I’ve been making chai blends for a long long time, but I think this is the one I like the best. I first made it for my partner a few months ago – he originally asked for a blend that was caffeine free, though that isn’t an issue now, and he’s still drinking it. The chai spices are in a base of tulsi, gingko and nettle. It is nourishing, healing, warming and delicious, and it feels good to drink, comforting and grounding.

I’ve made it a couple different ways; with fresh ginger and turmeric, and then stored in a jar in the freezer, as well as with all dried ingredients so we could just store it on the counter/pantry shelf. I’m blessed to have a dehydrator and was able to dry slices of fresh turmeric and ginger for the shelf-stable blend.

Here is an outline of the blend below. This is an invitation to use your intuition to create a blend that is unique to you, your tastes and needs. I invite you to play with the scents and flavors of this tea, noticing how it makes you feel when you breathe it in and when you drink it. The “measurements” encourage exploration.

Chai:

• 3 handfuls dried gingko (Fall Gold Gingko leaves)
• 3 handfuls dried tulsi (Rama Holy Basil leaf)
• 1 handful dried nettle leaves
• few spoonfuls of dandelion (dried root and leaves from our yard)
• 4 to 5 slices ginger, about 1 to 2 inches long, 1/8 inch thick
• 4 to 5 slices turmeric, about 1 to 2 inches long, 1/8 inch thick
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1-2 anise star
• 6-8 black peppercorns
• 6 cardamon pods
• 6-8 cloves
• 8 allspice berries

I suggest using a coffee grinder / spice grinder or a mortar and pestle, or even chop coarsely, to get everything into smallish bits for ease of storage and making tea. If you use fresh turmeric and ginger store in the freezer in a jar. If you want to dry your fresh turmeric and ginger and don’t have a dehydrator, use your oven – place slices on a baking sheet, or if the slices are large enough, directly on the oven rack, and either turn the oven on to its lowest setting (usually 150 to 200 degrees) or just use the oven light. If the slices are on a baking sheet, turn them after a few hours. If the lowest setting on your oven is 200 degrees you can turn the oven on and off through the day, so it doesn’t heat the ginger or turmeric up too much. The ginger and turmeric should be dry enough in about 4 to 6 hours.

Some of the ingredients here, like nettles, dandelion and even gingko leaves and tulsi, can be ethically foraged, or picked from your yard, or a friend’s garden or yard. The rest can be found at your local grocery store or health food store or India Market, like tulsi, black peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, cloves, cardamom pods, allspice berries, and anise stars. Fresh ginger and turmeric can often be found at farmer’s markets, international stores, or health food stores. All of it can be found online.

Enjoy and be well! Sending love out to all!