What spices are in chai/tea
Legend has it that the origin of chai dates back more than 5,000 years, when a king in what is now India ordered a healing spiced beverage be created for use in Ayurveda, a traditional medicinal practice in which herbs and spices are used for healing. There is no end to the diversity of recipes for making your own chai. Chai recipes are like Italian minestrone soup - its always good but everyone's recipe is different. Brewing chai is fun and allows you to experiment until you get it 'just right' for your personal taste.
Tea contains lots of different chemicals, but the main ones associated with the taste, aroma and health effects of tea are polyphenols – mainly flavonoids. The plant produces these chemicals not for our benefit but to help the plant fight against predators and stress. Chai can include a number of different spices. Cardamom is the most common ingredient, followed by some mixture of cinnamon, ginger, star anise and cloves. Pepper, coriander, nutmeg and fennel are also used, but they are slightly less common. Every family has a blend to suit its tastes. Some popular spices to flavor tea are allspice berries, cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, cloves, hibiscus blossoms, lavender flower buds, lemongrass, cocoa nibs, mace, nutmeg, saffron, spearmint, star anise, and vanilla beans. Chai is basically black tea brewed with selected spices and milk. Each ingredient adds subtle flavor changes and brewing methods vary widely. The ginger and pepper give this spicy tea a little kick while cinnamon and cloves add an earthy tone to chai blends. Chai tea is often sweetened in order to enhance the robustness of the spices lending a spicy and sweet flavor with a creamy texture. A simple & easy 6-ingredient recipe for Homemade Chai Spice mix with cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, & allspice. You might call India Spice Chai the Celestial Seasonings family recipe. This authentic blend infuses rich an hearty Assam black tea with lively spices like ginger, cloves and cardamom and a touch of smooth vanilla. Add warm milk and sugar or honey, and prepare to embark on a true chai experience. Masala Chai is a flavored tea made with Milk and indian spices. Every household in India has their own version of this recipe, Here is my favorite one.
Top spices you should have in your kitchen :
Black Pepper.
Garlic Powder.
Thyme.
Cinnamon.
Oregano.
Rosemary.
cloves
ginger, sliced
vanilla bean
Nutmeg