There are many factors to consider when selecting masala chai spices. Earlier we discussed how the Gunas, or qualities, that are inherent in the spices determine the effect that it will have on our being. But there is another level of quality that is paramount when we embark on making a deliciously healthy cup of chai – good quality. As the vendors in India often touted, “cheapesht and besht!”
When possible, choose the highest quality, freshest, organic, whole spices that are available to you. From an Ayurvedic standpoint, high quality in a spice means that it full of Prana, or life force. If we use Prana-full spices, our chai will come alive, and if we use old, stale, powdered, dead spices, the end result will reflect this.
Within a plant, Prana is the living intelligence that is transferred to our body upon ingestion and digestion. This botanical intelligence is what communicates to our cellular intelligence how to go about healing itself. To protect the life force of the spices, it is important to keep the spice in tact, in its whole form, until we are ready to place it into the simmering water that will extract its Prana. The easiest way to do this is by purchasing whole spices instead of powder: fresh ginger root, whole cardamom pods, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, etc. When we use spices that have been pulverized on the other side of the world months or years ago and then sit on the shelf for just as long, the Prana, and with it the flavor and healing potential, has escaped by the process of oxidation. For this reason it is also beneficial to store spices in airtight glass, porcelain or tin containers, preferably in a relatively cool, dark location in your kitchen.
It may seem like a lot of trouble to crush your own spices, but it really takes only a few minutes. The best tools to have are a mortar and pestle, a coffee/spice grinder and a cheese grater. Indian chai wallahs will often just use a rock to smash the spices. We have heard of saddhus that will simply crush the spices in their teeth, but for hygiene reasons, we do not recommend this. Personally, we use a cheese grater for the ginger, the electric coffee grinder for the cardamom (which is very hard) and a mortar and pestle for everything else.
Another benefit to processing the spices manually is that your own energy, or Prana, is infused into the spices as you crush them. This is where chai making becomes alchemical and you can transmute your chai into a golden prayer for your friends and family.
Traditional masala chai spices assist in increasing the body’s Prana in another way. Ginger, cinnamon, cardamom and other chai spices support the function of the lungs, thereby allowing you to absorb more elemental air Prana through the breath. In addition, almost all of the spices are digestives that help the body to assimilate nutritive Prana from food. And many of the heating chai spices act to burn up toxins in the body, thus clearing away unwanted sludge that impedes the flow of healing Prana through the channels of the body.
Hope you enjoy it!
