So your Bombisheros set up camp last month at the Manly Village Public School markets to share with community and offer the magic Mate Chai Latte. While this Yerba Mate infusion embraces all the spices of a classic chai, La Yerba gives it a curious twist, an untold mysterious depth… dive in, she said, what does it feel like to swim beneath the waves…

We were hopeful that our community would enjoy Green Chai as much as we do, but were really quite unsure. Luckily, our friend MJ — Master Chai Lover — who, without hesitation, will drive 45 minutes across the city to sit and drink a decent chai, swung by early for a little sample. He took a sip…no comment…went in cautiously for another…and then another….and finally, there it was!!! The eyebrows raised and a mouthful of mmmmm’s – the yum factor was on! Mate Chai Latte was a hit for many that day so in celebration, we’d like to share with you two recipes to make Mate Chai Latte at home.

Firstly, why Yerba Mate instead of the classic black tea? It isn’t only a flavour factor, Yerba Mate is a pure green source of energy loaded with antioxidants, minerals and vitamins. We consider the Mate Chai Latte the cleaner and greener option on the chai spectrum. Our personal preference is to sweeten with less refined and more natural sweeteners like raw honey, coconut sugar and stevia; and to use a non-dairy, non-soy milk alternative. Almond and coconut Milks are our favourites.

That said, this is your recipe to create a Green Chai that you love.

Method 01 From Scratch

You will need organic Pure Leaf Mate, cinnamon (sticks/powder), cardamom (pods/powder), a decent whack of fresh ginger, fresh turmeric, liquorice root, ground pepper, cloves, nut/rice milk of choice and sweetener of choice. In this particular method, the Yerba Mate is kept separate from the chai spices to allow the spices to reach the fullness of their expression without the mate overpowering the flavour.

1. Scoop 4 tablespoons of Yerba Mate into a nut milk bag and place in saucepan. This is a like a giant Yerba Mate tea bag!
2. Cover herb with about 200ml of water and begin to heat.
3. While it’s warming, add your chai spices  – 2 sticks of cinnamon – break them up, a sprinkle of whole cloves (or half teaspoon of powder) and a sprinkle of liquorice root, lots of grated ginger, a good whack of cardamom (1-2 teaspoons powder or 21 whole pods) – a little grated turmeric and a decent couple of twists of ground pepper. I tend to be heavier on the cardamom and ginger.
4. Gently heat to infuse herbs. Don’t excite water beyond a gentle simmer.
5. After a few minutes, add a litre of nut or coconut Milk and, again, gently heat. My favourite is Coco Quench, a blend of coconut and rice milk.
6. Sample brew. How strong do you like your Yerba Mate?? You may wish to remove the yerba tea bag at this point or leave it to infuse with your herbs.
7. Sweeten to taste.
8. Allow brew to steep and extract all the goodness of the spices.

Method 02 The Abundance Brew

This method is largely the same as the above, however, using the Bombisha Abundance Blend, a combo of pure leaf yerba mate goji berries, dried coconut, cardamom, cinnamon, cacao and liquorice. A super delicious, slightly less traditional chai blend. This is the version we have made for markets, and brew with fresh slices of ginger and an extra whack of powdered cardamom.

1. Scoop 3-5 tablespoons of the Abundance Blend into a nut milk bag and place in saucepan.
2. Cover herb with about 200ml of water and begin to heat.
3. While it’s warming, you may wish to add slices of fresh ginger and perhaps an extra hit of cardamom.
4. Gently heat to infuse herbs. Don’t excite water beyond a gentle simmer.
5. After a few minutes, add a litre of nut or coconut milk and, again, gently heat.
6. Sample brew. How strong do you like your Yerba Mate? You may wish to remove the Yerba Mate tea bag at this point or leave it to infuse with the fresh ginger and cardamom.
7. Sweeten to taste.
8. Allow brew to steep and extract all the goodness of the spices.

There are so many ways to make chai and everyone likes something a little different. Both of these methods offer plenty of room for experimentation. So enjoy and please share your creations 🙂

If you’d rather let us make your Green Chai, come down to the Manly Village Public School Markets on the third Saturday of every month.