Tea adventure: Chai

source: http://www.stashtea.com/info/Tea_Culture_Chai

Chai is now my "go to" drink at cafes. Its hot, spicy, creamy and FROTHY! (Its the frothy/creamy that I really miss about coffee.)

What's not to like? From http://www.chai-tea.org/whatisit.html:

Chai (pronounced as a single syllable and rhymes with 'pie') is the word for tea in many parts of the world. It is a centuries-old beverage which has played an important role in many cultures.
Chai from India is a spiced milk tea that has become increasingly popular throughout the world. It is generally made up of:

• rich black tea
• heavy milk
• a combination of various spices
• a sweetener

The spices used vary from region to region and among households in India. The most common are cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and pepper. Indian chai produces a warming, soothing effect, acts as a natural digestive aid and gives one a wonderful sense of well being. It's difficult to resist a second cup. 

All of the spices listed are on the "good for me" list and I agree with the "wonderful sense of well being" comment above. 

I think I'm a spicy chai girl and not a sweet chai girl. I had half spicy, half sweet, and that was good. but I like the heavy taste of the all spicy chai. Still not as deep as coffee in flavor, but that's ok for now - until I find the ultimate.

At home chais:

• I bought a Gingerbread Chai at Christmas time - which I just read on the can that it is a rooibos tea. It came in a nice metal can that I like. It is tasty and tastes like Christmas, but like all bagged teas so far, I found that I have to double bag it to get the best flavor. Add milk and it is a good fall back and tasty to keep around but it isn't sensational.
• Something to note: chai is made with black tea - which is not on my list of good teas (oolong, white, and green). So I found a chai green tea. Double bag it, but it is still weak. Add milk. It would probably be better with more spices added? Steep for as long as possible, but be very careful that you don't let it go too far or else it becomes bitter and grassy. This is one you have to take the bags out of at a certain point...and I usually lose interest in it before I finish the cup.

 Maybe it's obvious to tea people that you have to remove the bags from green teas so they don't turn bitter? But for black and red teas I keep the bags in until the water is gone to get as much flavor out as possible.
This may make me a Luddite.

In essence, when I'm at a coffeehouse, I can order a chai and still feel like I fit in and not get weird looks from those around me with coffee. I am still looking for that really good "at home" tea.

The search continues.

Time check

So I haven't heard from ANY doctor in weeks. Nothing from the rhumatologist about the 7 vials of blood they took. Nothing from the PCP about the photos he sent to Arizona.

No news is good news?

I will be calling soon I think...maybe...really don't want to start up more rounds of appointments...

My hands look great. The bumps are smaller and shrinking all the time. I still have redness around my nails. The rash on the rest of my body is mostly quiet. I get the occassional outbreak of itches on my right arm or on my hips (newest location). Its the back of my head that's killing me though. The spot just above my neck is sooo itchy, I act like I have lice sometimes. I've started putting Cortizone on my scalp. Benedryl helps too.

In other news, my new diet is going well. I really don't miss a lot of the foods I can't have. Ok, I miss tater tots. A lot. My boyfriend made me a delicious gluten free chocolate coconut curry cake for my birthday. It was so good, it lulled me into thinking I could eat other baked goods - like the banana bread my daughter made yesterday. Not so much. I've been away from wheat for long enough that my digestive system and skin reacted to the regular flour. I was very itchy last night and my stomach was rolling. I'm better today, but I need to find gluten free flour for baking now.

Then there's the coffee to tea transition...

I can now only handle a small cup of coffee (4 oz?), and I have to drink it slowly. I am truly weening off of my favorite hot beverage. :(

Finding "the tea" for me is still an ongoing experiment/experience. Luckily, I have fabulous people around me that are more than willing to help me shop/taste/brew my own teas in fun creative ways. I now have a manatea tea infuser that hangs off the side of my tea mug - in which, by the way, the Virgin Mary appears as an apparition in the bottom when the tea is gone.

What could possibly be better than that?!?!

Until I have more Dr/medical notes to share, I will be keeping notes here on what I find.