Tea Masala

A chai masala doesn't need twenty-five ingredients only just the right seven. Where some blends pad the list to look more elaborate, this one sticks to what actually makes chai taste like chai: dry ginger and black pepper for warmth, green cardamom for the aroma people associate with chai, and clove, mace, and cinnamon to round it out beyond just cardamom

Even a cup of chai that tastes flat comes to life in seconds with a pinch stirred in. It's designed to go into the chai, not sit on top of it.

What is Tea Masala?

A mixture of dry ginger, green cardamom, nutmeg, clove, black pepper, mace and cinnamon, cold ground and packed in an air-tight pouch. Designed to be added to milk or water while boiling, or to a finished cup of tea that needs to be "woken up".

What makes it special?

All seven ingredients are real chai spices, not filler to pad the list. Aroma and warmth come mainly from green cardamom and dry ginger, depth from clove, mace, nutmeg, and cinnamon  the same spices behind a good homemade masala chai, just pre-measured and consistent cup to cup.

Why choose Shaman?

No vague "chai spices" line; all seven ingredients are listed separately. Because it's cold-ground, clove, mace, and cardamom  the three most delicate of the seven  retain their oils instead of losing them to heat before the pouch is sealed. No added colours, no added preservatives, and no added salt, unlike most of the blends in this range, chai masala is one of the few things in an Indian kitchen that doesn't need it.

How do you use Tea Masala?

For a cup of chai, add a small pinch to milk or water with tea leaves and sugar, and let it simmer for one or two minutes so the spices infuse without boiling. Also works stirred into golden milk or kadha, or sprinkled over rice pudding or a spiced dessert

What foods go well with it?

Kheer, rice pudding, and other lightly spiced desserts, plus masala chai, milk tea, golden milk, and kadha.

What's in it?

Dry ginger, green cardamom, nutmeg, clove, black pepper, mace, cinnamon. No added colours, no salt, the warm brown colour is all from the whole spices.

How is it made?

Clove, mace, and cardamom are cold-ground rather than heat-processed, like every whole-spice blend in this range  and since only seven spices carry the whole flavour here, that matters even more.

What is the criteria for good quality tea masala?

Three things to check. First, it should have a cardamom and ginger aroma the moment the pouch opens, not a generic "spicy" smell with no distinct spice. Second, the colour should be warm brown, not dusty tan, from the whole spices. Third, the list should be short and specific  a true chai masala has only seven ingredients, so a long list of "flavouring" or filler starches is a red flag.

This one ticks all three: a clear cardamom-ginger aroma, natural warm brown colour, and exactly seven ingredients

What is the best way to preserve it?

Cool, dry, away from direct sunlight, refrigerated after opening, clove, mace and cardamom are the first three that will flatten after regular opening of the pouch.

Is it suitable for everyday use?

Yes, more than anything else in Shaman's range  and no salt has been added, sodium levels are just 190mg per 100g, and all of it is naturally occurring in the spices themselves, way below all the masalas in this range.