Ingredients
- 4 green cardamom pods
- 4 whole cloves
- 4 black peppercorns
- 1 cinnamon stick about 3 inches long
- 10 g fresh ginger peeled and thinly sliced, about a 1-inch piece
- 1 cup water 240 ml
- 2 black tea bags plain Assam or English Breakfast
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk 360 ml
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar about 8 g, loosely filled
Equipment
- Small saucepan with lid, about 1.5 quarts
- Mortar and pestle
- Knife and cutting board
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Fine-mesh strainer and heatproof pitcher
- Small whisk or milk frother
- Two heatproof mugs, at least 12 ounces each
Instructions
- Lightly crush the cardamom pods, cloves and peppercorns in a mortar, just enough to open them. Put them in a small saucepan with the cinnamon stick, sliced ginger and water.
- Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Keep the liquid at a quiet bubble rather than a rolling boil.
- Take the pan off the heat, add the tea bags and cover. Steep for 3 minutes, then taste; allow up to 1 more minute for a stronger brew. Lift out the bags without squeezing them.
- Pour the spiced tea through a fine-mesh strainer into a heatproof pitcher. Discard the strained spices and ginger. Rinse any loose spice fragments out of the saucepan.
- Add the milk and brown sugar to the saucepan. Warm over medium-low heat for about 3 minutes, stirring, until steaming with small bubbles around the edge; do not boil. Remove from the heat and whisk briskly for 20–30 seconds, or use a milk frother while keeping its head submerged.
- Divide the strained tea between two heatproof mugs of at least 12-ounce capacity. Pour half the warm milk into each, then spoon over the remaining foam. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Serving: 1of 2 mugsCalories: 128kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 5.8gFat: 5.9gSaturated Fat: 3.4gCholesterol: 18mgSodium: 83mgPotassium: 284mgSugar: 13.1gCalcium: 210mg
Video
Notes
Tea: Use plain black tea, not a presweetened chai mix. Steeping strength varies by brand. The 20-minute timing includes bringing the water to a simmer and steeping the tea.
Milk: Unsweetened soy or oat drink can replace the whole milk in the same volume. Foam and nutrition vary by brand. The main recipe contains milk.
Nutrition: Estimated per half recipe with whole milk and 8 g total brown sugar, using USDA FoodData Central values. The spices and ginger are strained out; trace nutrients extracted from them are not modeled. No extra sweetener, toppings or sides included.
Cost: Estimated US$1.60 for the two-mug recipe, or US$0.80 per mug, based on prorated sample US retail ingredient prices observed October 13, 2026. Spice weights are approximate. Excludes tax, delivery, energy and unused package contents; local prices vary.
Video: The Cooking Foodie demonstrates the same whole-spice, strained-tea and frothed-milk approach. The video toasts its spices, uses larger spice and sugar quantities, and boils the tea briefly. This card uses a covered spice simmer and a short off-heat steep; follow its quantities and timing.
