Herbal Chai Teas: Two Perfect Blends for Fall Pleasure or for Gift Giving (Chai Tea Blends to Crave!)
NOTE: This article explains what is“chai”, and includes two easy, delicious chai recipes to get you started making your very own blends! One, in particular, my Rosy Chocolate Chai, has been extremely popular gift for friends and family year after year. Both of these herbal tea blends make great gifts too!.
As I raced inside to the crackling warmth of the fire in the wood stove after feeding the homestead animals, leaving behind gusty cold winds and a storm peeking over the mountains behind us, I glanced in the mirror.
A red nose dotted my face, and my icy fingers were chilled to the bone. The Fall leaves blew past the window. You know what I did? I made myself some warming herbal chai.
I've created many favorite Chai blends over the years, and I'm going to share two of them with you. You can find an additional recipe for Autumn Spice Chai here. Perfect to warm up with, lovely to look at, they make perfect gifts too, perhaps when presented with a lovely tea infuser glass!
My stepmom loves her chai stored in a quart Mason jar (yes, she drinks a lot of it, especially the Rosy Chocolate Chai) on her counter top. It’s really a beautiful blend, and actually makes a nice decoration too!
What Does the Word, “Chai” Mean, and What is It, Exactly?
Chai actually means "tea" in Hindi---so when we Westerners say Chai Tea, we are really saying "tea, tea." However, for us, saying chai usually evokes a certain flavor and type of tea. So, in my opinion, saying "chai tea" is absolutely fine. It’s one of our habits, here, although a tad redundant.
Chai spicy teas date back over 5,000 years and were created traditionally as a healing tea. Over time, it has become a staple in many cultures in India and Asia. For good reason, too! Chai is absolutely delicious and beloved by many all over the world.
There are probably thousands of recipes for chai and ways to drink it, but the common denominator to all of them is that the blend will be pungent and spicy, usually containing aromatic herbs such as Cinnamon, Cloves, Black Pepper, Cardamom, and Ginger.
Most traditions sweeten their Chai with honey or other sweeteners, and often add milk. The basic tea leaves used in modern chai teas include variations of Camellia sinensis, yerba mate', or even rooibos leaves. But the leaves from the plant species Camellia sinensis are the base of traditional chai.
Camellia sinensis (tea) include black tea, green tea, oolong tea, and white tea. They are all from the same plant. The difference between them is in their harvest and preparation.
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Is Chai Good for You? Benefits of Drinking Chai
One thing people always ask, "Is chai tea good for you?"
My answer is absolutely, "YES." If black tea is used, it will have much less caffeine than coffee (about a third less per cup), plus Chai is filled with anti-oxidants and spices that stimulate the digestive and circulatory system.
If you are concerned with caffeine, here are the traditional Camellia sinensis leaf types in order from greatest to least amounts of caffeine: black tea, oolong tea, green tea, and finally, white tea.
If you want to make a non-caffeinated chai, consider using other herbs as a base, such as rooibos (smooth vanilla flavor) or honeybush, which is sweet and full-bodied. There are many other options to experiment with too.
Here are some benefits to drinking traditional chai. These health benefits are due to the aromatic spices found in traditional chai:
Excellent for digestion, bloating, flatulence—as many of these spices (ginger, cinnamon, cardamom) are carminatives
Help ease common aches and pains—-as many of these spices are anti-inflammatory (black pepper, ginger)
Anti-oxidant properties of many of the typical chai spices mean that your body is getting a nice nutritive boost (tea leaves, ginger, clove)
Other herbs can easily be added to a chai blend that can add additional benefits too. Adaptogen root herbs such as astragalus boosts the immune system and helps the body deal with stress. Rhodiola and/or eleuthero root can help regulate energy in the body, potentially enhancing mental focus and physical ability.
Alterative root herbs such as dandelion or burdock are tasty in chai blends as well—these help support the liver’s natural detoxification processes.
Black pepper, especially, is known as the King of Spices in India. Heavy amounts of black pepper are consumed for various health reasons there, and it’s an important herb in the Ayurvedic health system.
FTC Disclosure: There are affiliate links scattered throughout this article for your convenience. If you happen to click through and make any kind of purchase, I may earn a very small commission at no extra cost to you.
Here are my two favorite Chai Tea Recipes: Green Tea Chai and Rosy Chocolate Chai. They are perfect for gift giving, enjoying on cool days and colder nights, and are wonderful teas for health! Find out the beneftis of chai, and make your own tea blends for the perfect gift this season! #chai #benefits #recipe #teablend #rosestea #greentea #health #recipes #healingharvesthomestead #healthygift #diygift
Now that we've gone over some Chai basics, here are two lovely blends you can make yourself to give as gifts or enjoy by the fire as the days get colder. Although, you can and should enjoy chai year round, in my opinion.
But first….
Where to Buy Your Herbs?
If you're going to blend your own teas, you'll probably need to make some herb and spice purchases. At least I do. I can't grow the exotic herbs and spices up here in our desert mountains, although I wish I could!
For herbs I can’t grow, I usually buy my herbs at Starwest Botanicals because they have great quality, choices in quantity, and ship quickly.
Starwest also has their own tea blends all ready to go! So, if you don't really want to mess with blending your own teas, you can purchase one of their bulk blends. I've never been disappointed in their blends.
You can find all of the herbs in these recipes at Starwest Botanicals!
Heidi's Green Tea Chai Recipe
Ingredients for Heidi's Green Tea Chai:
(These links are for Amazon, not Starwest, for your convenience.)
*** 2 parts Organic Green Sencha tea leaves
*** 1 part Organic Cinnamon Chips
*** 1 part Organic Ginger, Cut
*** 1/2 part Organic Clove Buds
*** 1/2 part Organic Cardamom
*** 1/4 to 1/2 part organic Black Peppercorns, slightly crushed
Blend the parts together, and you have a lovely tea! Store in an airtight glass container (I just use a Mason jar or a larger glass jar, depending on how much I’m blending). Keep your stored, dried herbs out of the light and heat.
This is the Green Tea Chai. Isn't it gorgeous?
Rosy Chocolate Chai Recipe
Ingredients for Rosy Chocolate Chai
I created this blend because 1) it's super pretty; 2) I wanted a chai with Cocoa Nibs; 3) I love Roses! What woman doesn't love chocolate and roses, right? Here you go! Enjoy!
*** 4 parts Organic Rose Petals (Using organic roses is important, because they are heavily sprayed in some areas.
*** 5 (or to taste) parts organic Black or Oolong Tea leaves
*** 5 parts organic Cinnamon Chips
*** 3 parts organic Ginger, Cut
*** 2 to 3 parts Organic Cacao Nibs
*** 1 part organic Clove Buds
*** 1/2 to 1 part organic Cardamom Seeds (You can use decorticated seed, which are black, as I did in this recipe…OR you can also use the green cardamom pods, which add a nice burst of extra color, too.
*** 1/16 to 1/8 part organic Cayenne Pepper (Optional)
This tea has been a huge hit with my friends and family! Like the first Chai, just blend all the herbs together and store in an airtight container.
I mean….seriously….Who doesn’t LOVE Chocolate and Roses together?
Remember to take a look at Starwest Botanicals, my favorite place to get herbs, both medicinal and culinary, and any other body care product you need! They also have ready made blends that are fabulous!
Here is the Rosy Chocolate Chai...Ravishing!
To Correctly Prepare Your Chai
1) Measure your tea
Use 1 Tbsp to one cup of water. You can use more if you like your tea strong, like I do.
2) Infuse your tea
Pour just boiled water over your chai. You can use an infuser cup (this one is my favorite, and I have two of them), or use some kind of container (like an organic reusable cotton muslin bag or stainless steel tea ball-at least 2 inches) to hold your herbs.
Alternatively, if you don't have an infuser, no problem! Just pour your water directly over the herbs, then strain out the herbal matter. My husband actually just munches on some of the herbs as he drinks instead of straining out the herbs. Personally, I like my tea clear.
3) Steep
Let steep for about 20 minutes. If you want it stronger, it's ok if it infuses for a longer period. One thing to know about green and black teas, though: they have a lot of tannins and get bitter if allowed to steep TOO long. If you are not a fan of bitter flavors, steep for only 10 minutes and make any adjustments from there.
4) Strain out the herbs
Strain out the herbs OR if you've used an infuser, just remove it from your cup, and the liquid will strain off automatically. Very handy.
5) Sweeten & add milk if desired
Now you can add your sweetener and/or some milk for a more traditional Chai if you want!
Ideas for Chai Gift Giving
You can package up your teas in some very pretty containers! Be creative! I have difficulty with creativity, and I'm not really very crafty, but I have found that using tea tins with a clear top allows the tea to be seen, and people just love seeing the beautiful herbs.
You can use some holiday ribbon to secure the tins and make it pretty---and there you go!
Perfect ideas to give along with your handmade tea blends include tea accessories. How about a pretty tea infuser cup? Or some organic Muslin bags? How about a nice glass tea pot? You can pick and choose then package everything up in a lovely basket!
You can really get creative with your tea blends when gifting them to friends and family.
There are more tea blend ideas on my website, such as Happiness Tea, and Lung Support Tea too----if you want to blend other teas and not just stick with Chai tea. You can also take or gift an herbal tea blending course!
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Final Thoughts About Chai and Blending Your Own Teas
Once you begin learning about and using herbs both for enjoyment and health, you'll never go back to processed, stale boxed teas again.
The great thing about blending your own is that there are NO chemicals, processed or unnatural flavorings, or stale bags to deal with. You'll have fresh, beautiful, flavorful herbs in every cup. Blending your own teas also saves you a TON of money in the long run.
If you have any questions, comments, or ideas, please leave them in the comments section! I love hearing from you!
You might also enjoy these related articles:
50+ DIY Natural Gifts to Give Any Time
Healthy Bones Tea: A Tasty Nutritional Tea
and there are SO many more on the blog for you! :-) You can also take a look at my series, Get Started Using Herbs. It’s free!
Hugs, Health, & Self-Reliance,
Heidi
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Healthy chai tea is warming and healthy, especially during these cold winter months. Here are my two favorite Chai Tea Recipe blends: Green Tea Chai and Rosy Chocolate Chai. They’re perfect for gift giving, and have tons of health benefits. These are easy to make gifts or make for yourself! Create tea blends & package them up for perfect homemade holiday gifts! #chai #tea #greentea #healthbenefits #roses #chocolatetea #rosetea #howtomake #giftidea #teagift #healingharvesthomestead
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor, and any statement made in this article, in any publication, or elsewhere on my website is for informational purposes only and is simply my personal opinion based on years of study and experience. Please seek medical advice from a professional for any health issues.
Sources Used:
https://www.herbalremediesadvice.org/benefits-of-chai-tea.html