When the weather heats up my regular morning chai suddenly doesn’t seem so appealing anymore. Heating spices and hot milk seem too heavy for a light sunny day. So I decided to experiment with an iced summer version that could be had both with and without milk.

I wanted to keep the ginger in my chai both for the flavor kick and it’s belly-soothing properties, but also add a few cooling herbs and spices. The Ayurvedic Cookbook listed a range of options, and I decided on fresh mint and fennel seeds.

I loved how the iced chai turned out, next time I’ll have to make a double batch!

Iced Summer Chai

5 cups filtered water
1 inch fresh ginger root, crushed
1/2 tsp whole fennel seeds
2 sprigs fresh mint leaves, chopped
2-3 tea bags or 2-3 tsp loose leaf black tea
2-3 tbsp agave syrup or honey (optional)
Ice cubes
Milk or non-dairy milk (optional)

1. Combine water, ginger and fennel in a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, then turn off the heat. Add the fresh mint leaves, and let steep for 5 minutes.  Add the teabags or leaves, and steep for a few minutes depending on how strong you want it. Add sweetener to taste.
2. Strain into a pitcher, and place in the fridge for a few hours to cool.* The iced chai tastes great over ice as is, or try adding a bit of milk. Mine was really good with about 2/3 tea to 1/3 nonfat milk.

*If, like me, you can’t wait for the tea to cool down, add tea, milk and ice cubes to a drink shaker and it cools down quickly and gets nice and frothy.