Soursop tea is a quiet thing. The kind of drink you make when the day is over, when you want something warm in your hands and a few minutes to yourself. It does not ask much of you. Just a kettle, a few leaves, and a little patience.
If you are new to soursop (also known as graviola or guanabana), this is the easiest place to start. The whole-leaf brew is the most traditional way to drink it, and once you have the rhythm of it, the whole thing takes about as long as it does to wash a few dishes.
For more on what a properly brewed cup tastes like, see our taste guide.
What you will need
- 3 to 5 whole dried soursop leaves. Our leaves are dried whole and at low temperature, so you can see exactly what is going into the cup. Shop dried leaves.
- A kettle. Freshly boiled water, around 1 litre.
- A teapot, large mug, or jug. Anything that holds heat for ten minutes.
- A strainer. A tea strainer or a small fine sieve.
- Optional: a slice of lemon, a teaspoon of honey, a thumb of fresh ginger.
The brew, in four steps
1. Rinse the leaves
Rinse 3 to 5 dried leaves gently under cold running water. This takes a few seconds and just clears any natural dust from drying.
2. Pour over freshly boiled water
Place the rinsed leaves in your teapot or mug and pour over about 1 litre of just-boiled water. Cover the pot or mug with a lid (or a small plate, anything to trap the heat and the aroma).
3. Steep slowly for 10 to 15 minutes
This is the part where most herbal teas earn their keep. Do not rush it. Five minutes will give you a pale, gentle cup; ten minutes will give you a properly steeped, mellow brew; fifteen minutes is for when you want it deep and earthy.
Set a timer if you like. Or just walk away and let the kettle do its work.
4. Strain and sip
Pour through a strainer into your cup. Add lemon, honey, or ginger to taste, or drink it as it comes. Soursop tea is naturally caffeine-free and has a mellow, herbal flavour that sits somewhere between green tea and chamomile.
A few easy variations
For five fuller variations, Caribbean-spiced, iced with lime and mint, lemon and honey, and a latte version, see our tea recipes guide.
Iced soursop tea. Brew as above, then let cool and pour over ice with a wedge of lemon. Lovely on a warm afternoon.
Soursop & ginger. Add a thumb of sliced fresh ginger to the leaves before steeping. Warming, especially in winter.
The second brew. A quietly underrated trick. The same leaves can usually be re-steeped one more time. Top up with fresh boiling water, give it another 10 minutes, and pour. The second brew is gentler than the first, but still good.
A note on the leaves
Our soursop leaves come from trusted growers in Ghana, where the trees have been part of family kitchens for generations. The leaves are dried whole at low temperatures. Not crushed, not ground, not blended with anything. What you put in the pot is exactly what was on the tree.
The leaves come from small farms across the Volta, Eastern, Ashanti, and Central regions. For the full sourcing story, see our guide to where soursop grows.
Stored sealed and dry, they keep their flavour for around 12 to 18 months. For storage tips that keep the leaves fresh for over a year, see our storage guide. For how often most regular drinkers have a cup, see our frequency guide.
Brew slow. Sip slower.
That is really the whole thing. Have a look around the shop if you would like to try it for yourself. Free UK delivery on the dried leaves, and worldwide tracked shipping further afield.