One of the most common questions we are asked is “How do you prepare soursop tea?”

This is actually not as banal a question as it may sound. Preparing soursop tea (aka graviola tea) requires using slightly different techniques than with other teas. You cannot just drop a tea bag into a cup of hot water, wait 3 to 5 minutes and drink (this happens to be one of the reasons we do not recommend buying soursop teas that are sorted into tea bags).

Soursop, especially whole graviola leaves, requires longer brewing times than traditional teas. Part of the reason for this is that unlike traditional teas (green, black, white, etc.), graviola leaves do not go through additional processing such as steaming, fermentation, rolling and so on. They are simply left to dry in the shade so as to preserve their qualities. Soursop teas therefore need to be exposed to very hot water for as long as 10 to 20 minutes in order to properly infuse.

We have put together this short video that presents two brewing techniques for soursop tea.

In the above video we explored two infusion techniques. Here is a step by step breakdown:

For whole soursop leaves, 1) add two to three leaves per cup of tea. If your leaves are small, add three. if they are larger, add two. 2) Let the leaves simmer in a pot or tea kettle for about twenty minutes. 3) Serve.

For shredded soursop leaves, or blended soursop teas such as our Citrus Edge, 1) add a large tablespoon of tea per desired cup of tea to a mettle strainer (the finer the better). 2) Add boiling water and then let steep for ten minutes (some people will steep it longer). Use a tea candle to keep the water hot. 3) Be sure to filter before serving.

If you are interested in more detailed instructions, check out this article on “How to Brew Soursop (Graviola) Tea”.

Happy steeping!