BHA & BHT Free Chai Spice Iced Tea
Warm chai spices meet a cool, refreshing glass in this aromatic iced tea that feels like a treat without any of the usual label-reading stress. Bottled and canned teas are notorious for sneaking in synthetic preservatives, so brewing your own from scratch is the cleanest way to enjoy a spiced drink you can actually trust. Here, whole cinnamon, fresh ginger, crushed cardamom pods, cloves, and black peppercorns are simmered together until the water turns fragrant and lightly amber — no shortcuts, no additives. Black tea bags steep right into that spiced base, soaking up every layer of flavor before maple syrup ties it all together with a gentle, natural sweetness. Straining everything through a fine-mesh sieve leaves you with a silky, crystal-clear tea that looks as good as it tastes poured over a tall glass of ice. It's the kind of drink that feels fancy enough for guests but is genuinely simple to pull off on any afternoon.
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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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