Recipe
🥤 DRINK
Kinkeliba Tea
An amber West African bush tea steeped from kinkeliba leaves, earthy and lightly sweet, the everyday "tea of health" in Guinea.
Guinean · easy · serves 4
prep 5 min · cook 12 min
~37 cal · 0g protein · 10g carbs · 0g fat · 0g fiber · 10g sugars · 0g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Kinkeliba tea is a herbal infusion from the leaves of the kinkeliba shrub, widely drunk across Guinea and the Sahel, steeped into a golden, earthy, subtly bitter tea often sweetened and sometimes spiced. It is valued as both a refreshment and a traditional wellness tonic.
Known as the 'tea of health' or 'quinquéliba,' the plant has long been used in West African herbal traditions, and the drink is a caffeine-free everyday brew. Its mild, earthy flavor is gentle and warming.
Enjoyed in homes across Conakry and the region, kinkeliba tea is a daily infusion long drunk for wellbeing.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally vegetarian, vegan and gluten-, dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1/3 cup dried kinkeliba leaves
5 cups water
a few sprigs mint (optional)
3 tbsp sugar, to taste
Instructions
1
Bring the water to a boil and add the dried kinkeliba leaves.
2
Simmer gently for 8-10 minutes until the water turns a deep amber.
3
Add the mint, if using, and steep off the heat for 2 minutes.
4
Strain, sweeten to taste, and serve hot or cooled over ice.
Guinean and Sahelian daily tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Conakry. Conakry is an Atlantic capital eating millet couscous with rich sauces, and cassava leaf cooked down with palm oil and smoked fish. Guinean cooking leans on groundnut, chili, and the fish landed daily along the coast.
🗺️
Guinea. Guinean cooking is West African and rice-based, with rich groundnut and leaf sauces and grilled fish. Fonio, cassava, and the bush tea kinkeliba reflect the highlands and coast of a green, watered land.
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Africa. Much of what reads as timeless African cooking is younger than the Atlantic crossings. Maize, cassava, groundnut, chilli and tomato all arrived from the Americas after 1500 and pushed older crops aside; millet, sorghum, teff, yam and fonio are the ones that were already here, and the map still shows the join.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Guinea
Latchiri e KossamHand-rolled maize couscous steamed fine and served with cool, tangy curdled milk, the Fula celebration dish of Guinea.
LafidiA Guinean morning plate: okra and garden-egg eggplant mashed with chili and fermented locust bean, spooned over rice with a slick of red palm oil.
Sauce GomboOkra stewed with red palm oil and smoked fish into a glossy, savory sauce, spooned over rice in the Guinean style.
Browse all Guinea recipes →
Good to know
Storing it: Keep chilled and covered, and enjoy within 2 to 3 days.
Make it a Guinea meal
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Latchiri e KossamDessert
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Drinks
Frequently asked questions
What is Kinkeliba Tea?
An amber West African bush tea steeped from kinkeliba leaves, earthy and lightly sweet, the everyday "tea of health" in Guinea.
Where does Kinkeliba Tea come from?
Kinkeliba Tea is a Guinean dish from Conakry, Guinea.
Can Kinkeliba Tea be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Kinkeliba Tea recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Kinkeliba Tea safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Kinkeliba Tea take to make?
About 17 minutes total (5 minutes prep, 12 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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