26 April 2011

Chai Spices: Spiced Indian Tea (Setonaikai.co.uk) [By @Cinabar]



I am a big fan of spiced teas as I am sure I have mentioned many times on the blog before. I usually buy spiced tea bags, and Twinings Chai is one of my favourites. I am aware that the correct way to make Indian tea involves hot milk and spices, but I always resort to the tea bag for simplicity’s sake.
Although the packet states “Spiced Indian Tea” a more clear description would be “Spices for Indian Tea”. The product doesn’t actually contain any tea, it is a mix of spices, predominantly ginger. The idea is that you add a half a teaspoon to a pot of regular tea, or a pinch to each mug.
I went for the pinch per mug to start with and rather over estimated what a pinch is – the tea was so strong I had to start again! This time I opted for a non scientific measurement of a “tiny pinch”, and got a much better result. To be fair the pack states that it contains 150 servings per pouch, so that should have given me a clue that I only needed a very small amount.
The spices added a lovely warmth to the drink, with the ginger working remarkably well with the black tea. There was also a bite from the black pepper, but the cloves helped direct the flavours to a warmth rather than heat. This was except for the very last mouthful of tea, which is where all the spices had accumulated and gave a bit of a kick for the last sip! Other than that, I felt the spices really enhanced the tea, and made a lovely warming drink. I know some people may associate it as a winter drink, but I think this Spiced Indian Tea is a pleasure that can be enjoyed any time of the year.
By cinabar

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