If you want to know how to make kawakawa tea, the short answer is simple: pour just-off-boil water over a few dried kawakawa leaves, cover, and steep for several minutes until the water turns pale gold-green. Kawakawa tea is a warm, gently peppery, earthy-sweet, caffeine-free infusion made from the heart-shaped leaves of Piper excelsum, a native shrub of New Zealand and a treasured plant in Maori rongoa tradition. Drying the leaves first mellows and sweetens the flavour.
Below you'll find the taste, the leaf to look for, exact amounts, a simple steeping method, a quick reference table, serving ideas, and how to store the dried leaf. If you are new to leaf-and-flower infusions in general, our guide to what herbal tea is covers the basics, and how to brew herbal tea walks through the fundamentals of steeping any botanical.
What kawakawa tea is
Kawakawa (Piper excelsum) is a shrub of the pepper family that grows across the forests and coasts of New Zealand. Its glossy, heart-shaped leaves have a distinctive aroma, and a cup made from them tastes warm and softly peppery, with an earthy sweetness and a faint spice on the finish. It is naturally caffeine-free, so it suits an evening cup as easily as a morning one.
The plant holds an important place in Maori tradition, where it is one of the well-known plants of rongoa, the customary system of plant knowledge and wellbeing. That heritage is spoken about with respect: kawakawa is a taonga, a treasured plant, and many people who gather or brew it do so mindful of that history. When you make a cup at home, it is a small way of meeting a plant that has been valued for generations.
Which leaves to use: dried kawakawa leaf
A good kawakawa leaf tea starts with a good leaf. Use correctly identified kawakawa leaves from a clean source. The heart-shaped leaf is the giveaway, but if you are not completely sure of the plant, buy dried leaf that is clearly labelled rather than guessing from the wild. If you do gather your own, choose plants growing well away from roadsides, sprayed areas, or run-off, and rinse the leaves.
There is a lovely piece of traditional lore worth knowing: the leaves dotted with little holes, nibbled by a native looper caterpillar, are especially prized. Gatherers often reach for the hole-punched leaves first, taking it as a sign of a healthy, well-flavoured leaf. Whole or holey, what matters most is that the leaf is genuine kawakawa, clean, and dried well.
Why kawakawa leaves are usually dried first
Fresh kawakawa can taste sharp and quite green. Drying rounds it out, softening the pepper and coaxing forward the earthy sweetness, so almost every kawakawa tea recipe starts with dried leaf. You can air-dry whole leaves on a rack or tray in a warm, airy spot out of direct sun for a couple of weeks, until they are crisp and snap easily, or use a dehydrator on a low setting. Once fully dry, the leaves keep well and are easy to crumble straight into a pot.
What you'll need
For a single mug or a small pot, gather:
- About 4 to 6 dried kawakawa leaves, or 1 to 2 teaspoons of crumbled dried leaf, per cup or small pot
- Fresh water, heated to just off the boil (around 95 C / 203 F)
- Optional: a little honey to sweeten
- Optional: a slice of lemon
- Optional: a thin slice of fresh ginger for extra warmth
That's the whole kit. Dried kawakawa tea needs very little to shine, and the optional add-ins are there to round the cup to your taste rather than to cover the leaf.
How to make kawakawa tea, step by step
- Measure the leaf. Tear or crumble 4 to 6 dried kawakawa leaves (or 1 to 2 teaspoons of crumbled leaf) into a mug, teapot, or infuser. Tearing helps the leaf release more of its aroma.
- Heat the water. Bring fresh water to the boil, then let it settle for about half a minute so it drops to roughly 95 C. Just off the boil keeps the flavour soft rather than harsh.
- Pour and cover. Pour the hot water over the leaf and put a lid or saucer on top. Covering traps the aromatic steam so it drips back into the cup instead of drifting away.
- Steep 5 to 10 minutes. Give it at least 5 minutes for a light cup, or up to 10 for a deeper, spicier one. The water will turn a pale gold-green as it brews.
- Strain. Lift out the infuser or pour the tea through a small strainer into your cup.
- Sweeten lightly and serve. Add a little honey, a slice of lemon, or nothing at all, and drink it warm.
Quick reference: leaf, steep, and result
| Dried leaf per cup | Steep time | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 2 leaves | 5 minutes | Delicate and very pale, a gentle first taste |
| 4 to 6 leaves, or 1 to 2 tsp crumbled | 5 to 8 minutes | Balanced everyday strength, softly peppery |
| 6 leaves plus a slice of ginger | 8 to 10 minutes | Warmer and spicier, more aromatic |
Serving: lovely on its own or with honey and lemon
Kawakawa tea is genuinely good plain, where its earthy-sweet, peppery character comes through clearly. If you'd like to dress it up, a small spoon of honey softens the edges and a slice of lemon lifts it and brightens the colour. A thin slice of fresh ginger, steeped alongside the leaf, adds a cosy warmth that suits a cold evening. (A quick note: never give honey to babies under 12 months.) You can also brew a larger pot and let it cool for an iced version on a warm day.
If you enjoy this kind of aromatic single-leaf brew, two close cousins are worth a try: lemon myrtle tea, another fragrant native leaf, and olive leaf tea, which shares the same gentle, caffeine-free, everyday-cup spirit.
Storing dried kawakawa leaf
Keep dried kawakawa leaf in an airtight jar or tin, away from light, heat, and moisture. Stored well, whole dried leaves hold their aroma for many months; crumbled leaf fades a little faster, so crush it just before brewing when you can. If the leaf ever looks damp, clumped, or smells musty, let it go and start with a fresh batch.
A light note on enjoying kawakawa well
Treat kawakawa as an occasional, aromatic cup rather than something you drink by the litre all day. Use only correctly identified kawakawa leaf from a clean source, and if you gather your own, be confident of the plant first. People respond to botanicals differently, so ease in with a lighter brew and see how it suits you. Responses vary, and this is not medical advice. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or you take any medication, check with your own healthcare provider before making kawakawa or any new herbal tea a regular habit.