Archive for the 'Chai' Category
This summer, make your own iced chai tea. Any kind of black tea will do, however, Darjeeling is the best choice if you want an authentic Indian taste. Prepare the following ingredients:
- 2 1/2 Cups water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 14 cardamom pods
- 2 cups whole milk
- 6 whole cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3 black or Darjeeling tea bags
- 1/4 cup honey
Follow these directions:
- In a medium saucepan, bring water, cinnamon, cardamom
, cloves, and ginger to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer covered for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. - Add tea bags and steep for 15 minutes, covered. Remove tea bags. Add honey or agave and stir until dissolved. Stir in milk.
- Strain the mixture into another container. Allow to cool and then refrigerate for about an hour. Serve over ice. Enjoy. It is simply delicious.
The main ingredient in exotic chai tea is made from black tea which contains rich antioxidants. These antioxidants boost the immune system and prevent illness as they help to lower blood pressure and cholesterol.
Both Ayurvedic and Chinese cultures place a high value on the spices that make up a good cup of chai tea. Such spices include:
- cardamom
- cloves
- ginger
- pepper
- cinnamon
Some people put a mixture of milk and honey in their chai tea, which give it a very sweet taste. It is not recommended that anyone with ulcers drink chai tea as the sweet flavor could possibly irritate the ulcers. However, the ingredients in chai tea generally promote healthy digestion for the majority of tea drinkers.
Exotic chai tea takes the chai to a much higher level by adding even more spices to this delicious beverage. It has much less caffeine in it than coffee, thus making it safer to drink; you can consume a few more cups of exotic chai tea (than coffee) per day due to its lower caffeine content. It can be sipped as either a hot or cold drink.