As Good As Gold - Golden Tea 

Golden milk
Dhanteras धनतेरस, also known as Dhanatrayodashi in Sanskrit, is the first day that marks the festival of Diwali in India.
Diwali is the festival of lights.During Diwali, the county celebrates the victory of light over darkness by lighting candles, diyas, lanterns, and preparing traditional delicacies unique to each region. We spoke about festive feasts in last week's post. 
This week we wanted to focus on the first day of Diwali, i.e. the festival of Dhanteras.This day honors the "Dhanvantari" who is considered "the physician of the Gods" and the creator of Ayurveda. He imparted the wisdom of Ayurveda for the betterment of mankind, and to help rid it of the suffering of disease.Golden Tea has its roots in traditional Ayurvedic medicine. It has been an age-old remedy for boosting immunity and reducing inflammation. 
With fall come fluctuating temperature (as we have seen in the record-breaking high temperatures in the midwest this last week.) and seasonal allergies, An age-old anti-inflammatory tea i.e. the classic golden tea has gained popularity over the last few years. Also known as Golden milk or turmeric latte, this yellow fellow is packed with health benefits and #bonus golden tea makes for a beautiful Instagram shot. 
As we have mentioned before in our Kadha Immuni'tea booster blog post, ancient Indian brews have many herbs and spices with oodles of health benefits. 
From skin to intestines, these drinks pack a punch of antioxidant-rich ingredients to boost your immunity and possibly your Insta followers.  
Golden tea can be prepared several ways, it is super versatile and can be used as an immediate immuni'tea booster in the a.m., afternoon pick me up on a cold rainy day, evening health hack, or night time anti-suseptebili'tea (pun intended).
You can also prepare it using a variety of base ingredients from simply water to the entire range of plant-based milk options. You can add any of your favorite spices to the recipe from our spice shop (link to the home page of spice shop) 

 

In fact, you can even make turmeric chai by adding turmeric and your choice of spices to Astitva.

So let's start with the star of this brew- 

  I. Turmeric (hyperlink to spice shop) - is easily the gold standard in immunity-boosting herbs and spices. It helps fight off early signs of the fly, it's good for skin, digestion and curcumin has mood uplifting properties which can also chase away the cold-weather blues. 
However going into this, we must keep in mind that a healthy lifestyle including regular exercise, a wholesome diet, and of course social distancing is key to setting yourself up for success. 

Keep in mind that turmeric is only about 3% curcumin, and your body doesn't absorb curcumin well, so the occasional cup of tea won't be a cure-all.

II. Honey- We would recommend getting locally sourced real honey as opposed to the processed store-bought kind #shopsmall. 

Quality dark honey contains more bioactive plant compounds as well as antioxidants. Honey helps reduce cough, lowers Triglycerides, and allows an essential amino acid named tryptophan to enter the brain more easily. 

III. Ginger

It has anti-viral properties and is effective against seasonal or allergic cough and cold it also calms the stomach which directly impacts our immunity, as our first line of defense is in the gut.

IV. Cinnamon - 
Quite the trio, cinnamon, ginger, and turmeric all aid digestion, and fighting off colds. Cinnamon is also good for oral health, improves memory, relieves pain, and more. So make sure to sprinkle it in for a healthy spicy nutty flavor to your tea. 
V. Pepper - 
Black pepper helps ease congestion and inflammation during the flu and different allergic problems. It is anti-microbial and therefore helps to cure a cold and cough too. Piperine also helps in the absorption of curcumin from turmeric. #bonus. 

Now that you are excited about the ingredients, let's make the tea. 

THE CHAI BAR GOLDEN TEA : 
Packed with health benefits for the changing season, prep this tea to set yourself up for health success this fall. 

It is vegan friendly, and can even be made without milk. 

Aroma: Creamy, Mildly bitter and sweet. 
Taste
Head Notes: earthy from turmeric; 
Body Notes: warm cinnamon ish and gingery; 
Tail Notes: sweet and bitter (Adding honey will make the tea taste sweet) 

Color: Golden Yellow

Prep time: 5 MINS
Cook time: 10 MINS

Total time: 15 MINS

Our herbs and spices are synergistically sourced, we aim to cultivate environmental stewardship, and respect cultural identity! 

Gluten-Free; Fat-Free; 100% Organic; Plant-Based; Vegan; Sugar-Free; Packed in Philadelphia.

Recipe for a medium strength Golden Tea - 

Ingredients : 
  • 1 cup of water 
  • 1 cup of full-fat milk - (to make vegan use oat milk/ almond milk/ coconut milk)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Ground Turmeric
  • 1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger 
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon - plus additional for serving
  • 1/4 teaspoon Black Pepper 
  • 1 tsp honey - (to make vegan, use maple syrup)
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional) 

Instructions : 

STEP 1: Bring the water to a rolling boil (if you are making a vegan brew, use only 1/2 cup water) 
STEP 2: Add ginger, cinnamon, and black pepper
STEP 3: Simmer till the water reduced to 1/2 cup
STEP 4: Add turmeric 
STEP 5: Add milk (or you can skip this step and make it into a kadha) 
STEP 6: Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer till the tea boils down to 1 cup 
STEP 7: Add honey 

STEP 8: Strain and serve. 

Tea'p: 
Add your fav spices like ground cardamom, or ground cloves for a different take on this tea. 
Scoop in a bit of coconut oil to improve the absorption of piperine. 
To be extra fancy you can also add some coconut whipped cream 
Make sipping Golden Tea a part of your daily self-care ritual this fall.  

Or sip on it every night for sound sleep, maybe in your dreams, you'll find a pot of golden tea at the end of a rainbow. 

To Store: If you make too much, the remaining golden tea can be stored in an airtight container such as a mason jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 days, however, since it is so easy to make we recommend drinking it fresh. 

Tea'p: 
For an extra instalicious drink, you can garnish this tea with fresh rose petals to make the yellow pop.

For a nutty twist, you can garnish it with roasted green pistachios or slivered almonds. 

Note: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease.

*This immuni'tea booster is intended to be used in combination with a sound diet, ample exercise, social distancing, good personal hygiene, and rest.

Hindus consider Dhanteras an auspicious day for making new purchases, especially of gold or silver articles and new utensils. It is believed that new "Dhan" i.e. wealth or some item made resembling gold is a sign of good luck.

This year, head on over to our spice shop and buy some turmeric tonic to help your immunity and bring you golden goodness. 

Here is wishing you a ton of golden prosperitea.

Stay healthy, 
Chai Bye, 
Co-authored by Sargam Merchant and Madura Chaudhari

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