Powder is the most popular way in which kratom is sold online, and one of the greatest upsides of kratom powder is the wide range of ways it can be used.
Kratom powder can be taken as is via a method called the toss and wash, prepared into a tea, added to food, encapsulated, or used in a technique called the red bubble.
No one way of using kratom powder is better than the others. However, each form of using kratom powder has its own pros and cons. How you choose to use kratom powder will ultimately depend on what you’re looking for.
Kratom Powder Via The Toss & Wash
Pros:
Kicks in fast
Convenient
Potent results
Cost effective
Cons:
Tastes really bitter
This is my preferred way to use kratom powder, as it’s fast, convenient, cost effective, and most importantly, the results are very potent.
If you don’t know what the toss and wash method is, follow the steps below to learn the method in a step-by-step process.
Take a spoonful of powder. Nothing else. Have a drink ready on hand.
Drink water or juice. Don’t use carbonated beverages, as they will make the kratom powder foam up in your mouth, and harder to swallow. Cold beverages will mitigate the taste just a tad bit.
Swirl the powder and water or juice in your mouth. Make sure the powder has been completely soaked with the water or juice. The powder is supposed to turn into a strange gunk, similar to mud while it's in your mouth.
Lastly, gulp it down.
As you’ve probably already realized, the toss and wash method is not for everyone. Most people can’t tolerate the bitter taste of the powder and/or the texture, especially after it turns into a nasty gunk.
However, if you can look past the taste and texture, you’ll be rewarded with strong results that kick in in roughly five to ten minutes and will last anywhere from three to five hours.
Because the toss and wash method produces potent results, it’s also more likely to cause side effects, especially in people that are new to kratom. Therefore, always start small (1-2 grams) and work your way up from there.
Furthermore, you’ll be saving yourself the extra cost required for using kratom in other forms, as all you need is kratom powder and water.
Do yourself a favor, and give the toss and wash a try.
Preparing Kratom Powder Into A Tea
Pros:
Kicks in the fastest
Potent results
Cons:
Tastes bitter
Results don’t last as long
Time consuming
Kratom tea is a great way to use powder if you’re not a busy person, as it requires some time to prepare.
Although kratom tea kicks in super fast (three to five minutes) because your digestive system can absorb fluid constituents much more quickly than solid food, the results, unfortunately, do not last as long as the toss and wash.
However, with regard to potency, the results are on par with the toss and wash.
Kratom tea also produces a very bitter taste. It’s not the same bitterness as the toss and wash, but it's bitter nonetheless. I have no problem with the taste of kratom powder when I take it via the toss and wash, but kratom tea for some reason, I simply cannot handle.
Keep in mind that although kratom tea kicks in fast, it takes a while to prepare. After including the preparation time, kratom tea takes about thirty to forty five minutes to produce the initial effects, which is roughly the same amount of time it takes for capsules to kick in.
There are various ways to make kratom tea, but the most common includes hot infusions. Hot infusions are a type of extract process that use heat and water to extract the alkaloids from the plant material and release them into the water. When you think of the way most people make tea, you’re probably thinking of a hot infusion.
Check out this post I wrote titled, “How To Make Kratom Tea: My 3 Favorite Recipes,” to learn how to make tea via different infusions.
Otherwise, follow the step-by-step process below to make yourself a hot infusion tea with kratom powder.
Bring water to a boil (do not boil kratom)
Pour the boiling water in a container holding your kratom powder
Let the powder simmer for fifteen minutes
Filter the powder out (coffee filters work best for filtering powder)
Optional: Add a sweetener and enjoy
When preparing kratom tea, twice the amount of powder that is used for the toss and wash will be needed.
It’s perfectly okay to put your kratom tea in the fridge if you don’t finish the whole thing in one serving. However, don't store it for too long, as you run the risk of drinking expired tea!
Check out this post titled, “How Long Does Kratom Tea Last In The Fridge? Safety First,” to avoid drinking kratom tea that’s gone bad.
Kratom Powder Via The Red Bubble Technique
Pros:
Potent results
Kicks in fast
Cost effective
Cons:
Time consuming
Like kratom tea, the red bubble technique is a type of extraction process that can be easily performed at home without the use of expensive lab equipment.
It’s considered an extraction because the alkaloids in the kratom powder are extracted from the plant material using water and cold temperature and released into the water.
Unfortunately, even if you add lemon juice, the red bubble technique contains a very bitter flavor that many people don’t enjoy, but on the upside, the results kick in fast (three to five minutes) and are very strong.
Using the red bubble method is very cost effective, as you probably have everything you need in your kitchen, and other than the kratom powder, you’ll only need water.
I don’t recommend this method of using kratom powder for people with busy schedules. However, I think everyone should give it a try at least once.
To perform the red bubble technique, follow the steps outlined below:
Place your kratom powder and lemon juice in the same container.
Boil distilled water and pour it into your container with the powder and lemon juice.
Let the powder simmer in the hot water for at least fifteen minutes. The solution should turn red (hence the name red bubble).
Place the mixture in your freezer for six to eight hours
Take the mixture out of the freezer and either cut off the powder that has settled at the bottom while its frozen or wait until it melts and filter out the powder
There you have it! That is how you can prepare yourself a red bubble beverage.
Adding Kratom Powder To Food
Pros:
Might be able to mask the taste
Cons:
Results don’t last as long
Results are not that potent
Takes a while to kick in
Adding kratom powder to your food is probably the least effective way to take kratom, as the food will significantly reduce the effectiveness of kratom.
I always suggest using kratom on at least a semi empty stomach, to prevent food from interfering with kratom’s results. Thus, you can imagine how poor the results are when you take kratom with food.
Nevertheless, some people enjoy taking kratom this way, and it doesn’t hurt to give it a try. One upside of using kratom powder with food is the reduction of kratom’s bitter flavor.
However, don’t expect to feel results right away. It takes anywhere from thirty to forty five minutes to feel the initial experience, and since the results are usually weak, the duration of the kratom experience will not last very long.
If you decide to put kratom powder on your food, you may have to add more powder than you would normally use via the toss and wash. Additionally, don’t add kratom powder before heating up the food. Add it right before you begin eating, and feel free to mix it well.
Kratom Capsules
Pros:
No bad flavors
Convenient
Cons:
Results don’t last as long
Results are not that potent
Not cost effective
Takes a while to kick in
Kratom capsules are a very popular way of using kratom powder, as many people really don’t like the bitter taste. However, the major downside of capsules is the time it takes to kick in (roughly 20-30 minutes) and the extra cost.
Most people buy kratom powder that is already encapsulated, but you can always buy your own capsules and make them yourself. It may be more cost effective to do so, but in my opinion, it’s definitely not worth my time.
The capsules are made with vegan material to protect people who have allergic reactions to animal products. Capsules can come in different sizes, and therefore, hold different quantities of kratom powder, but most vendors use size 00, which holds 0.7 grams of powder per capsule.
Nevertheless, kratom capsules produce potent results that can last anywhere from three to five hours. Additionally, capsules are less likely to produce side effects when compared to the toss and wash and tea because the alkaloids are slowly absorbed into your bloodstream.
If you’ve never used kratom capsules, start with three capsules and work your way up from there.
Check out this post I wrote called, “How Long Does Kratom Take To Kick In,” to learn a few bio hacks to make kratom kick in faster.