The Perfect Chai to Warm Your Soul (done 2 ways)…

The smell of homemade chai brewing on the stovetop is definitely one of the things I love most about the fall.

My kids start asking for chai as the temp gets chilly and the pumpkins start to appear. We have made it a family ritual to drink chai in the fall and it feels good for so many reasons. The chai teas that you get out are way too sugary for us so making it at home keeps the deliciousness but skips the scoops of white sugar.

Many of the spices in chai- cinnamon, pepper, cardamom, and ginger, are all herbal stimulants, which mean they enliven and warm the body. This is perfect for the fall when things are getting cold and slow. They are all also herbal digestives and carminatives which both help with overall digestion and gas. Cloves have an antibacterial component which is perfect for this time of year when colds are common. There are many phytochemicals, or unique plant constituents, that are powerful health allies in each of the herbs in chai. The spices are all rich in antioxidants that fight cell damage and are anti-inflammatory to boot.

I am not one for a specific chai recipe per say but here is our basic formula that I tweak daily depending what we want more of that day (spice, caffeine, warmth, etc). You can start here and vary things as you and you like.

• 20 cups of filtered water
• 2 tablespoons of whole cardamom pods
• 2 tablespoons of whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon of whole peppercorns
• 1 inch of sliced ginger
• 2 tablespoons of loose leaf black tea or rooibos tea if wanting caffeine free (you can use tea bags too)
• honey to taste
• your favorite milk if wanted (we use full fat organic coconut milk, homemade almond milk, or raw whole fat milk)

Procedure-

Put the water on the stove on high.

When this is heating up grind the dry spices in a spice grinder briefly, just to break them down a bit, not into powder. You can use a coffee grinder designated just for spices/nuts (this is a crucial tool I use almost daily in my house). I usually snap the cinnamon stick in half first or grind it separately.

Reduce heat when boiling to low and add spices.

Add sliced ginger.

Let this brew on the stovetop on medium low anywhere from 10 minutes to 1 hour (because sometimes I need to wait for the right time with busy mornings).

Take off heat and add black tea (or rooibos). You can also skip tea and just go with herbs. Let this steep an additional 5 minutes or so if adding tea.

I strain this into a large bowl using a large muslin herb bag (see photo) or just a basic kitchen strainer with a funnel (a mesh strainer like this one ). You can also put the spices into this kind of bag before you add them to the water so you can take it right out. That is much easier I just like watching the herbs float around in the pot.

Pour into cups. Add honey to taste. Add warmed milk to taste (I add a heavy splash but not too much). You can make it fancier by steaming your milk but we don’t find it necessary. ENJOY

*add a vanilla or unsweetened protein powder to get your important morning amino acids!! You could also add collagen powder.

Keep extra chai tea in mason jar in the fridge to warm up when someone needs a soothing cup of fall goodness.

Quick version-

The scoop scoop scoop and go technique-

½ tsp. ground turmeric
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. cinnamon
¹⁄8 tsp. nutmeg
¹⁄8 tsp. ground cloves
¹⁄8 teaspoon cardamom
¼ cup warmed full fat coconut milk
¾ cup hot water
one half dropper full of liquid stevia (you can also use honey or maple syrup)
pinch of sea salt (optional)

Add all of the above, whisk or shake in a jar with the lid on tightly. ENJOY

Happy fall sipping

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Check out my favorite hot chocolate recipes here Cacao Elixir 3 ways

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