Winter weather always means lots of warm herbal tea for me! Our weather has been really odd this year. Spring like, warm and sunny and up in the 70’s one day and then a sheer drop to sub-zero temps! I watched the thermometer drop over 30 degrees in an hour one afternoon! Add some rolling black-outs to that and I was thankful for our wood-stove that kept us toasty warm round the clock for days!
I did chores in -15 degrees! Even our frost free field waterers froze and two of my sons and I hauled water to cows and chickens for days. We’ve taken measures since then to try to solve that problem. I’ve lived here for 25 years and have never seen temps fall that low. I think the wood stove went for a whole week without stopping .
So the tea kettle has been going almost non-stop! Tea in the morning to warm me and get me going. Tea in the afternoon for a minty burst of flavor… and some body warmth, and tea in the evenings for relaxation, to support my immune health.
I like to blend my own teas from herbs, although I use purchased teas too. This is a lovely cup of organic black tea with a healthy dose of spearmint leaves and a drop of spearmint essential oil! Yes…you can add essential oils to teas! Yummy!
Having floating bits of herbs in my teas doesn’t bother me. I usually strain out most of it but I’m not terribly careful. If that bothers you, and I know it really does bother some of my friends, just strain more carefully than I do. It is possible to use fresh or dried herbs and not get a single speck of plant material in your tea!
I thought I’d share one of my favorite winter herbal teas with you today!
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Peppermint Chai Spice Tea
Description
This delicious tea is warming and invigorating. It refreshes the body and mind! It is the perfect tea for a wintry day… sunshine, rain or snow!
Ingredients
1 cup milk, almond milk, or oat milk. My favorite is raw milk!
1 cup spring or filtered water (please don’t use tap water!)
2 tsp Peppermint Chai Tea Mix
Stevia or honey for sweetness
PEPPERMINT CHAI TEA MIX
4 tblsp dried peppermint leaves from the garden
4 tblsp ground cinnamon
3 tblsp ground cardamom
3 tblsp ground ginger
1 tblsp ground cloves
1 tblsp ground black pepper
Mix well in a bowl. Once thoroughly mixed, place in glass jar (no plastic please!) until ready to use.
Instructions
Combine milk and water in a small saucepan and heat. Just before boiling, reduce the heat to low and stir in the tea mix. Cover and steep for 5 minutes. Strain and add honey or stevia to taste. Makes 2 cups because one is never enough!
Notes
Here’s a tip! Don’t feel like doing all that measuring and mixing? Instead of using the Peppermint and Chai Spice Tea Mix, use your essential oils! 2 drops each of peppermint, cinnamon, 1 drop each of cardamom, ginger, cloves and black pepper! Adjust to your own taste by adding/subtracting oils!
This mix can be changed to suit your tastes! Not crazy about peppermint? Try using spearmint instead! Don’t like Cardamom? Exchange it for something else and create your very own version of Chai tea!
Mix this up, put it into a little jar and tie with a pretty ribbon or some jute twine and give it to your favorite herbally friend! I have two people in mind for this! It’s love in jar!
What is your favorite cup of winter tea?
Keep warm and dry,
Cheri