Chai-Spiced Yogi Tea: How to Make It Yourself (SO EASY!)

I love tea.

There’s something calming and comforting about wrapping your hands around a warm cup of herbal tea, especially chai tea.

I used to get chai tea and chai tea lattes from Starbucks this time of year, but my recipe assignment last week for the culinary nutrition program I’m taking gave me a chance to make it myself!

All I can say is WOW.

I had never made my own tea before, but this recipe is definitely a game changer, AND it was super EASY!

First of all, the recipe makes 8 cups of tea, which is enough for at least half of a week for me. Here are a few more reasons to try this recipe for yourself at home:

• The spices in this recipe and the ginger are cleansing, healing, comforting, and warming to the body – perfect for this time of year! For more information about the incredible health benefits of the spices in this tea, click here.
• Cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and cloves simmering on the stove smells AMAZING.
• It’s cheaper than buying tea by the box!

If you’d like, you can also add in your favorite non-dairy milk, but I just drank it as is. Deeelicious!

I’ve already made it twice in two weeks and will be serving it t0 everyone attending my cooking class tonight.

Ingredients (8 cups)

• 8 cups water
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 2 tablespoons cardamom seeds (pop them out of the pods for stronger flavor (that’s what I recommend) or use whole pods for a milder flavor)
• 2 tablespoons whole cloves
• 2 inches fresh ginger root (sliced)
• 1/4 cup raw honey
• almond milk as desired

Here’s the full recipe from the awesome Meghan Telpner! Just make sure you strain it with a fine mesh strainer as shown above after simmering everything. We don’t want to be eating cinnamon sticks 🙂

*Helpful Hint: I buy my spices in the individual jars at MOMs Organic Market; you can also find them at Roots Market and other natural food stores. It’s MUCH cheaper than buying an entire jar of something when you only need 1 or 2 tablespoons or a few sticks. You can also order spices online, but a natural food store near you should have fresh spices in bulk if your grocery store doesn’t.