by Shawn Kirby

Our little town of Boulder Colorado has had 23 inches of snow in the last couple of days. In honor of this atypical yet beautiful weather, I thought I would share with you my recipe for chai. There's nothing I like more on a cold snowy day than a steaming cup of chai. And this isn't just any chai mind you, but “Tai Chi” Chai Tea.

Follow up:

People often think that the “chi” in “Tai Chi” stands for “qi” 氣. After all, people who do internal martial arts often talk a lot about their qi 氣. Actually, Tai Chi is the Wade-Giles Romanization, Taiji the Pinyin Romanization, for 太极. 太极 can be translated as “Supreme Ultimate.” So this recipe is the “Supreme Ultimate Chai Tea” recipe! (So there – ha!) This recipe will make enough chai for one large mug or a full travel mug of chai, and is easily doubled to share with your sweetie.

In a medium saucepan combine 1/3 of a cup of water with 2/3 cup organic whole milk. Don’t skimp on the milk – generic 2% won’t get the job done. Go down to Whole Foods and get the real thing. (This is not a medicinal recipe, food therapy, or in any way necessary for sustaining life – this is purely for hedonistic enjoyment on a cold day. Skimping on milk in chai is like drinking cheap beer. What’s the point?)

Combine with this 1 teaspoon of black tea. The Republic of Tea’s “British Breakfast” or their “Lucky Irish Breakfast” are ideal, but any bulk black tea will do (Twinings isn’t bad either). Next in the pot is roughly 1 teaspoon of whole cardamom pods, and two or three whole cloves. DON’T put in ground herbs that have been languishing in your cupboard since Bush senior was in office. Go to the store and buy fresh whole herbs. Lastly, but certainly not least, you will need to add 1 and ½ tablespoons of fresh grated ginger.

Now, if you really want to kick it up another notch here’s the secret ingredient. (Yeah, yeah, I know… But while I do maintain that there is no secret ingredient in Chinese medicine, there IS a secret ingredient in my Tai Chi Chai Tea. As Walt Whitman said, “Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself. I am large, I contain multitudes.”) Run enough fresh ginger through a juicer to obtain about 1 to 2 tablespoon’s of ginger juice. This will really give things a kick! The fresh grated ginger will definitely do the job, but if you have juicer, it’s worth the extra trouble.

Once all of this is in your saucepan, slowly bring this mixture to a boil while you stir constantly with a good whisk. As you stir, bring your attention to your lower dan tien 丹田 and breath deeply. Clear your mind of all thought and become one with your chai. Once steam has begun to gently rise from the pan and a drop or two is very hot on Pericardium 7, you’re done.

Decant this mixture through a strainer to collect all the spent tea and herbal debris, and sweeten to taste. For this much chai I add 1 tablespoon of turbinado sugar. My sweetie likes less sugar – but that’s because she’s already so sweet!

Wherever you are this weekend, stay warm, be well and if you’re in the mood, try out this chai recipe. You won’t be disappointed.