Chai Pilgrimage

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The Ganges River is affectionately referred to as Ganga Ma by Hindus who revere the river as nature’s embodiment of the Divine Mother. It is said she flows from Heaven onto the matted hair of Lord Shiva’s head before descending onto Earth in the Himalayas.

Art by Shiv-Ram of Ramana’s Garden Orphanage, Rishikesh, India :: Artseva.org

If she were to hit the Earth directly, her intense force would destroy it. Ganga Ma flows through Northern India, traveling over 1500 miles from the Gangotri glacier to the Bay of Bengal, bringing her life-giving waters and compassionate blessings to all along her path. She heals the land, making it fertile as her waters overflow during monsoon season. To touch or even look upon her is believed to be a great blessing. Our friends Deepu and Vijay showed us photos of the flood that spilled into their house when the river rose during heavy monsoons. They enthusiastically told us, “Yes, Mother Ganga came in and blessed our family’s home. We were very happy.”

To bathe in her life-transforming waters removes all sins and can bestow moksha, or eternal liberation from the cycles of death and rebirth. Every Hindu desires to dip into this holy river at least once in their lifetime. It is auspicious to have one’s ashes offered to the Ganga after death to be carried directly to Heaven. As she flows, she gathers both prayers and sins to be sanctified and released into the depths of the ocean. She is liquid grace, unfathomable and eternally giving. She is Mother.

Sweet is a taste that evokes a feeling of nurturing and love. It is interesting to know that the Sanskrit word for sweet, madhu, also means delicious, pleasant, charming and delightful.  Although many tea authorities think that sugar defiles the pure taste of tea, those who make masala chai know that it is a necessary ingredient to bring out the flavor of the spices.  And as far as tastes go, initiating each day with a sweet flavor on the palate, rather than the bitter taste of plain tea, invites a sweetness of experience throughout the day.

Nowadays, there are many options available when choosing your masala chai sweetener.  This is not an exhaustive list, but represents some of the commonly used tea sweeteners in the West.

Refined Cane Sugar – a.k.a. “the white stuff,” is by far the world’s most popular tea sweetener.  The great thing about sugar is that it draws out the flavors of the spices without adding any taste of its own. Although refined sugar is as white as new fallen snow, it is not as sattvic, or divinely pure, as it appears. The unfortunate consequence of the refining process is that virtually everything except highly concentrated sucrose has been stripped away.  Because there is nothing for the body to break down, the sugar immediately enters the blood steam, sending blood sugar levels soaring, typically followed by a sugar crash and burn.  This effect can be easily observed in a child’s temperament after they have eaten some sugary sweet candy.  Overuse is associated with many disorders including hyperactivity, depression, obesity, diabetes, compromised immunity and tooth decay, to name a few.  It is very addictive, so use in moderation and with caution.

Turbinado – Although it is sometimes marketed as a “raw” sugar, there is not much difference between this and the white stuff.  It does retain a trace amount of molasses, giving it its light brown color, but it is not as wholesome as evaporated cane juice, which preserves its molasses and intrinsic nutritional content. Turbinado is produced by taking the crystals from the evaporated juice and spinning them in a centrifuge, or turbine, hence the name turbinado.

Evaporated cane juice – This is the masala chai sweetener we use most often.  Sold under the name Sucanat (sugar cane natural), it is very similar to Indian jaggery.  It is created by extracting the juice from raw cane, heating it to reduce it to a syrup, then stirring it as it dries into dark brown granules.  It still retains its molasses flavor, color and, most importantly, its nutritional integrity, including minerals that naturally help to metabolize the carbohydrates.  Because it breaks down slower in the body, the blood sugar levels remain more stable, with less of the associated emotional roller coaster ride.  It does add some molasses flavor to your chai, but also provides a dark color, giving you a rich, brown chai without having to use as much tea.  This makes it the perfect sweetener for a “chai-less” masala chai, a sweet masala milk without tea leaves.

Honey – Honey has been used for millennia in Ayurveda and other natural healing traditions as a powerful medicinal.  It is utilized to treat cough, sore throat, asthma, bronchitis and ulcer.  Its antiseptic and antibacterial properties make it an indispensable external medicine for burns, wounds and staph infections.  Taken in conjunction with Ayurvedic herbal formulations, it acts as a vehicle to deliver the botanical medicinal properties deeply into the tissues.  It can do all this and sweeten your tea too!  When using honey as a chai sweetener, it should be added at the very end after it has been removed from the heat. Ayurveda teaches that raw, uncooked honey is a healing nectar, but if heated, it transforms and becomes a sticky, toxic substance that clogs the body’s channels. Used in chai, it does add a distinctive honey flavor, which varies depending on the variety of flowers from which the bees collected the pollen.

Maple Syrup – Although uncommon in India, and relatively expensive, pure maple syrup is our favorite masala chai sweetener.  It is produced primarily in Canada and also in the U.S.A.  Maple trees are tapped each year, the sap collected and boiled down into a concentrated syrup.  It takes about 40 gallons of sap to produce 1 gallon of maple syrup.  A natural sweetener with only the water removed, it contains manganese, zinc, other trace minerals and B vitamins. It does add a maple flavor to the chai, but oh, it is so delicious.

Agave nectar – Agave nectar is produced from a large, spiky succulent plant found in Mexico. The aquamiel, or “honey water,” as it is called, is the same liquid that is distilled to produce the alcoholic drink tequila. In recent years, it has become a popular substitute for sugar or honey. It obtains its sweetness from fructose, and therefore has a lower glycemic index than sugar or honey. It is sweeter than honey and has a thinner consistency, making it easy to squeeze out of a bottle. The lighter grades of agave nectar have a neutral flavor, so will not alter the taste of your masala chai.

It’s nice to experiment with sweeteners and how they combine with different varieties of teas and spices. What is your preference for sweetening your masala chai?

There are certain places on Earth, call them vortexes or centers of the universe or suns shining with divine light, that attract celestial bodies who are empowered by circling around them.  The 14th century Bodnath stupa in Kathmandu is such a place.  From morning until night, hundreds of Tibetan Buddhists circumambulate the enormous white, dome-shaped shrine to the Buddha’s enlightenment.  Chanting Om Mane Padme Hum in low, resonant tones, they slide worn prayer beads between their fingers and turn prayer wheels built into the wall of the stupa.

As soon as we were in view of the stupa, a heartfelt attraction drew us into the mantra and into orbit. Spinning prayer wheels inscribed with the mantra, we became part of the collective prayer of pure compassion being sent to all sentient beings.  The subtly palpable vibration of the mantra was carried by the ringing bells, the wafting amber incense, the movements of the embodied souls walking clockwise around the stupa and through the stupa itself, like a transmission tower, out into the universe.  Even at night, as worshippers sleep, thousands of colorful prayer flags continue to release the mantra of compassion into the wind, while Buddha’s calm, omniscient eyes stand witness.

Bodnath sits in the heart of Kathmandu’s Tibetan community, making this not only a religious center, but also a social gathering place.  So, after recharging our spiritual batteries and broadcasting our love into the stratosphere, we honored our bodily call for comfort with some masala chai and a chocolate brownie at a stupa-side café.  Who says you can’t sip chai and awaken your Buddha nature at the same time?

English: Cinnamon

Botanical: Cinnamomum zeylanicum

Sanskrit: Tvak

Hindi/Nepali: Dalchini

Cinnamon is called tvak in Sanskrit, which literally means “skin,” because it is obtained by peeling off the sweet inner bark, or skin, of the tree. Like many other chai spices, cinnamon’s warming nature aids digestion and is traditionally used for a variety of stomach and intestinal imbalances such as indigestion, nausea, gas, vomiting and diarrhea. As a home remedy, it can be made into a tea or added to food to improve circulation, thus warming cold hands and feet and relieving a general feeling of coldness. It can also alleviate menstrual pain, abdominal cramping and muscle spasms. The oil is used for toothache and dental infections.

Cinnamon warms the internal body, and is used medicinally in Ayurveda as a tonic for the organs and to increase vitality. It warms the kidneys, strengthens the adrenals and the heart and purifies the blood. Acting as an expectorant on the lungs, it is useful for coughs, congestion and asthma. Cinnamon is considered an aphrodisiac and is indicated for male sexual debility.

When adding cinnamon to chai, it is better to use the stick rather than the powder. This will give your chai a richer taste as well as preventing your chai from becoming “muddy” from fine cinnamon powder that does not thoroughly strain out. The flavor of cinnamon can be overpowering and easily dominate a masala chai if too much is used. Using just a little as an accent adds a wonderfully sweet taste.

English: Cardamom

Botanical: Elettaria cardamomum

Sanskrit: Ela

Hindi: Elaichi

Nepali : Alaichi

Cardamom is equal in standing to ginger as a classic masala chai spice. In fact, if you use only these two spices in your chai, you can create a tasty, well-balanced brew. Medicinally, it is used to improve one’s taste sensation. Added to your masala, it can open your taste buds, allowing you to truly appreciate a yummy batch of chai. It also counteracts the mucus-forming properties of dairy, making it a healthy supplement to a milky chai. It has the additional benefit of freshening the breath.

For the lungs, cardamom is useful for those suffering from asthma, breathlessness or bronchitis. It is used to alleviate colds and cough and as an expectorant to expel phlegm. Cardamom is also indicated as an herbal remedy for many symptoms of digestive upset including indigestion, nausea, vomiting, belching, flatulence, bloating, colic and acid reflux.

For the best tasting masala chai, use whole, plump, green cardamom pods. Thoroughly grind the pod, and the brownish seeds within, with a mortar and pestle or a spice/coffee grinder. If you cannot find the whole pods, the decorticated (pod removed) seeds can be used, but will lack the fresh flavor of the full pod. It is not worth buying the powder because it oxidizes quickly after being ground and has already lost its potency and flavor on the shelf. I have found it is best not to boil the cardamom, but to add it to the masala after turning off the heat and let it steep. The volatile oils, and with them the flavor and medicinal value, are diminished with boiling.

There is nothing in the universe that is non-medicinal and cannot be made use of for many purposes and by many modes. — Vagbhata, Ashtanga Hrdayam

Botanical: Zingiber officinale

English: Ginger

Sanskit: Ardraka (fresh), Sunthi (dried)

Hindi: Adrak, Adarakh

Nepali: Aduwaa

In the ancient Ayurvedic tradition, ginger was referred to as Vishvabhesaja, meaning “the universal medicine.”  It has been utilized as a botanical healer around the world since antiquity for a broad range of conditions. Ginger’s warming quality counteracts many cold-induced illnesses brought on during the winter. It is a common home remedy that is safely used with children for colds, flu, sore throat and sinus congestion. It can calm stomach nausea, vomiting and motion sickness and help relieve intestinal gas and abdominal cramping, including menstrual cramps. We found it indispensable for these conditions while traveling in Nepal and India and always carried it in our daypack, eating it raw as a first aid treatment.

ginger vendor in Bhaktapur, Nepal

Ginger breaks up mucus congestion and acts as an expectorant for the lungs. It cleanses the body by burning toxins or eliminating them through the skin by promoting perspiration. By neutralizing toxins and aiding circulation, it helps treat rheumatic conditions and osteo-arthritis.

Ginger is a powerful digestive because it stimulates saliva flow, ignites the digestive fire and tones the stomach. Dr. Vasant Lad suggests eating a slice of ginger with a few drops of lime juice and a pinch of mineral salt before eating to promote digestion. As an entire medicine chest in one plant, it is a good idea to always have some on hand in your home.

Ginger is the primary spice in masala chai. The fresh root (actually a rhizome) is available at most supermarkets. To use it, grate, smash or thinly slice the fresh root and add it to the simmering masala. Using a cheese grater is the simplest method and there is no need to peel it. In a pinch, you can use dried ginger powder, but the whole, fresh ginger root will offer the best flavor.

In the Indian metropolis of Delhi, where fast-paced, cell-phone toting characters out of Monsoon Wedding live side by side with barefoot rickshaw wallahs cycling past roaming cows in the road, we visited the largest spice market in all of Asia, the bustling Khari Baoli bazaar.  At once, all our senses were over-stimulated to an amplified level. Open air shops on both sides of the road displayed sackcloth bags filled with pungent spices, bushels of fragrant flowers, nuts and sticky dried fruits, mountains of bright orange turmeric, mouth-watering sweets, gallons of gooey ghee and enough tea to steep the Indian ocean. We could barely breath.  The intense combination of indiscernible aromas oscillated our insides between gagging nausea and voracious hunger.

Carried along by the throngs of merchants corralled on the sidewalks, we watched as businessmen from all over India tested quality with a sniff or a taste and marked a deal with a head waggle.  Shopkeepers weighed out goods the old-fashioned way, with iron weights on a balance scale.  In the street, thin men carried burlap sacks bigger and heavier than their own bodies, loading them onto hand drawn wooden carts. Whether you need 5 grams or 500 kilos, goods are sold in bulk at rock-bottom wholesale prices.  We walked away with precious clear gift boxes filled with delicate red saffron strands from Kashmir.  This is the ideal place to look at some of the spices used to make masala chai, and their medicinal properties.