Lana Farson, M.S., L.Ac., Licensed Acupuncturist and Herbalist

Indian Chai Tea – With Warming & Healing Herbs

Chai Tea is a tasty and healthy beverage that is especially balancing on cold days in the fall and winter.  Many of the herbs that are used to make chai tea have the medicinal value of warming & increasing the metabolism of the internal organs, and pushing out the coldness that tries to enter when the temperatures drop.  We can use the internal warmth from the herbs to increase our vital energy throughout the day.

Chai Tea Ingredients - cinnamon and fresh ginger

Chai Tea Ingredients - cinnamon and fresh ginger

Ingredients:

  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger root – Sheng Jiang (Release Exterior)
  • 1 whole star anise, broken up – Da Hui Xiang (Disperses cold, Regulates /Moves qi)
  • 1 tsp orange peel – Chen Pi, grated (Regulates/Moves Qi)
  • 4 pieces cinnamon bark – Rou Gui (Warms Interior)
  • 1 tsp black cardamom seeds – Yi Zhi Ren (Tonify Yang)
  • 10 whole cloves – Ding Xiang (Warm Interior)
  • 5 whole peppercorns – Hu Jiao (Warm Interior)
  • 1 tsp ground fennel seeds – Xiao Hui Xiang (Warm Interior)
  • 5 cups water
  • ¼ cup black tea (like Assam or Darjeeling)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 3 cups milk

Place the first eight ingredients in a pot of water (about 5 cups).

You can leave the herbs loose or you can bundle them up in a length of cheese cloth and tie it together with a string.

Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook 10-15 minutes.

Add tea leaves and continue simmering for 15 minutes.  You can add the vanilla (1 tsp) at this point.

Be careful not to boil the water too strongly as this may extract too much bitterness from the tea leaves.

Strain the remaining liquid through a strainer to remove the herbs and tea leaves.

Add honey & milk, and serve.

This makes 8 servings of tasty, warming chai tea.

14 Comments

  1. Audrey Barden says:

    Super yummy! Perfect for a “summer day” in San Francisco 🙂

  2. Roxanna Hope says:

    Many people drink Chai on a regular basis, is there any time where Chai would be bad for a person?

  3. Travel Deals says:

    I’ve been browsing online more than 2 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours.

  4. You ought to be a part of a contest for one of the best websites on the web. I will highly recommend this site!|

  5. XC60 2016 says:

    I like the efforts you’ve put in this, thankyou for all the wonderful posts .

  6. dildo says:

    Well I sincerely enjoyed reading it. This article procured by you is very useful for accurate planning.

  7. I recently had my websites rebuilt and i am trying to unearth new ways to make it better.Your design is quite nice and your posts are well-structured. I though that it would be nice to say that i will use some of your “know-how”.

  8. Binyamina says:

    I like the addition of the orange peel, it brightens up a heavy system on a cold day 🙂

  9. you’re a good webmaster. The site loading speed is incredible. The contents on this topic!

  10. Deanna says:

    Chai Latte’s are one of my favorite warming drinks. I just recently purchased Turmeric Ginger tea that I will boost with some of the ingredients found in this recipe.

  11. Hello.This article was extremely motivating, particularly because I was browsing for thoughts on this matter last Friday.

  12. Everettspome says:

    Masala tea is a beverage that is consumed heavily all across Indian household. While most people like to consume it in the morning along with breakfast, it is also offered to any guests that visit.

  13. I just like the valuable information you provide for your articles.
    I’ll bookmark your blog and take a look at once more here frequently.
    I am somewhat sure I’ll be told lots of new stuff right right
    here! Best of luck for the next!

  14. Eden says:

    Some American supermarkets also carry bottles of “chai spice” alongside their dried herbs and other spices. Unlike Indian spice mixtures, the American ones are generally made from powdered spices ( cassia tends to be the dominant flavour) and sometimes sugar; this mixture can be added last minute to an already-brewed cup of tea as straining off the solids is not needed.

Post a Comment

Your email is never published or shared.