a delicate coffee.
- SteepStir the powder into the hot water and let it sit for several minutes, stirring now and then so it doesn’t sink and settle.
- StrainPour through a paper filter or fine mesh for a clear cup, or skip this for a thicker, earthier one.
- FinishAdd a squeeze of lemon, a little honey, or a splash of milk, just as you might with coffee.
Some people prefer to simmer the powder gently in a saucepan for a while instead of steeping it in a mug. Either is fine. The fuller walk-through, with a few more variations, lives in our kratom tea guide.
Sharing One Cup
A common question is whether the two can simply go in the same mug. As a matter of kitchen practice, yes: powdered leaf can be stirred into a cup of brewed coffee the way it can be stirred into any warm drink. Many people do it for taste alone, since the roast and bitterness of coffee tend to cover the leaf’s grassy, earthy note. If you go this way, measure exactly as you would for any cup and follow the serving size on the label. Questions about combining any botanical with caffeine belong with your doctor, who knows your circumstances. Whether you brew the two apart or together is, in the end, a matter of what you like to drink.
Keeping Leaf and Bean in Good Order
Ask a careful coffee roaster what ruins a good bean and you will hear four things: air, light, heat and damp. Dried kratom leaf answers to exactly the same four. A pouch left open beside a sunny window or a warm stovetop will dull just as surely as a bag of beans left out on the counter.
The old remedies work for both. Keep the leaf in an airtight container, somewhere cool and dark such as a pantry shelf. Press the air out of a resealable pouch before closing it. Skip the refrigerator, where condensation can creep in each time the cold container meets warm kitchen air. And buy in amounts you will finish while the leaf is still lively, rather than laying down a large store that sits for months. Our page on storing kratom goes into the finer details.
The Habits That Carry Over
The coffee comparison holds up best in the values the two crafts share. A fine coffee starts with beans whose origin the roaster can name, handled carefully and brewed fresh. Good kratom asks for the same things: leaf traced to a known growing area, dried with patience, kept well and prepared with a little care. Coffee people check the roast date; kratom buyers can check the lot number and the batch’s lab report, which our guide on reading a certificate of analysis explains. Bring a coffee lover’s curiosity about where a thing came from, and you will tend to end up with better leaf in the cup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What plant family do kratom and coffee share?
Both belong to Rubiaceae, often called the madder or coffee family. Coffee is in the genus Coffea and kratom is Mitragyna speciosa, so they are relatives rather than the same plant.
Can I use a pour-over cone to strain kratom tea?
Yes. A paper coffee filter in a pour-over cone is one of the tidiest ways to strain powdered leaf, and it gives a clearer cup than a coarse mesh.
Should the water be boiling?
Just short of boiling is the traditional choice, much like the water you would use for green tea. A full rolling boil is not needed.
Do capsules work for brewing?
Not well. Capsules are made to be swallowed whole. For any kind of brew, loose powder is the right format.
Can I keep kratom in the same canister as my coffee?
Keep them apart so neither picks up the other’s aroma, but store them the same way: airtight, cool, dark and dry.
Old World Leaf products are for adults 21 and over, in states where kratom is legal. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.