Yogi Chai Tea

To spice up this cold rainy nights, a beautiful chai tea, yogi style.Easy to keep in the fridge and warm whenever you need a lift me up.

Yogi Chai Tea

2 quarts water 15 whole cloves 20 green cardamom pods 20 black peppercorns 3 sticks cinnamon 8 slices gingerroot ½ tsp. black tea 3 cups almond milk or rice milk or your choice of creamy.

Bring water to boil in 3-4 quart pot. Add cloves and boil for 1 minute. Add cardamom pods (to better release flavor, crush or split pods), peppercorns, cinnamon sticks and gingerroot. Cover and boil gently for 20-30 minute. Add black tea.

At this point, you can let the tea cool, strain it, and refrigerate. Or, add the milk, return to boil, and immediately remove from heat (or else it will boil over). Add sweetener (stevia or honey) to taste.

Sisi Ved Kaur Khalsa notes that—

“Yogi tea comprises a specific combination of spices, milk and black tea. Heath-promoting, delicious, soothing, and a great coffee substitute, Yogi Tea is easy to make from scratch. We like to make a big potful (without adding milk), and store it in the refrigerator. To make a cup of tea, just fill your cup ¾ with tea, add milk, and pop in the microwave (or heat in a saucepan). In the science of yogic food preparation, the spices are said to have the following properties:

Black pepper—blood purifier Cardamom—digestive aid Cloves—nervous system and generate heat in body Cinnamon—bones Gingerroot—for colds, flu, physical weakness, digestion, increased potency

The milk helps in the easy assimilation of the spices and coats the stomach lining to avoid irritation there. A pinch of black tea gives just a touch of ‘pick up.’”

Inspiration from Annapurna Living; Recipe from Sisi Ved Kaur Khalsa.