Tea Tea Bars are G Rated

For some people their morning coffee allows them that moment where everything pauses before a hectic workday. They can savor the bittersweet taste of coffee and focus on the tasks ahead. Unfortunately, I can’t drink coffee these past few years due to heartburn. But what I DO like to treat myself with is a chai tea latte with an alternative milk wherever I can find it.

It doesn’t matter the time of day, a chai tea latte is like a hug from your mom (if you have a nice mom). But the word “chai” actually means ‘tea’ in English (so 'chai tea latte' is redundant) so really what I’m referring to is a masala chai, where black tea has been blended with spices and often mixed with milk.

Apart from the jollies, a cup of masala chai is also packed with antioxidants due to its blend of spices.

If you’re looking for a great brand to try at home, I recently discovered Teavana’s Oprah Chai Herbal. This is not what they sell in Starbucks, but rather a blend with less cinnamon, and more rooibos than black tea. I feel this version is much more balanced than what is at Starbucks which can often taste too strong of cinnamon.

Check out all those spices!

I like this brand because although it is expensive and not organic you get the actual tea ingredients and don’t have to risk all of the contaminants that can come from inferior tea bags (as a side note: for the best tea bag brands that do not have bleached bags and inferior ingredients, look for Traditional Medicinals, Numi, or Alvita). The chai itself is not bitter, and you can taste the spices without it being overwhelming.

That's my cute jar I picked up in Amsterdam. I store my coconut sugar in there.

I don't have a fancy tea brewer for loose tea, so my husband came up with the idea to use the container from my Magic Bullet blender set with a perforated lid. We steep the tea and eventually all the solid pieces sink to the bottom and soothing masala chai pours out. It's such a pleasure that we often don't even add any milk!