Shellfish Free Chai Spice Iced Tea
Warm spices meet a cool glass in this deeply aromatic iced tea that feels like a coffeehouse treat made right in your own kitchen. Black tea is simmered with cinnamon, fresh ginger, cardamom, cloves, and black peppercorns until the liquid turns fragrant and beautifully amber — then sweetened with maple syrup for a naturally rich finish. The whole process is straightforward: bloom the spices, steep the tea, strain, and chill. Every single ingredient here is plant-based and ocean-free, so there's zero concern about hidden seafood derivatives that sometimes sneak into flavored syrups or commercial chai blends. The maple syrup adds a gentle caramel depth that plays beautifully against the heat of the ginger and pepper. Poured over a tall glass of ice, it's refreshing enough for a hot afternoon but complex enough to feel like a real occasion.
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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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