My love affair with chai
I was first introduced to chai tea by an classmate from India when I was in elementary school – she often brought it to school in a small thermos in her lunch. I remember being handed a cup by my friend’s mother when we came in from the cold on a snowy winter day in Minnesota. The rich, spicy and sweet tea was unlike anything I’d every tasted before. Then it wasn’t again until I was in college in Montana working in a health food co-op that I came across a tin of chai tea with the instructions to boil with water, whole milk and sugar. My love for chai was instantly rekindled. Since then chai tea makes a pretty regular appearance in my food life, only now I try to keep the sugar to a bare minimum, if at all, and use honey instead of white sugar when I want to add a touch of sweetness.
Everything’s better with butter
Or at least ghee and coconut butter. You know how we love adding fat to coffee around here to make it rich and creamy and help stabilize blood sugars and prevent cravings – so naturally we’d be adding fat to our chai too! Replacing some of the ghee or butter with coconut butter helps bring out the natural sweetness of the chai spices – cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, black pepper, anise and cloves – while keeping the total sugar content of this Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea down to just 1 g! Of course, you can add honey if you like yours a little sweeter.
Double up on the tea bags for the best brew
I always brew my chai tea double strength when making this drink so that the rich flavor of the tea and spices doesn’t get crowded out by the almond milk. If you know you’re going to be making this Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea often you’ll want to brew a few cups at a time and store then in the fridge for later use. Double strength = Two tea bags in 5-6 oz. hot water I will often skip the brewing step and instead grab a bottle of my favorite unsweetened chai concentrate, Bhakti Chai. I love Bhakti because it’s full of fresh ginger and authentic Indian spices. And ginger is one of my favorite real food ways to lower inflammation, support healthy digestion and warm me from the inside out when the weather turns cold. If you can’t find a good, clean chai concentrate then by all means – brew away. (I use this brand and this brand of chai tea bags in case you’re wondering).
Give this Pumpkin Spice Chai Tea a try then next time you need a warm and satisfying beverage
What’s your drink to ward off a chill when the weather gets cold? Share in the comments below – we’re always looking for new things to love.
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