This spicy tea blend is much like chai with a bonus. It’s an excellent, low-calorie digestive blend as well. If you’re aiming for something that’s more akin to a traditional chai but without the milk and sugar, you can substitute black tea for the burdock and dandelion roots. You can roast your burdock and dandelion roots or use them as is. Either way, they support your digestive system and offer slightly sweet, tasty goodness to your cup.
If you like your tea sweet but want to avoid sugar, a few herbals and others you might try include:
- Stevia
- Licorice root
- Agave syrup
- Orange slice
- Apple slice
- Cinnamon stick
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. dried burdock root, roasted or unroasted
- 2 Tbsp. dried dandelion root, roasted or unroasted
- 1 tsp. ginger root
- 1/2 tsp. clove, ground
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, ground
Equipment
- 1 mixing bowl
- 1 spoon
- a resealable container large enough to hold the finished product
- a label
Procedure
- Pour the herbs into the mixing bowl and gently stir them with a spoon. Try not to break up the plant parts since this will release the essential oils.
- Pour the mix into a resealable container.
- Label the container with the name of the mix, ingredients, and date mixed.
Storage and Use
Keep your tea blend in a sealed jar in a cool, dry place, like your pantry. Make your tea a cup at a time using 1-2 teaspoons of tea for every 8 to 10 ounces of water. If you’d like to lighten it, garnish it with a slice of lemon, lime, or orange just before serving. This tea blend stands up to decoction, as well. So, if you want a healthy tea concentrate, boil two or three tablespoons in a quart of water until it’s well concentrated. Store the resulting decoction in the refrigerator for two or three days. Drink your decoction iced in the summer or mixed about half and half with boiling water for a warmer cup in the winter.
