By Carole Fogarty
Comfort on the Go: A weekly feature:
You deserve spending a very tiny 1% of your day (15 minutes,yep that’s all 1% of your day is) making, brewing then enjoying your favorite most pleasurable hot drink in the world. No shortcuts or tea bags used here. To extract maximum comfort from your hot beverage it requires your full attention and love and definitely 1% of your day.
For me personally chai tea is the most comforting and healing tea in the world. It is worth every single pleasurable aroma, sip, taste and moment. I feel calm and comforted even thinking about it right now and when you look at all the healing qualities of the ingredients (explained further in this article), you’ll soon understand why.
I’ve been drinking this spicy aromatic Indian style tea for over 10 years now. Way back then of course it was considered a hippy drink now its an alternate for the short black crowd. I prefer mine made with soy but you may be a lover of the moo version.
To extend my chai pleasure even further I indulge in the best chai ice cream recipe ever at Elise’s Simply Recipes along with either iced chai tea or a honey chai milkshake
Above is my favourite bought Chai tea at the moment which is hand blended and infused with Reiki and made with tea from the Australian daintree rain forest.
What’s your special comfort drink:
If you are not sure what your own personal comfort drink is then please feel free to borrow my healing chai tea in the meantime.
In an attempt to convert all my readers into becoming passionate chai tea drinkers I’ve managed to persuade Lee-Anne the chai tea alchemist near Byron Bay to very kindly give away a few packets of her special hand made brew. Yeah! Simply email me and let me know why you would love a packet and I could be sending one your way as an early Christmas present.
The healing ingredients in chai tea:
Cardamom – Stimulates the mind and gives clarity, increases appetite and soothes the mucous membranes. It helps relieve gas, heartburn and nausea, settles upset stomachs and is effective against allergies caused by dairy products.
Cinnamon – Has long been used to fight colds, flu and sore throats. Also used as an antidote for diarrhea, stomach upsets and to help ease menstrual cramps. Just smelling the wonderful odor of this sweet spice can boost brain activity!
Cloves – Believed to invigorate and restore, helps generate heat in the body, useful during the cold/flu season. Cloves soothe tooth ache, serve as a breath freshener, relieve nausea and can also be taken for gastric upsets.
Nutmeg – Helps moisten the airways and reduce the drying of the mucous membranes in the throat that is often associated with smoking. Also helps relieve head aches, lack of sleep, urinary problems, nausea and improved digestion.
Vanilla – Loved for its exotic flavor and aroma. Also helps to improve the appetite and assist in digestion.
Ginger is one of the best stimulants that we have and is warming and comforting to the digestion and a sluggish circulation.
Homemade chai recipes:
If you are already a lover of chai tea I’ve found a few exotic recipes that you might like to explore.
Over at steaming cup they have some fabulous special brews of chai tea along with other tea and coffee recipes.