Today I would like to share a tea recipe that I learnt how to make from my brother’s in-laws who visited us from Dallas, Texas last week.  

Fall California Road Trip

Darshana and Yogesh came on a fall-California road trip and headed up the coast from LA to Northern California to visit with friends. It was a quick 2-day visit up here so we had to get creative with our time together. I drove them around our beautiful hilly town and of showed off my fall garden which was still green and lush😊.

A nature lover’s tea

Darshana is a huge nature lover, organic gardening fan, herbal remedies guru, and gardening groupie.  She spent hours in my garden and just like my Aunty Shashi who visited me the week before, Darshana went back home with a backpack full of cuttings and seedlings of scented geraniums cuttings, seeds, olives seedlings, lemons, and even sugar snap peas and mustard greens from my garden!

About the Recipe

One of Darshana’s nature inspired recipes is this herbal ginger cardamom tea. Loaded with herbs such as fresh mint, fresh ginger and cardamom, this black tea is a fragrant spicy black tea herbal drink.

Interestingly mint actually becomes “spicy” when brewed with black tea creating a minty warming sensation in the throat just like ginger.

Fresh mint the star of the tea

Half the joy of making this tea is heading into the garden and picking fresh mint leaves . Making this aromatic tea is more of an experience than a quick “lets make tea” type of task.

Let the fragrance of mint and ginger awake your senses as you brew the tea and enjoy it sweetened with a touch of honey and milk.

Warming ginger, fresh mint, and the aroma of cardamom spice – it’s a mix of fresh and spicy all coming together in a delicious black tea. Give it a try!

 Mint, Cardamom Ginger Tea
makes 2 generous cups
recipe courtesy of Darshana

Ingredients:

• 3 tsp black tea leaves
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves
• 4 green cardamom pods crushed
• 2 inch piece of fresh ginger crushed or grated
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup Milk use less or more depending on how creamy you want your tea
• Honey as much as you want
• 1 sprig lemongrass if you have

Directions:

• In a pot bring to a boil 2 1/2 cups of water with 3 tsp of black tea.

• Next add the fresh ginger, fresh mint and cardamom, and lemongrass if you have. Bring the brew to a boil for about 1 minute – you should start smelling all the wonderful aromas of mint, ginger and cardamom.

• Next add the milk and continue boiling the tea until the tea is warmed through. Turn the stove off.  Strain the tea in a teapot.

• In a couple of cups add honey.  Pour the tea into the cups and stir to dissolve.  Tea is ready!