Chai - Spiced Indian Tea.

Tea, known as "Chai" in India, is the main drink in most Indian homes. Tea is often infused with spices to make "Masala (Spice) Tea". Most commonly used spices are cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, fenugreek, fennel either alone or in combination with other spices. Although tea is a hot drink it is extremely refreshing in hot weather.

It’s also important to remember that tea is also nutritious. Tea helps you to heal in all different ways, boost your immunity, reduce high blood sugar, reduce stress and it is a great source of energy.

Tea is drunk in many countries of the world, and each one has its own particular ways for preparation and service. Tea can be served hot or cold, or it can be the base for other drinks such as punches or even it is used to impart flavor and color to foods. Teas can be made from many spices, such as cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, fennel, caraway, citrus, star anise, ginger, fenugreek, and sesame, either alone or in combination with other spices. All the teas produces in India are black teas. Black tea is drunk strong, often with the addition of a stick of cinnamon, some cardamom pods. Assam is on of the classic Indian teas, this is grown in the Brahmaputra Valley in northeast India. The taste is strong and malty. The best quality Assam teas contain the "tips" or unopened buds, from the bushes and are known as Tippy Assam. Darjeeling is another popular tea from Northern India. It has distinctive, delicate flavor. The small, broken-leaf grade produces a light, golden drink with a subtle flavor. Bushes from the highest tea gardens in the foothills of the Himalayas have large leaves that produce teas with a unique "muscatel" flavor of perfumed grapes. The most notable of all the various Darjeelings is Darjeeling Broken Orange Pekoe, which is sometimes called the champagne of tea. One of the most exotically flavored teas is Kashmiri tea, which is a blend of green and Darjeeling tea flavored with a mix of crushed green cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves, chopped almonds and pine nuts.

Proper brewing is essential for good flavor. Use fresh cold water from the faucet and bring to a boil. Pour the water, add tea leaves to the browing pot, stir and leave to stand for 3-5 minutes. Stir again before serving. Herb teas are the oldest and most reliable form of supplementation known to humankind. When the active components in our carefully selected herbs are infused in hot water, they are available for absorption in the body. Immediately these soothing liquids provide hydration and a fresh herbal taste.