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Spiced Tea

Spiced tea is a nostalgic drink and one of the most nourishing and comfort beverage on a rainy day. Flavored with various fresh spices, spiced tea makes an excellent drink for people suffering from cold or sore throat as spices are valued for its medicinal benefits. The term Chai is synonymous with masala chai for many foreigners. The redundant chai tea is sometimes used to indicate spiced milk tea as distinct from other types of tea. There are various ways of making masala chai. Spiced tea is a little bit tart with a delicious sweetness as the little bit of spices added are just the right amount and really make flavors that come together. Spiced tea is also commonly called as masala chai in Hindi all over India. The traditional masala chai is a bracing strongly spiced beverage brewed with warm spices. The basic masala chai includes use of fresh ginger and green cardamom pods, milk, tea powder and sugar. Most spiced tea made in homes or restaurants incorporates one or more of the following spices that includes cardamom, cinnamon, ginger (adrak chai), fennel seeds, peppercorns and cloves. But traditionally, cardamom is a dominant spice supplemented by other spices such as cloves, ginger or black pepper; the latter two add a pleasantly piquant flavor to the spiced tea. In India, usually fresh ginger is often used. In Western India, fennel and black pepper are expressly avoided. The Kashmiri version of Spiced tea is brewed with green tea instead of black tea and has a more subtle blend of flavorings like almonds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and sometimes saffron. In Bhopal, typically a pinch of salt is also added to the spiced tea. Other popular flavoring ingredients that can be added to the Spiced tea are nugmeg, rose (where rose petals are boiled along with the loose leaf tea) or liquorice root. Spiced tea is consumed mainly for its herbal medicinal values rather than as a recreational beverage. Some of the chai masala spice mixtures still in current use are derived from Ayurvedic medical texts. In the 1830s, the British East India Company became concerned about the Chinese monopoly on tea, which constituted most of its trade and supported the enormous consumption of tea in Great Britain: approximately one pound (by weight) per person per year. British colonists had recently noticed the existence of the Assamese tea plants, and began to cultivate tea plantations locally. In 1870, over 90% of the tea consumed in Great Britain was still of Chinese origin, but by 1900 this had dropped to 10%, largely replaced by tea grown in British India (50%) and British Ceylon (33%). However, consumption of tea within India remained low until an aggressive promotional campaign by the (British-owned) Indian Tea Association in the early 20th century, which encouraged factories, mines, and textile mills to provide tea breaks for their workers. It also supported many independent chai wallahs throughout the growing railway system. As such there is no fixed recipe or preparation method for preparing the Spiced tea as many families have their own versions of the tea. Most chai contains trace amounts of caffeine. The tea leaves (or tea dust) steep in the hot water long enough to extract intense flavor, ideally without releasing the bitter tannins. Because of the large range of possible variations, spiced tea can be considered a class of tea rather than a specific kind. However, all spiced tea has the following four basic components: milk, tea powder, sugar and spices. For preparing this delectable spiced tea, firstly place required quantity of water and add cloves, cardamom, peppercorns and cinnamon in a saucepan and allow boiling. Stir in the tea leaves and continue to boil over a moderate heat for 2 minutes. Add the milk and sugar and boil and remove from heat. Strain the spiced tea and serve piping hot. According to Ayurvedic philosophy and medicine, most of the spices used in spiced tea are considered to be sattvik, or calming, vitalizing, refreshing and mentally clarifying. They are the perfect antidote to the stresses of modern life. Hence do try this simple and easy to prepare Spiced tea and gain its traditional benefits. Click on the below link for detailed recipe: Spiced tea can be consumed hot or cold, but often preferred to drink hot. Consuming the spiced tea reaps an enormous amount of medicinal and health benefits from each of these spices. Cinnamon is said to increase circulation and open breathing, increase awareness and vitality and reduce fatigue. Cardamom is a popular spice used in various Indian and Chinese preparations. It is said to benefit lungs, kidneys, and heart. It is also a mood elevator. While Cloves have pain-relieving and antiseptic attributes. Like pepper and ginger, clove is also used to synergistically increase the potency of other herbal blends. Widely used to support circulation and metabolism, black pepper can help to alleviate chronic coldness.
