Nicole said

Gingerless chai?

I have browsed reviews looking for chai without ginger and cardamom but there are soooo many of them!

My mother has recently become very allergic to ginger and somewhat less to cardamom, much to her dismay. She has had a swig or two of some of my chais and she likes them quite a bit. But… she can’t drink a whole cup of them and has to take a Benadryl after even a couple of swallows to avoid a reaction.

So, does anyone know of good chais without either of those spices?

8 Replies

Why not mix it yourself, then you know for sure what’s going in to it. Use a good Assam as the base, and then visit your local spice shop for the spices you want to include.

Nicole said

So simple it’s genius. :) I think my brain is stuffed with turkey tonight. Thanks!

mrmopar said

tperez sent me a good homemade chai blend. he may send you the recipe i would just leave the ginger and cardamon out and maybe add nutmeg or allspice and maybe some extra cloves.

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Serenity said

I used to be so lucky in that I worked with a lovely family from India. They made chai for me every time I came to their home to work with their baby. One of the best cups I ever had was so simple, I think it only had star anise in it. Ever since then, the only chais that taste proper to me are the ones I make myself. The auntie told me: water, milk, tea, [spice} sugar boil all together five minutes.* There are some great youtube videos showing how to make chai the stovetop way. I would be very cautious about what spices to try. Best wishes and do please let us know what you’ve tried and what works!

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Nicole said

Thanks for the suggestions. I shall venture to Penzey’s Spices on Monday and see what I can sniff up! I have tons of good black tea to use… :)

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Dustin said

If you have a Whole Foods near you that has a bulk section, hit that up! Buying spices in bulk there is SUPER cheap, plus you can buy as little or as much as you wish. I have also seen bulk spices at Sprout’s, but it wasn’t nearly as big.

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One of the Chai Masala blends I like (the spice mix that you add to the tea) does not have ginger, though it does have cardamom. Rani is the name of the brand (I blend it with Numi’s breakfast blend personally) I make all of my chai by stovetop too.

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Babble said

David Tea’s Pumpkin Chai does not have either ginger or cardamom. Their cinnamon Rooibos chai also does not have either ingredient (but is not a black base). I think their chilli chai does not either.

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