Tea goodness comes in so many forms and can be purely for pleasure or impart some sort of benefit.
I would venture to say EVERY cup of tea imparts benefit to the soul!
I’m writing this Rochelle and I are preparing for a 3 day retreat style event just for our community of well deserving mamas, and what better soul relaxing elixir to go along with a self care retreat than a gorgeous tea latte?!
Tea lattes are my fave afternoon pick-me-up. Not in a caffeine-y type of way…I almost always drink herbal teas.
No, a pick-me-up as in an uplifting of the spirit. Aaahhhhh.
The recipe below for one of my fave elixirs…chai!! So spicy, so warm, so sweet, so milky. I feel I could purr.
Traditionally a chai is a black tea,
but being that I’m not a huge fan of caffeine in the body (more on that in another post),
this tea is done with a rooibos.
Rooibos, a red bush grown in Africa, has many benefits for our physical being.
It’s very high in antioxidants, quercetin being a main one and that is something we can all use in abundance right now.
It’s helpful with sleep for some people,
has anti-cancer properties, is heart supportive and may even help with Type 2 diabetes.
And, of course, my favourite benefit…it’s caffeine free. So no acidity draining your bones of minerals,
no spike and crash, no pressure on your adrenals or your heart or your nervous system. Yay!
Another HUGE bonus of making your own tea lattes is that you don’t have to have any of those terrible syrups used in cafes. They are sugar at its worst! Here we use a sweetener with a purpose..maple syrup!
So let’s check out how to make a chai tea latte! This recipe is dairy free but if you’re a cow milk kinda human then use that. And, bonus…you’ll end up with a spice blend to use in many more delish chais!
Vegan Chai Latte
Chai Spice Blend…
2 tsp ground cardamom
2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tsp ground clove
4 tsp ground cinnamon
6 tsp ground ginger
Mix together and store in a container for goodness to come!
For a Chai Tea Latte…
~ place 2 cups of unsweetened plant based milk into a saucepan (I like oat but anything will do)
~ add 2 rooibos tea bags and 2 tsp of Chai Spice Blend to the milk and whisk
~ bring to a very slight boil over medium heat then immediately remove from the heat
~ let the tea steep for 3-5 minutes or even longer if you like it stronger like me
~ remove the tea bags then pour the tea through a tea strainer or fine sieve into a mug
(or don’t strain at all and either don’t pour in the sediment or drink the spices too!)
~ add 1-2 tbsp of maple syrup dependant on your taste for sweetness
You could even make this ahead of time, let it cool then pour it over ice for an iced chai latte. Oh the options!
Sip, breathe and be well!
xo Kate
