Winters are here and we all love a cup of warm, aromatic chai. Chai is said to have various health benefits and a lot of research is being done on this beverage. This blog will give us an overview of its potential health benefits and why one should go with a masala chai during winters.
Chai, a very popular beverage in India, is made by boiling tea leaves, water, milk, and/or sugar. But in India, chai also has various flavors just like tea. One of these flavors is the Masala Chai. It is loved and made at every Indian house and I am sure in other parts of the country too.
A chai made with Indian spices or masalas like ginger, cardamom, star anise, cloves, cinnamon, etc is known as Masala Chai. Masalas can be added in any quantity as per the taste bud. It can also be added in any form i.e powder or whole spice.
Here are just a few of the benefits of masala chai:
1) Improves Digestion:
Masala chai is an excellent digestive aid as it contains tannins that help promote healthy digestion. The warm liquid helps relax muscles in the stomach and intestine which enhances digestion. The aromatic oils released by the combination of spices help stimulate the production of hydrochloric acid in your stomach which aids digestion further.
2) Reduces Inflammation:
The anti-inflammatory properties of ginger, black pepper, and cinnamon can help reduce inflammation caused by various inflammatory conditions such as arthritis, asthma. This makes masala chai one of the most effective home remedies.
3) Helps stay warm during winters:
Masala tea is made with spice that are spicy and hence this means that it’ll warm you up faster than other foods or drinks, which means that it’ll help get rid of those winter blues in no time at all.
How to Make Masala Chai Powder at Home?
You require regular ctc black tea, dried spices of your choice like ginger, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc. Mix the spices with tea as per your taste. The ratio of spices to tea should be 1 spoon of spices to 5 spoons of tea.
But instead of making it at home, I prefer buying it from a local seller since it is convenient and also saves alot of my time in drying the ingredients. The weather conditions in my area are not quite suitable to dry the spices.
Where to Buy Masala Chai From?
I recently came across the brand name “The Pahadi story”. It is a local Indian health and wellness brand that brings products from the Himalayas. They have a wide range of tea, one of which is Masala chai.
The masala chai by pahadi story is a very refreshing and aromatic blend of ctc black tea, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, cloves, cardamom.
How to Make Pahadi Story’s Masala Chai?
Just like you make your regular milk chai, you can make this chai too. Add in a cup of water to the pan, bring it to boil, add 1 tsp of tea leaves, 1 tsp of sugar, 1/2 cup milk. Allow it to boil till it turns brownish in color. Strain and enjoy warm along with your favorite biscuits.
To summarize, while most Indians love the taste of Masala tea and can’t really imagine their lives without a cup of this wonderful drink, not many realize that it has a whole lot of health benefits as well. While the spices like pepper and ginger are known to have a warming effect on the body, the addition of milk and sugar also contribute to the overall health of the drink. It is widely considered to be very beneficial in treating colds and coughs, and is also known to help people who have a fever. It is also helpful in reducing inflammation of the throat and is a great winter warmer. It also improves digestion and helps in the removal of toxins from the body.
