Artificial Food Coloring Free Chai Spice Iced Tea
Warm chai spices meet a refreshing iced format in this deeply aromatic drink that feels like a treat without any of the ingredient anxiety that comes with store-bought bottled teas. Many commercial iced teas and flavored drinks sneak in synthetic dyes to achieve that appealing amber or golden hue, but here the gorgeous color comes entirely from black tea, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and black peppercorns — nothing artificial required. The maple syrup adds just the right touch of natural sweetness, rounding out the bold spice blend without any of the questionable additives found in flavored syrups or pre-made chai concentrates. Simmering the whole spices before steeping the tea bags is the move that makes this drink taste complex and layered, like something you'd pay too much for at a café. Once strained and chilled, it's incredibly clean and crisp poured over ice, with that signature chai warmth hitting right at the back of the throat. It's the kind of drink you'll want to keep a pitcher of in the fridge all week.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 3 cups water
- 3 black tea bags
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 6 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed
- 4 whole cloves
- ¼ tsp black peppercorns
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
For serving
- 1 cup ice cubes, for serving
Instructions
- 1
Combine the water, cinnamon stick, sliced ginger, crushed cardamom pods, whole cloves, and black peppercorns in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, until the liquid is fragrant and lightly amber.
- 2
Remove the saucepan from the heat. Add the tea bags and steep for 4 minutes, then remove and discard the tea bags.
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