Following is the original recipe given by Yogi Bhajan:*
In a large pot, bring 2.8 litres (3 quarts) of water to a boil. Then add:
- 20 whole cloves
- 20 whole green cardamom pods (optional: gently crush them under a rolling pin or with a mortar and pestle to open them up)
- 20 whole black peppercorns
- 5 sticks of cinnamon
- Optional: a few slices of fresh ginger
Continue boiling for 15-20 minutes, and then add: ¼ tsp of a mild black tea (Golden Assam is recommended)
After another minute or two, add ½ pint of milk per pint of remaining liquid. The original recipe calls for cow’s milk but any type of milk is fine – cow, goat, almond, soy, hemp, etc. There is no need to measure the milk, just eyeball it.
Optional: add honey or other sweetener to taste.
Increasingly, people are choosing to cut caffeine from their diets. A wise decision for a number of reasons, but the black tea in Yogi Tea helps the ingredients amalgamate. In other words, the black tea makes Yogi Tea more potent as a healing agent. A compromise: after the spices have cooked for 20 minutes, take a tea ball or bag and swirl it around the pot a few times.
*Yogi Bhajan’s Original Recipe appears in Kundalini Yoga: The Flow of Eternal Power by Shakti Parwha Kaur Khalsa (1996).
