Make Your Own Warming Rooibos Chai Tea Blend

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Written by Kim, Contributing Writer

Chai has become quite a popular drink and I imagine that most of the readers here are quite familiar with it. In case you aren’t, however, chai is a traditional Indian beverage- essentially a spiced tea with lots of milk. The basic ingredients are black tea, a variety of spices, sweetener and lots of milk, of course.

Our family tries to avoid caffeine, so we enjoy a variety of herbal teas plus naturally caffeine-free teas like rooibos and honeybush, so I became interested in developing a black tea-free version of chai.

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As a side-note, I LOVE Rooibos tea. If you haven’t given it a try, you might want to do so. We began drinking it about 10 years ago and I almost immediately noticed that my dental health improved. I can only guess that the high mineral content and alkalinity of the tea has discouraged bacterial growth in my mouth. And, as a nice side benefit, a noticeable reduction of tartar on my teeth.

rooibos has a nice mellow flavor (never becomes bitter, no matter how long you may steep it) and it is naturally higher in antioxidants than even green tea.

Consequently, in the process of developing a chai blend of tea I decided to use rooibos as the base. To this I added a variety of Indian spices that are common components of chai tea (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, etc.). Chai traditionally contains black pepper but I chose to substitute cayenne pepper. This gives a “zip” similiar to black pepper, but contributes the health benefits of cayenne.

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Certainly feel free to adjust the recipe to your tastes. If you favor cinnamon and cloves, add more of these. If you want it even zippier, you can add more ginger and cayenne.

We simply steep it as tea on its own (no sweetener or milk) but I’m sure it would be even more fabulous with these additions.

Chai is a great option at this time of year since the spices incorporated are warming and whisper of holiday scents and treats. Brew up a cup and enjoy!

 

Warming Rooibos Chai Tea Blend

1/2 cup rooibos tea

3 Tbsp. cinnamon chips

2 Tbsp. dried cut ginger root

2 tsp. ground cardamom

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground coriander

1/8-1/4 tsp. ground cayenne (or an equal or greater amount of red pepper flakes)

 

Combine all in a glass sealed jar. Mix well.

Add 1 1/2 tsp. to each cup of hot water. We use a tea ball to do so.

 

The Bulk Herb Store and Rose Mountain Herbs are great sources for bulk herbs, spices and teas.