About ten years ago, I went on a two-month spiritual camping trip with a friend of mine. One of our destinations was the 3HO Kundalini yoga retreat in Espanola, New Mexico. Here I learned to make the Yogi Chai Tea recipe developed by Yogi Bhajan.
Last night, we had a dinner party and I tripled the recipe. Now that’s a lot of tea. I left it to simmer all day long, the house smelled divine. The only real alteration to the recipe is that I incorporate Rooibos (or decaf black tea) to eliminate all caffeine for The Community Cleanse.
Yogi Chai Tea
Ingredients
- 8 cups of water
- 15 cloves
- 20 peppercorns
- 3 sticks of cinnamon
- 20 whole cardamom pods (break them apart once they start to split)
- 8 fresh slices of ginger( ¼ inch thick)
- ½ tsp of Rooibos or ½ tsp decaf black tea (equal to one teabag)
- Almond milk, nut milk, or soy milk to taste
- Agave or honey to taste
Method
- Bring water to a boil and add the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, cardamom and ginger.
- Cover and cook on high heat for 30 minutes.
- Simmer for as long as desired. I let the tea simmer for well over an hour.
- Add the Rooibos tea (or black tea if not cleansing) and let simmer for a few more minutes.
- Add nut milk or soy milk and agave or honey to taste.
- You can always reheat a cup at a time.
- Enjoy!
Spicy Info
- Cloves are anti-inflammatory and high in omega-3 fatty acids.
- Peppercorns (or black pepper) help with digestion.
- Cinnamon has anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory benefits and helps to control blood sugar levels in the body.
- Cardamom is an antioxidant.
- Ginger boosts the immune system and has anti-inflammatory benefits. Studies have shown ginger to be protective against certain types of cancer. It also helps greatly with motion sickness.
- Rooibos is a powerful antioxidant.
