I love that our community is global. We have people from all over the world. When some of you are in the peak of summer, others are in the depth of winter. For me and those of you who live closer to the equator, we don’t experience seasonal extremes.

Yet, regardless of where you live in the world, having a cup of warm tea is the same: a soothing, nourishing moment to hydrate, reflect, and take pause. It’s also an opportunity to learn the innate qualities of plants and foods. 

Below are two tea recipes for you to enjoy. Lemongrass Mint will be cooling whereas Spiced Lemon will be warming, due to the cinnamon and clove.

Spiced Lemon Tea

Serves 4

Preparation time: 15-25 minutes

Augmenting

You’ll need:

2 cups filtered water

1 pinch of dried cinnamon powder

1 pinch of clove powder 

A squeeze of fresh lemon 

Lemongrass Mint Tea

Serves 4

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Augmenting

You’ll need:

2 cups filtered water

1 tsp. each dried peppermint leaf and lemongrass leaf. If you have access to fresh peppermint or lemongrass, you may find that you will use more. 

Here’s how:

Place the spices or herbs, depending on the tea you are brewing and water in a covered pot and bring to a gentle boil. Turn off the heat and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes covered.  

If you are making the Spiced Lemon Tea, let it rest for 10 minutes. Squeeze in the fresh lemon juice and give a little stir just prior to serving. If preparing the Lemongrass Mint let rest for 15 minutes or longer depending on your desired strength. Strain and serve.  

Add a little maple syrup (cooling) or honey (warming) to calm vata dosha. Do not boil honey. Instead stir it in after the tea has been strained and cooled a bit. 

Alternatively, you can soak the herbs in cool water overnight, then bring to a boil in the morning. Strain and serve as above. This method extracts more out of the plants and is a great way to have the tea ready in the morning.

Interested in learning more of how spices are used and blended to transform a meal or discovering the qualities of foods and their effect? Check out Simple Ayurvedic Cooking. 

Originally Published on https://www.halepule.com/blog

Myra Lewin Hale Pule Ayurveda and Yoga

Ayurvedic Practitioner and Ayurveda Yoga Therapist, Myra Lewin is a professional member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and a master yogini. Myra has amassed more than 100,000 hours of Yoga teaching experience spanning 30+ years of practice.

In 1999 Myra Lewin founded Hale Pule Ayurveda and Yoga.

She is the author of several acclaimed books on Ayurvedic nourishment including, Freedom in Your Relationship with Food , Simple Ayurvedic Recipes, Dine with Myra, and Simple Ayurvedic Recipes II. Myra is also the host of two remarkable podcasts on holistic healing, “Everyday Ayurveda and Yoga at Hale Pule” and “Spark Your Intuition”.