KRATOM DRINKS & BEVERAGES: THE COMPLETE GUIDE

A kratom drink is any beverage that delivers the alkaloids of the kratom leaf (Mitragyna speciosa), mainly mitragynine, in liquid form. The main types are brewed kratom tea, concentrated extract shots, canned seltzers and sodas, and tinctures or powders you mix into your own drink. On every one of them, the number that matters is milligrams of mitragynine per serving.

Key takeaways:

• Kratom drinks come in five formats: tea, extract shots, seltzers and sodas, tinctures and drink mixes, and kava-kratom blends.
• Strength swings widely. A light seltzer can carry 10 to 20 mg of mitragynine, while one serving of our Slingshot shot carries 60 mg.
• Mainstream energy drinks and sodas don’t contain kratom. Kratom beverages are specialty products mostly sold online and at kratom bars.
• A homemade kratom drink costs roughly $0.56 to $1.67 per serving with our powder or tea bags. A ready-made shot runs about $5 to $7 per serving.
• Keep kratom drinks away from alcohol, and don’t stack them with other stimulants or sedatives.
• If a can or bottle doesn’t list mitragynine per serving, put it back.

What is a kratom drink?

Kratom was a drink long before it was a capsule. In Thailand and Malaysia, where the tree grows wild, laborers traditionally chewed fresh leaves or boiled them into a bitter tea, a practice documented in research on kratom use in Southeast Asia. A 2014 study of 293 regular users in Malaysia put the average glass of homemade kratom drink at about 79 mg of mitragynine.

What’s new in the US is the packaging. Cans, pocket-size shots and dropper bottles now sit next to the kratom powder most people started with. Timing helps explain it. Gallup found that only 54% of U.S. adults drink alcohol, a record low for the second straight year. People skipping the bar still want something in the glass, which is how kratom bars and kratom cafés started showing up on main streets.

New to the plant? Read up on what mitragynine is and where kratom comes from first. The National Institute on Drug Abuse also keeps a plain-language overview.

Types of kratom drinks

1. Kratom tea

Kratom tea is the original kratom beverage and still the cheapest. You steep crushed leaf or powder, strain it and flavor it. Our step-by-step guide on how to make kratom tea covers brewing ratios, and our kratom tea vs powder comparison explains why some people prefer the cup. Tea bags skip the strainer entirely. Our Green Maeng Da kratom tea bags hold 4 g of crushed leaf each, graded at 1.3% mitragynine or higher.

2. Kratom shots

A kratom shot is a small bottle of concentrated extract you drink in one or two sips. Nothing to measure, nothing to brew. If you want the basics, start with what kratom shots are and what kratom shots do. Shots carry more mitragynine per ounce than any other drink format, which is why our kratom shots vs powder breakdown matters before you switch.

3. Kratom seltzers and sodas

These are the canned, sippable kratom drinks you’ve probably seen in a cooler. A seltzer is sparkling water plus extract and light flavor; a soda leans sweeter. The bubbles do nothing on their own. Everything depends on the extract inside, and some brands don’t print the milligrams at all. Our kratom seltzer explainer goes deeper on the format, and if you’re counting sugar, check whether kratom has calories on its own (it barely does; the sweetener is what adds up).

4. Kratom energy drinks

A kratom energy drink pairs kratom with caffeine and other stimulants in one can. We don’t sell them, and our article on kratom energy drinks explains why we think separate products give you more control. For context, the FDA cites 400 mg of caffeine a day as the amount not generally associated with negative effects in most adults, and one energy drink can eat a big share of that. Our kratom vs caffeine guide compares the two directly.

5. Kratom tinctures and drink mixes

Tinctures and mixes are the build-your-own route. A few droppers of liquid extract or a scoop of powder go into juice or sparkling water. Our Watermelon Kratom Tincture holds 360 mg of mitragynine in a 30 mL bottle, which works out to 12 mg per mL. See how to use a kratom tincture and how a tincture differs from an extract before your first pour. Powder mixes well too once you know how to mix kratom powder without clumps.

6. Kava and kratom drinks

Kava comes from a different plant (Piper methysticum) and is known for a mellow, social feel. Some drinks combine the two. Our Super Feels Chill Vibes kava and kratom shot pairs 35 mg of mitragynine with 25 mg of kavalactones per serving. Compare the plants in kratom vs kava or read the story behind Super Feels. One caution from the NCCIH kava fact sheet: kava shouldn’t be combined with alcohol or other sedating substances.

What drinks have kratom in them?

No mainstream soda, sparkling water or energy drink you’d find at a typical grocery store lists kratom as an ingredient. Kratom drinks are specialty products: extract shots, kratom seltzers and sodas, kava-kratom blends and tinctures. You’ll find them online, in smoke shops and at kratom bars.

To confirm a drink contains kratom, check the ingredient panel for “kratom,” “Mitragyna speciosa” or “mitragynine.” Be careful with unbranded bottles near the register. Our take on gas station kratom covers what to watch for.

Ready-to-drink vs homemade kratom drinks

Our view: homemade wins on cost by a wide margin, and ready-to-drink wins on consistency. Most people who stick with kratom drinks keep both around, powder or tea bags at home and a shot for the car or a night out. For storing the loose stuff, follow our kratom storage tips.

How to make a kratom drink at home

1. Weigh your powder on a kitchen scale. Teaspoons are unreliable, and our grams per teaspoon guide shows how far off they can be.
2. Heat 10 to 12 oz of water to just below a boil.
3. Add the powder or tea bag, stir, and steep 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Strain loose powder through a fine mesh or coffee filter.
5. Add lemon or honey after steeping, not during.
6. Drink it fresh. Refrigerate leftovers and finish them within a day.

Why lemon after the steep? A 2020 study in the Journal of Analytical Toxicology found that kratom’s alkaloids are acid-labile, and that stability dropped as heat went up. Mitragynine held steady at room temperature, but there’s no reason to simmer a lemony pot for an hour. There’s also little published evidence that citrus pulls more alkaloids out of the leaf. Its real job is flavor, and it does that job well.

More prep options live in our guides on preparing kratom powder and the best way to take kratom.

Three easy kratom drink recipes

Citrus-ginger kratom tea (hot): Steep one Green Maeng Da tea bag in 10 oz of hot water with two thin slices of fresh ginger for 12 minutes. Remove the bag, squeeze in half a lemon and stir in a teaspoon of honey.

Iced kratom lemonade: Brew the tea above without the honey and chill it. Pour it over ice and top with an equal amount of lemonade. The sweet-tart base covers most of the bitterness.

Watermelon kratom spritz (mocktail): Stir your serving of Watermelon Kratom Tincture into 6 oz of sparkling water over ice. Add a squeeze of lime and a few mint leaves. Follow the label: no more than one serving in a 12-hour period. Want more ideas? Try our kratom mocktail recipes.

Whatever you make, drink water alongside it. Our note on whether kratom dehydrates you explains why.

How much kratom is in a kratom drink?

Two things jump out. One serving of a strong shot lands near a traditional glass of kratom tea. And a can with no milligram count could hold anywhere in that range.

Start with a partial serving and give it time. Our guide on how long kratom takes to kick in covers onset, and how long kratom lasts covers the tail end. Our shot labels cap intake at two servings in 24 hours. For serving sizes by format, use our kratom serving size guide, and read up on kratom tolerance if you drink kratom daily.

Research is catching up. In an FDA pilot study published in 2026, healthy adults took single servings of plain kratom leaf from 1 g up to 12 g. No serious adverse events were reported; nausea, vomiting and sleepiness were the most common side effects. That study used leaf in capsules, not drinks, so treat drink labels as the limit that applies to you.

Are kratom drinks legal?

It depends on where you live. Kratom isn’t federally scheduled, but a handful of states and a long list of cities and counties ban or restrict it. Many states that regulate kratom set the buying age at 21 (see how old you have to be to buy kratom). Local rules change fast, so check our local kratom regulation roundup and your state’s current law before you order.

How to choose a quality kratom drink

Run through this checklist before you buy any kratom beverage:

• The label lists mitragynine in milligrams per serving and servings per container.
• A batch number or QR code opens a third-party lab report. Here’s how our batch lookup works.
• The full ingredient list shows caffeine, kava, sweeteners and preservatives.
• Nothing synthetic. Avoid drinks built on lab-made alkaloids; our synthetic kratom explainer shows what to look for.
• The label states a 21+ age limit and a maximum number of servings per day.
• The brand controls its own manufacturing. Our guide on how to vet a kratom vendor lists the questions to ask.

Want to see how a good label reads line by line? We break ours down in how kratom labels work.

Kratom drinks from Super Speciosa

Every product is made in our own facility in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from farm to finished bottle, and every batch carries a QR code that links to its lab results. Our leaf was also used in the first FDA clinical kratom study. Browse the full kratom shots collection, grab kratom tea bags for your morning cup, or buy kratom online in any format we make.

Kratom drinks FAQ

What is a kratom drink?

A kratom drink is a beverage made with kratom leaf or kratom extract, such as brewed kratom tea, an extract shot, a kratom seltzer or soda, or a tincture mixed into juice. Its strength comes from mitragynine, the leaf’s main alkaloid, so check the milligrams per serving on the label.

What drinks have kratom in them?

Only specialty kratom beverages do: extract shots, kratom seltzers and sodas, kava-kratom blends and tinctures. Mainstream sodas, sparkling waters and energy drinks at grocery stores don’t contain kratom. To confirm, look for “kratom,” “Mitragyna speciosa” or “mitragynine” on the ingredient list.

Do energy drinks have kratom?

Major energy drink brands don’t. A few niche brands sell kratom energy drinks that combine kratom with caffeine and other stimulants. Because those stack two active ingredients in one can, many kratom consumers prefer to keep kratom and caffeine separate so they control each one.

Can you drink alcohol with kratom?

It’s not recommended. Kratom and alcohol both affect the central nervous system, and CDC data show that most kratom-related overdose deaths involved other substances. The same goes for kava-kratom drinks: federal health guidance advises against combining kava with alcohol.

Is kratom tea stronger than a kratom shot?

Usually not per serving. A 4 g tea bag of 1.3% leaf holds about 52 mg of mitragynine before brewing, and not all of it ends up in the cup. One serving of our Slingshot shot delivers a measured 60 mg. Shots are more concentrated and more predictable.

How long does brewed kratom tea last in the fridge?

Brewed kratom tea tastes best the day you make it. If you batch it, keep it covered in the refrigerator and finish it within a day. Add lemon or other acidic mix-ins right before drinking rather than storing the tea with them.

Are kratom drinks the same as kratom shots?

Kratom shots are one type of kratom drink. Shots are small, concentrated bottles taken in a sip or two. Seltzers, sodas and teas are larger drinks meant to be sipped, and they usually carry less mitragynine per ounce.

Sources

• Singh D, et al. Kratom dependence, withdrawal symptoms and craving in regular users. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 2014.
• Singh D, et al. Changing trends in the use of kratom in Southeast Asia. Human Psychopharmacology, 2017.
• Basiliere S, Kerrigan S. Temperature and pH-dependent stability of Mitragyna alkaloids. Journal of Analytical Toxicology, 2020.
• Reissig CJ, et al. A pilot, dose-finding study of orally administered botanical kratom. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 2026.
• Gallup. Americans’ drinking remains at record low. August 2026.

This content is for educational purposes only and isn’t medical advice. Kratom products are for adults 21 and older. Don’t use if pregnant or nursing, and talk to your doctor before use, especially if you take medication.