Famous oolong tea is flavored with health- and flavor- promoting spices and sweetened and drizzled with a dairy-free milk of choice (or cream or half and half) for a delicious and refreshing pick-me-up. I call this “cheater’s brew” because you use ground spices instead of brewing whole spices with the tea.
I have shared how to make a chai tea concentrate, which is a wonderful thing to have on hand. But sometimes you just want to be able to whip a chai up on the spur of the moment. This method works well for that.
This recipe, inspired by a recipe from the authors of Trim Healthy Mama, is super easy and make a whole a whole quart of chai tea. Plus, it contains several ingredients that could help level out blood sugar (cinnamon) and speed the metabolic rate (tea and cayenne)! The original recipe uses almond milk (read about making your own nut milks here). I used canned coconut milk for an ultra-creamy drink. (If you were using their eating plan, you would use almond milk for a fuel-pull and with an energizing meal. The coconut milk works for satisfying meals, but you’d always have to use the stevia choice).
Because I don’t like making claims without some proof, check out the following studies:
- This page gives a good overview of some of the studies suggesting that cayenne may be helpful for speeding up metabolism.
- This study found that giving cinnamon to those with type II diabetes reduced their serum glucose, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, and could reduce the risk factors associated with diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
- And at this page you will see a study supporting the idea that oolong tea does indeed help control weight (an ancient idea), but scroll down for many more links to other studies.
But really, I just drink it because it’s good!
- 4 tea bags or loose tea equivalent (or 2 tea bags for frugal choice option)
- ¼-1/2 cup of canned whole fat coconut milk, almond milk, or milk or dairy-free “milk” of choice
- ½-1 teaspoon high quality vanilla (use gluten-free, if needed)
- ½-1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch of Cayenne (or substitute black pepper)
- 2 teaspoons to 2 tablespoons of raw honey, simple syrup made with honey, or stevia to taste (6-10 drop of liquid)
- Optional: A pinch of dried ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg (a pinch of all of them, or which ever ones you’d like)
- Brew hot tea in a typical coffee cup (all four) for about 4 minutes.**
- Pour brew into blender and blend with the rest of the ingredients until smooth. (It just takes a couple of pulses.)
- Fill with ice a quart size mason jar (or a heat safe extra large cup) and pour tea over. Adjust flavors as needed and enjoy!
- **Frugal Choice: Brew two teabags in half a cup of water and pour into blender. Then brew the same teabags in another half cup of water, and pour into blender. Proceed with step two.
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This sounds really good. I love the way you have included options for the milk for those of us who don’t do regular dairy….
This sounds so good! I am curious as I’ve never tasted this what type of tea do you use? Traditional black or some other kind? I love my herbal teas,but I’m afraid beyond that I really don’t know how other teas taste. Thank you for your suggestion.
Oh no how embarrassing! I see what kind of tea I need now is in the title. I was looking just at the recipe-oops!
Delicious! Thanks for posting. I will be adding this recipe to my collection. Thanks! 😀
It is just chai or just tea. Not chai tea. Spiced tea or spiced tea latte, perhaps, if you’re trying to make the distinction between tea (just the infusion in water) and tea with milk and spices.