Ginger Clove Chai

Cool weather sometimes means a cold like the one I have had going since yesterday. The only thing I’m always in the mood for—ginger clove chai. I make at least 4-5 cups at one go & store in a flask by my bedside. Sipping this flavourful chai every now & then helps me forget my throat ache, sneezing and general weakness. It gives me sooo much strength! And I do have to get better soon for a big work presentation next week.

Ingredients 3 cups water 1 cup milk(I use 2%) Update: this was before I stopped milk, now I use coconut milk Sugar to taste

Spice Mix 1.5” piece ginger, crushed 2 cloves, crushed 3 bags Tetley’s Orange Pekoe Tea

Serves 4 Pots n pans Saucepan Mortar & pestle

Method
• Lightly wash ginger root and crush with cloves using mortar & pestle. SOS No mortar, no worries just crush the 2 spices using the back of a spoon on your chopping board. Remember ginger has lots of nutrients just below skin, so I would prefer it if you didn’t peel the root at all, but instead just gave it a good wash. I like to cut a piece of ginger & then wash it so that the big root doesn’t have to suffer a wash or rotting in the fridge with all the moistness.

• Measure water and milk into saucepan, add the crushed spice mix and keep on stove on medium high heat. SOS I’ve tried many different types of tea, and always return to Tetley’s Orange Pekoe which is the closest to giving me a good strong tea. Other teas may be more economical price wise, but don’t deliver the same flavour. Combined with the spices I suggested, this chai tea is pretty spectacular.

• When the ginger clove water milk concoction starts to boil, add tea bags and let come to second boil. Take chai off heat and transfer to mug using tea strainer. Press down upon tea strainer to extract more of the beneficial juices from ginger & clove into your mug.

• Add sugar to taste & enjoy this simply wonderful chai by itself or with some cookies. SOS I have a confession to make —-I don’t have much of a sweet tooth, but I love to add 2 tsp of sugar in one mug of ginger clove chai.. Its my way of compensating for all the sugar I don’t take in regular foods.. I hope that’s ok 🙂

For a different chai spice blend, consider adding cinnamon if that’s your choice spice. In this recipe I suggested milk but if you’re vegan you can easily replace milk with soy milk for just the same delicious taste..I can even picture almond milk in this chai..

Health benefits
You’ve probably heard of clove oil for warding off toothaches. Cloves are a natural anesthetic (due to the eugenol oil) which is why they were often used for dental procedures in centuries past and are still used in some cultures to remedy toothache. Clove oil is powerful, and often used for medicines both topically and internally.

Cloves can actually help promote good digestion as well as metabolism. So your belly will also thank you for this tea.

Cloves have been well known as an all around healing herb not just as a digestive aid. As an antispasmodic it can be applied topically to relieve muscle spasms or in a tea to ease coughing. Aha! I see why I love my ginger clove tea so much, esp on days when I’m warding off a cold and cough.

Fun facts
The Chinese used cloves over 2000 years ago! Legend has it that anyone who had an audience with Royalty was required to chew on cloves so that they breathed sweetly upon their Emperor! It was also considered an aphrodisiac in China as well as Persia.

I love to make ginger clove chai when I come home from work every evening. Its sort of the divider between work day and return home time. My tenant and other friends who’re home have also gotten a little addicted to it :). I hope you’ll try this sweet spicy chai for yourself.

–soul of spice–