Traditional Yogi Tea

Here’s some herbal alchemy to gently warm you from head to toe and right through, stimulating your circulation, agni (digestive power) & respiratory systems, plus boosting your IMMUNITY.

A delicious warming, milky spiced tea affectionately named “Yogi Tea” by Yogi Bhajan’s students in 1969 when he went to the United States to teach the wisdom and knowledge of healthy living and introduced Kundalini yoga. This is the original recipe (doubled to serve 2) by Yogi Bhajan.

A wonderful antidote to cold winter days - I suggest you double this quantity to share with a friend or two.

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 cups water

6 cloves

8 cardamom pods 

12 black peppercorns 

1 cinnamon stick (not the bark, true cinnamon quills from Sri Lankan) 

2 thick slices of ginger

1 tsp black loose leaf tea (or 2 tea bags)

1/2 or 1 cup unhomogenised milk

Raw local honey

Directions

1. Crush or split the green cardamom seeds and put all spices in a pot with the water. 

2. Bring to the boil, turn heat down and simmer for 15-20 minutes. 

3. Add the black tea and steep for 5 mins. off the heat. 

4. Add milk and reheat until just about to boil and it froths up. Remove from heat. 

5. Pour through a strainer into cups. 

6. If you can’t wait any longer, add jaggery (dark unrefined cane sugar from India, or panela) or any raw natural sugar to taste. Try 1/2 tsp to start. 

Honey sweetener - please WAIT until it’s cooled a little then add to your liking. Otherwise it causes ama, unmetabolised mild toxin.

NOTES:

Refer to the Yogi Tea blog post for a full explanation of the medicinal benefits of these spices.

Quick summary: Black pepper is a blood purifier, cardamom as a digestive is for the colon (anti-gas), cloves are for the nervous system and cinnamon for the bones. Ginger is helpful when suffering from a cold, recovering from the flu, or for general physical weakness. The milk aids in the easy assimilation of the spices and avoids irritation to the colon.

You may substitute black tea for green tea.

If you are lactose-intolerant, you may substitute coconut or almond milk for the dairy.