Infused Iced Tea, Herbal Chai: Recipes to consider after Making Herb-Infused Butter or Oil

1. Drop that wet, greasy plant material bag right into a large quart sized mason jar or another wide topped, heat resistant vessel. Unless the bag is torn or damaged, if this has happened, it will be wise to place contents in a fresh bag.
2. In a fresh bag if you haven't just started one, add 10 - 12 Tbsp Organic Tea (10 - 12 teabags if you wish) You may also add dried fruit, ginger, spices, orange peel, etc to enhance your tea's flavor. Cinch up the bag and place in the jar.
3. Boil 3-4 cups of water, pour this hot water into the jar over the bag(s).
4. Steep for 15-20 minutes.
5. Wring out and strain the bag(s) thoroughly, I recommend doing this over a mesh strainer or funnel lined with a coffee filter or be extremely careful not to tear the bags, I don't want you to have to deal with a ton of floaties in your tea.

This is a highly concentrated tea, it will be much too strong to drink without adding water. I recommend placing it in the fridge for a few hours and then separating the last of the oil from the jar or vessel you used, the oil turns to a dark, waxy substance and floats to the top of the tea. Refrigeration allows it to harden so you should have very little trouble removing it.

That dark waxy oil substance, by the way, is 100% edible, there are dozens of uses for it, so don't throw it away! It is caffeinated, makes great lip balm, beauty mask, tea-infused hot cocoa, eye cream, hair conditioner, it even helps with my arthritis pain, but you can try it out on your own.

You may feel a need to strain, filter your tea over and over due to floating matter. Just know, even plain old boring tea will not be 100% free of sediment. Don't get too picky or OCD, it's cool.

Once it is as clarified as possible, the concentrated tea is ready to go. Again, You need to add water, I recommend starting with 3/4 cup of water to 1/4 cup of tea, add more tea if needed but sparingly until it's flavorful enough, then sweeten with your favorite sweetener according to your personal preference or needs.
You can also pour the tea into ice cube trays and freeze them so you can measure the services better. See Below

I personally use organic honey... there are so many types and flavors to choose from and what I'm learning is, there's almost never a bad combination with tea!

Another suggestion with the ice cubes, is as a flavor enhancer, great if you are trying to drink more water! Helps flavor your water enough to want to drink more, but doesn't have you drinking straight sweet tea all day.

Whichever method suits you best, enjoy your new refreshing, infused iced tea or water!

Everybody has different tastes and needs from their infusions, we may be using different herbs (some which may be used medicinally). I suggest trying 1 cube for every 8 oz of water first and a 2nd cube if it doesn't have the tea flavor you desire. 3 cubes melted in 8 oz of water is generally an adequate ratio for as a mice tea one person.

If you are adding 4 cubes or more and using medicinal herbs, make sure you do so responsibly!
Micro-dosing is always suggested, there is never a way to predict how any single individual may respond to metabolizing higher levels at one time.

Never serve such libations without your guests' knowledge, do not drive, operate machinery, or make any life-altering decisions, for at least several hours after consumption and the effects wear off.

Don't be stupid, don't break the law.

I cannot stress this enough; when using herbs with psychoactive effects, be responsible:

• Keep your herbs and all products infused with them, safely out of reach of children.
• Never serve such libations or products to guests without their knowledge.
• Micro-dosing is always suggested, there is no way to predict how any single individual may respond or metabolize high levels.
• It is not wise to drive, operate machinery, or make any life-altering decisions for at least several hours after you have consumed your herbs and the effects have worn off.
• If you are intelligent enough to follow the recipes, you are intelligent enough to know better, don't break the law.

1. In a clean, new spice bag, combine the following and cinch it back up tightly:

• The leftover plant material from making your herb-infused oil
• 1 tsp ground Cardamom or 10 (crushed) Cardamom pods
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves or about 6 whole cloves (crushed)
• 2-3 Tbsp Freshly Grated Ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp Garam Masala
• 3 tsp Cinnamon
• 6-7 Tbsp Organic Black or Green Tea

2. Boil 6 cups of water.

3. Add bag and steep for 15 minutes

5. Wring out and strain bag

6. Add 1/4-1/2 Cup milk of your own choosing (I prefer Coconut Milk or Cashew Milk for this recipe, please feel free to experiment).

7. Whisk briskly or use an immersion blender to temporarily emulsify the oil.

Your Chai is ready to pour!

Sweeten and garnish to taste. You may add a cinnamon stick to your mug, or top with a dusting of Ground Cloves, Nutmeg, or Allspice if you so choose. You may need to re-emulsify if necessary.

Enjoy!

Feel free to share your experience, pictures, and suggestions to make this recipe even better!