How to Mix Spices for the Best Masala Chai

January 12, 2023 by Heather Edwards

Adagio's Masala Chai tea blend combines premium Ceylon black tea with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and ginger. In Indian culture, 'Masala' means 'a blend of spices', and 'chai' simply means 'tea.' So, Masala Chai is literally 'spiced tea'. Our interpretation tries to stay true to its definition thanks to a warm and inviting fragrance, zesty flavor, and invigorating, aromatic finish. We suggest two heaping teaspoons per 8 oz cup. Sugar or milk if desired.

Selefina is an online spice shop brought to you by Adagio Teas. There you will find an assortment of spices gathered using the same dedication and care with which we’ve curated our online tea collection. With our decades of experience sourcing products and establishing global connections our mission is to bring you fresher, higher-quality spices and seasonings at lower prices. Please check back often as we continue to expand our catalog.

If you ask one hundred Indian home chefs for their favorite garam masala mix for spicy chai, you’ll probably get 101 different recipes. That’s because everyone has their favorite spices and masala chai lovers like to add those they love in their favorite tea drink. Spicy chai can be softly scented such as with nutmeg or mace, saffron or cardamom. Or, more popularly, sharply spiced, with black peppercorns, coriander, cloves, cumin, and cinnamon/cassia bark.

Depending on the chef, masala chai can include such anomalies like bay leaf or ajwain seeds, a relative of caraway; licorice root; star anise; fresh or dried ginger, or allspice which tastes, and smells, like a combination of all Indian spices in one tiny berry.

So, before you create a blend, you need to ask yourself which of these spices you love, and which you could leave out. Not sure? Hold a few of the whole spices in your hand tightly to allow the heat of your skin to release the spice’s fragrance. Inhale the aroma. If it helps, jot down what you like/don’t like. Continue with each of the spices you might use. Choose the final quantities based on your reactions to the fragrance or taste.

When in doubt, err on the side of less; you can always add more.

WHOLE SPICE GARAM MASALA MIXTURE

12 black peppercorns

4T or 2-3 small cinnamon sticks

4T dried ginger

2T of cloves

2T of green cardamom

½ a nutmeg

This mixture emphasizes cinnamon and ginger for a sharp flavor; reduce to 6 peppercorns, 2T each of ginger and cinnamon for a milder flavor.

TOASTING WHOLE SPICES

Now that you’ve chosen your spices, toast them together in a clean, dry pan for 5 minutes or until fragrant. Pour the toasted spices into a bowl and allow to cool. This toasting step will pay off with large dividends of rich flavor. As they are heated, the spices will open up their fragrance and stay aromatic longer.

When cool, place several tablespoons of them in a spice grinder and pulverize into a powdery consistency. Pour the ground spices through a sieve into a separate bowl and set aside. Any chunky pieces should be put back into the grinder along with your next portion of spices. Repeat this until all the spices are ground into a powder.

Carefully pour the powdered spices into a clean glass jar and top with a tight fitting lid. Store in a cool cupboard, away from the stove or heat-generating appliances you use daily. When stored in a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, the spice mélange will keep up to six months.

RECIPE FOR PRE-GROUND SPICES GARAM MASALA

If you have your favorite Selefina ground selections on hand, consider this basic recipe. As with the home-made whole-spice garam masala blend, adjust to your personal taste:

INGREDIENTS:

3 T ground cinnamon

1 T ground cardamom (green or black)

1 T ground ginger

1 tsp. ground allspice

1 tsp. ground clove

1 tsp. ground nutmeg or mace (Nutmeg is the seed kernel; mace is the membrane that surrounds the seed’s outer shell; it’s milder tasting than nutmeg.)

DIRECTIONS:

In a small bowl, mix to blend completely. Taste. You can do this one of two ways: Add a pinch of the spice mixture to a pinch of sugar; mix, then taste. Adjust seasoning accordingly. Or, you can take a pinch of the blend and taste. Fair warning: tasting the spices without any sweetening might be overwhelming to some palates.

The selection of whole and ground spices on Selefina.com will meet even the most exacting Masala Chai aficionado. Check out your favorites on Selefina Spices.

HOW TO USE YOUR SPICE BLEND FOR MASALA CHAI

Into a small saucepan, pour ½ cup of water and 1 tsp. of the spice mixture and heat until the water boils. Reduce the liquid to a simmer and add 2/3 cup of evaporated or whole milk and heat until the milk is hot. Add 1 tsp. of black tea like Assam or a Breakfast Blend, and remove the pot from the heat. Steep the tea for 3 to 5 minutes.

To serve, pour the masala tea from the saucepan through a sieve or tea strainer into a teacup to eliminate the tea leaves and spices. Enjoy.

Like your masala chai sweet? Add 1 tsp. or more of Raw Honey for Black Tea or sugar to taste or use sweetened condensed milk instead of evaporated or whole milk. If you choose sugar, you can add it to the pan when you add the milk. This recipe is for one cup, so multiply each ingredient for as many cups as you’d like to make.

If cinnamon is your passion, and you’re unsure about which spices to use, consider Adagio Bees’ Cinnamon Honey with your choice of black tea. Yum!