Anyone who is a fan of tea will be able to tell you that it is not just a beverage...not something to fill in the gap between lunch or dinner...or just something to be had with toast ( or any other breakfast item )...
It is way more than that...it is something which perks you up, revives you, cheers you , awakens you.... it is something to gossip over with, it binds you with other tea lovers, it is something to discuss matters over...
Tea is one thing that can be a simple affair - just chai and biscuit...or an elaborate one with cakes, or muffins, or samosas, dhoklas or any other snacks...
It can be just a ready made chai in a cup...or more elaborately with a teapot, milk & sugar or lemon served separately...
It could be made with just tea leaves...or additional with masalas...like cardamom, cinnamom, cloves, ginger or mint, and quite a few others...
The permutations and commutations are countless...and I too like to have it in different ways at different times...the day has not begun for me till I have had my cup of tea...and the same goes for my evening...
I am generally quite fussy about the tea I have :-) .... love it made in a particular way...and on the other hand love to also try out the different varities of tea and with all the possible combinations of masalas....does that seem like a contradiction ?? it is but that is the way it is...my regular tea has to be with a certain specific quantity of water and milk - and after it had boiled I add either the tea bag or tea powder...let it steep for a couple of minutes and then pour it out...do not like the bag or leaves boiling in the concoction for too long ...do not like it too strong ( or bitter ).
Sometimes I add cardamom, or ginger or mint leaves or sometimes I add some chai masala which is a combination of a few spices as given below.
Ingredients for Chai Masala.
50 whole Cardamom
4 pieces of 1 inch Cinnamon stick
6 whole Cloves
1 tsp Ginger powder
1 tsp pepper powder
Method: ( for making chai masala & masala chai )
Put the above ingredients in dry mixer and grind. Store in an airtight bottle. A pinch of the above masala is enough for one cup of tea.
Put the masala in 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water and keep it on the gas to boil.
After the water comes to a boil reduce the heat add tea leaves or tea bag.
Let it boil on low heat for a couple of minutes, then switch off the gas and let it steep.
Add milk & sugar if using at this stage ( milk should be hot ).
Pour it into your cup and enjoy !!!
Recently on our trip to Sri Lanka we were exposed to variety of teas grown there...and many of the lighter varities to be had just plain ( i.e. without milk and sugar ) - or with just lemon...and some with added flavours like mint, cardamom, ginger...loved trying them all out.
Sri Lanka has quite a large tea growing area and it is the third largest producer of tea in the world...and the industry is one of the country's main sources of foreign exchange...
While on our trip we had an opportunity to visit a tea factory where we were shown around the entire processing unit and then explained about the different tea grades, this differs in the size of the tea leaves and process...some of the final products were thus graded
White Tea
OP- Orange Pekoe
BOP - Broken Orange Pekoe
BOPF - Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings
Dust - powdered into dust
going from the lighter and more expensive variety to the more darker teas...
We did manage to bring back some of the different varities for us & our friends to try out.
Tip: One very important information which I got at one of the Herbal&Medicinal Farms out there was that they use a drop of vanilla in the tea to naturally sweeten the tea - this is esp. good for those suffering from diabetes and cannot have sugar...have tried it and it does improve the taste of tea, besides vanilla also has hordes of other health benefits.
It is way more than that...it is something which perks you up, revives you, cheers you , awakens you.... it is something to gossip over with, it binds you with other tea lovers, it is something to discuss matters over...
Tea is one thing that can be a simple affair - just chai and biscuit...or an elaborate one with cakes, or muffins, or samosas, dhoklas or any other snacks...
It can be just a ready made chai in a cup...or more elaborately with a teapot, milk & sugar or lemon served separately...
It could be made with just tea leaves...or additional with masalas...like cardamom, cinnamom, cloves, ginger or mint, and quite a few others...
The permutations and commutations are countless...and I too like to have it in different ways at different times...the day has not begun for me till I have had my cup of tea...and the same goes for my evening...
I am generally quite fussy about the tea I have :-) .... love it made in a particular way...and on the other hand love to also try out the different varities of tea and with all the possible combinations of masalas....does that seem like a contradiction ?? it is but that is the way it is...my regular tea has to be with a certain specific quantity of water and milk - and after it had boiled I add either the tea bag or tea powder...let it steep for a couple of minutes and then pour it out...do not like the bag or leaves boiling in the concoction for too long ...do not like it too strong ( or bitter ).
Sometimes I add cardamom, or ginger or mint leaves or sometimes I add some chai masala which is a combination of a few spices as given below.
Ingredients for Chai Masala.
50 whole Cardamom
4 pieces of 1 inch Cinnamon stick
6 whole Cloves
1 tsp Ginger powder
1 tsp pepper powder
Method: ( for making chai masala & masala chai )
Put the above ingredients in dry mixer and grind. Store in an airtight bottle. A pinch of the above masala is enough for one cup of tea.
Put the masala in 1/2 - 3/4 cup of water and keep it on the gas to boil.
After the water comes to a boil reduce the heat add tea leaves or tea bag.
Let it boil on low heat for a couple of minutes, then switch off the gas and let it steep.
Add milk & sugar if using at this stage ( milk should be hot ).
Pour it into your cup and enjoy !!!
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| Tea Estates in Sri Lanka |
Recently on our trip to Sri Lanka we were exposed to variety of teas grown there...and many of the lighter varities to be had just plain ( i.e. without milk and sugar ) - or with just lemon...and some with added flavours like mint, cardamom, ginger...loved trying them all out.
Sri Lanka has quite a large tea growing area and it is the third largest producer of tea in the world...and the industry is one of the country's main sources of foreign exchange...
While on our trip we had an opportunity to visit a tea factory where we were shown around the entire processing unit and then explained about the different tea grades, this differs in the size of the tea leaves and process...some of the final products were thus graded
White Tea
OP- Orange Pekoe
BOP - Broken Orange Pekoe
BOPF - Broken Orange Pekoe Fannings
Dust - powdered into dust
going from the lighter and more expensive variety to the more darker teas...
We did manage to bring back some of the different varities for us & our friends to try out.
Tip: One very important information which I got at one of the Herbal&Medicinal Farms out there was that they use a drop of vanilla in the tea to naturally sweeten the tea - this is esp. good for those suffering from diabetes and cannot have sugar...have tried it and it does improve the taste of tea, besides vanilla also has hordes of other health benefits.
