Nettle cardamom tea latte
It seems that when fall weather makes an appearance, all I want to do is pull out my cozy sweaters and sip on some heart-warming drinks. Anyone else with me?
Although I do I get pretty sad when I realize that summer is over, I really adore this time of year. September is always peppered with a bit of uncomfortable transition. But once that’s out of the way, we go full force into fun holidays, including lots of family time and many heartful moments curled on the couch with tea. Sign me up!
The inspiration behind this drink was finding something that incorporated my love for herbs and my love for tea lattes. I wanted a tea that would be healing and nourishing, while still giving me the feels of drinking a warm holiday drink at home. Enter the Nettle Cardamom Tea Latte. Sure is a mouthful. Literally.
Let’s talk herbs for a bit shall we? I’ve talked about herbs on the blog before (check that out here), but here’s a little refresher for you:
Herbal medicine is a beautiful form of medicine which harnesses the healing power of plants. If you have used spices in your cooking before, you have used this medicine! However, to get more out of plants, you can extract specific properties by using various methods. Water is one way (as an infusion/tea). And there are many other ways including alcohol, glycerin, etc. Today we focus on tea.
Stinging nettle is an extremely nourishing herb. This recipe calls for the dried leaf, which contains many vitamins and minerals (think: silicon, iron, vitamin C,A, K, B vitamins, - your whole alphabet really). It’s anti-inflammatory, detoxifying and supportive to the digestive system, the urinary system and the lymphatic system. There are many many uses for nettles, but I mainly love that it is nourishing in multiple aspects including for the hair, nails and skin! The trick with this recipe is to get the nettle in hot water first, before any other ingredients so you can extract those beneficial actions. Nettle can taste a bit earthy and bitter, so adding a nice non-dairy milk of choice really helps.
I chose cardamom because who doesn’t love cardamom? But really - this spice is wonderful for the digestion, for detoxification and the scent of cardamom makes me feel happy and grounded almost instantly.
So where to buy your herbs? If you live in Vancouver - I love to go to Finlandia or Quiddita’s to pick out loose herbs. If you’re in Calgary, I love Community Natural Foods. If you are elsewhere, there are options to purchase bulk herbs online, but this isn’t something I have done yet (however, will likely do soon - so stay tuned on for a review). Worst case, you can always buy teas in teabags from a store. Traditional Medicinals carries Nettle leaf on it’s own and is easy to find in most grocery stores or health foods stores.
Without further ado, here is the recipe. Let me know if you try it and/or have any suggestions!
Nettle Cardamom Tea Latte
Ingredients (for 1 large cup)
1 tbsp dried nettle leaf herb
3-4 cardamom pods
1/4 tsp vanilla
Dash of nutmeg and cinnamon (to taste)
1/4 of your mug of water
3/4 of your mug of non dairy milk of choice (my fave is cashew milk)
Sweetener to taste (I use 1 tsp of honey, unless the milk is sweetened already)
Instructions
Crush cardamom pods with a spoon so they are slightly open
Put nettle, cardamom pods + measured out water into small saucepan and heat on high until boils. Reduce to low, covered for 5 minutes.
Add in milk, vanilla, honey, nutmeg and cinnamon. Increase heat to medium if needed, and cover for another 5 minutes.
Add more sweetener or nutmeg/cinnamon to taste. Remove from heat and pour into mug.
Sprinkle cinnamon on top and enjoy.
* Note: Best enjoyed with a blanket, a good book and perhaps a fur baby or two.
