✦ Chai Tea ✦

a recipe by archaic joy

Hello again! I forgot to share this in time for actually making a batch of Chai Tea for your holiday get-togethers, but it’s so good, it doesn’t matter. Make this for a cozy tea date with a friend, or sip while curled up with a warm blanket reading a good book on these dark winter days. Or make a batch up for Wintertime birthday gifts!

The spices in this blend are wonderful carminative aids for digestion, perfect for this time of year. Spices, stored well, can last up to several years, so buying in bulk can be helpful if you have the space. I love the intense aromas of each spice contained in this blend.

Feel free to play around with amounts or other herbs like Ashwagandha, Burdock, Shatavari, Yellow Dock or Dandelion; maybe a fruity mix with dried Elderberry and Rosehips. The following recipe is a more traditional blend that I developed years back when I couldn’t find a good recipe to use! Hope you enjoy :)

Notes: I will often reuse the strained material and make it again using the same method—this works best if black tea wasn’t used. It’s certainly a different flavor and not quite as rich, yet still carries a lot of the good stuff. After that I put the strained mix into a pot of water and put it on top of our wood stove to heat. Eventually this imparts a lovely scent in the air that just makes me feel all warm and cozy!!

The ingredients I use are mostly purchased from Mt. Rose Herbs or a local natural foods store/aisle.

✦ Chai Tea ✦

Recipe by Archaic Joy

Dry Mix Ingredients

1 cup Cinnamon bark chips (if sticks, break up with mortar & pestle)
1/2 cup Ginger root chunks, dried
1/2 cup Orange peel, dried
1/3 cup Cardamom green pods OR scant 1⁄4 cup hulled Cardamom; not the powder 1/4 cup Fennel seeds
3 T. Peppercorns, black
2 T. Cloves, whole
4 t. Nutmeg, powdered

.5-1T. Vanilla bean (buy whole and cut into teeny tiny pieces – optional, but amazing if added)

Thoroughly mix all the above together. This recipe can be doubled or tripled for bigger batches. Try substituting fresh ginger for dried. If no Vanilla bean sub Vanilla extract to taste (1/4 ish tsp.) after straining.

Method

Spoon 3 tablespoons dry mix in 2 cups water, stir. Bring to a gentle boil, then turn down and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add 3 tablespoons black tea (optional); cover and steep for 5 more minutes. Strain. Add 2 cups of the milk of your choice. Warm gently and whisk in 1-5 tablespoons honey.

Alternatively, warm the spices in 4 cups milk for a richer, more traditional blend. Keep heat gentle, don’t boil, heat 10+ minutes. These amounts and time-frames are flexible, play with steeping times to find what you like best.