Duchess tea latte, macarons (vanilla, rose, grapefruit, hibiscus), Shanghai Girls.

The other day I announced that my relationship was over with Starbucks. Well I suppose to be more accurate, with soy chai lattes from Starbucks.

I recently got a member gold card from Starbucks and felt the need to continue to buy and recharge my card which led to free drink gift cards in the mail. The cycle escalated and I soon became an addict. I no longer enjoyed by drink, I was just in that zone of buying and recharging. I don’t even want to recall how much I spent in the last month!

Over a year ago I gave up coffee. I was an avid coffee drinker and a true lover of the sweet nectar. I always took my coffee black with no sugar. I loved the intensity and the flavour. As years went on, my body could just not tolerate the liquid gold no more. If you do your research, coffee can have an adverse affect on hormonal levels, and overall digestive health. That was me.

I’m a slave to routine, to having some sort of ritual to mark the start of the day. I quickly turned to teas. Luckily my husband loves tea as well. I enjoy all green and herbal teas. There is always so much to explore and so many interesting health benefits as well.

Back to the chai. I was an obvious replacement drink. Warm with body and flavour, and I could order it up as a latte and reminisce about the gold old days. As someone who is quite strict about what goes into my body, I was turning a blind eye when it came to my chai lover. Everyday I was filling up on a steamed cup of soy milk with a premixed chai syrup that contained loads of sugars and black tea. For me, and I know this, my system cannot handle black teas. They are fermented and wreak havoc on my digestive system. The spices used in this particular chai are very stimulating, such as black pepper, cardamom, clove, etc. Every day I was putting my body through sever discomfort such as bloating, all in the name of commercial chai.

I say commercial chai, because homemade chai is not the same. Remedy Cafe in Edmonton serves up the most beautiful homemade chai. You have options, and because of the tea concoction being prepared naturally you actually experience health benefits.

The point is, I was no longer listening to what my body needed. I was just going through the motion of buying my drink with my newly acquired gold card like any addict.

So, I have sworn off chai. Chai everyday. Commercially prepared, store-bought, preserved chai. That doesn’t mean I cannot enjoy a tea or some other alternative that is healthy, doesn’t break the back, and can be enjoyed occasionally rather than obsessively every day.

The other day I made a trip to Duchess for an afternoon treat of tea, macarons, and a good book. I noticed they do REAL tea lattes. No powder, no syrups. I choose the green tea with dried cherry and soy milk. No additives, no sugar. I was simply divine. Now I am craving another one.

Healthy alternative, or new addiction?

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