What is Cardamom tea?
Cardamom Tea is a spice tea that originated in India. It is made from crushed seeds of cardamoma mixed with hot or boiling water. People from India and the surrounding areas use cardamom tea not only for its aromatic tastes, but also for many assumed health benefits. This tea, often referred to as chai, is often harder to come in the western markets.
The cardamoma tea itself has a diverse and fragrant taste. Many describe tea as citrus, floral and sweet. It also has undertones of smoking and aromatic musk. This exotic taste makes it a popular choice for mixing with other flavors. In fact, cardamom is never the only component in cardamom tea. All such tea recipes require additional ingredients, usually with a tea sheet. Cardamom is most often paired with black tea leaves.
Cardamom Tea in India is referred to as Elaichi Chaa and is also the main component of Chai tea. Tea is usually served alone; instead, they usually mixwith black tea, milk or sugar. Other popular spices combined with tea cardamom include: liquorice, fennel, cloves, cinnamon, vanilla, chocolate and even black pepper. Many tea drinkers even combine almost all these spices at once with tea.
Many people drink cardamom tea not only for taste but also for many assumed health benefits. It is a popular drink among many women because it is said that it relieves menstrual pain and discomfort. Because it can also help with nausea and turn, many pregnant women prefer drinking tea during the first trimester. Other benefits for cardamom health include relief from flatulence and improved digestive problems. Tea is also said to be a detoxifier, especially for excess caffeine. Many also believe that this helps to relieve heartburn.
As with many herbs and spices, some medical benefits are connectedCardamom tea. One such use is to fight and even prevent colon cancer. Some studies suggest that this can also help people with lung disease. While some research suggests that they may be true in these benefits, they have not been confirmed.
Cardamom is an evergreen plant from the family of ginger roots. It has strong rhizomes and pointed leaves. This plant usually has three pods, with approximately 15 to 20 cardamom seeds found in each. The seeds are harvested in October and dried before crushing teas.