Cannabis tea (dagga tea) in South Africa — a calm-cup guide

Cannabis tea — often called dagga tea in South Africa — is one of the oldest and gentlest ways to enjoy the plant. It's a warm, caffeine-free infusion that fits naturally into an evening wind-down ritual. Here's how it actually works and the lab-tested options that are legal to buy.

This is general wellness information, not medical advice.

What is cannabis / dagga tea?

It's simply an infusion made from cannabis or hemp plant material steeped in hot water — usually blended with other botanicals like rooibos, chamomile or mint. The experience depends entirely on which cannabinoids the plant material contains:

• Hemp / CBD tea — non-intoxicating, calming, no “high”. This is the everyday wellness version and is legal to buy.
• High-THC dagga tea — made from intoxicating cannabis; falls under the same rules as any THC product (private personal use only; not legally sold over the counter).

What to expect from a calm cup

A caffeine-free hemp or CBD tea is about ritual and gentle calm, not a strong effect. Cannabinoids taken in a warm drink are absorbed slowly through digestion, so onset is gradual (30–90 minutes) and mild. Most people use it the way they'd use chamomile — a soothing end to the day. Note that THC (the intoxicating compound) is only weakly water-soluble, which is part of why traditional plain-water dagga tea is so mild compared with other methods.

The lab-tested, legal option

If you want the calm-cup ritual without any intoxication, a caffeine-free hemp or CBD infusion is the way to go. Our hemp & wellness range includes caffeine-free hemp teas made for exactly this — and our CBD oils can be stirred into any herbal tea if you prefer to control the dose yourself (start at ~5 mg; see our CBD dosing guide).

Is dagga tea legal in South Africa?

Caffeine-free hemp and CBD teas are legal to buy as wellness products. A high-THC dagga tea falls under the same framework as any cannabis: legal to make and consume in private personal use, but not legally sold over the counter. The full picture is in Is dagga legal in South Africa?, and if you're drug-tested for work, read how long dagga stays in your system first.