What are Your Favorite Spices for Hot Drinks?
Wednesday November 4, 2009
It's no wonder that spices were once worth their weight in gold! From classics like Spiced Turkish Coffee and Masala Chai to more contemporary drinks like Orange Ginger Hot Cocoa, spices can have a major impact on the drinks we love.Some spices work better than others when it comes to particular beverages -- why lose the flavor of saffron in coffee or overpower white tea with cloves -- but many beverage lovers find themselves drawn to the same spices again and again. Whether it's for coffee or tea (or even cocoa or cider) some of my personal favorite spices are vanilla, ginger and cardamom. Which spices do you prefer? Are they across-the-board favorites, or do you love particular spices with one hot beverage and not the others? Comment below to share your thoughts on spices in coffee, tea and beyond!
Comments
My favorite across the board is probably cinnamon, but I also love vanilla, cardamom, and ginger, too. Plus cloves, allspice, nutmeg, anise (star and seeds), sassafras and licorice root.
Thanks for sharing, Cathy! Sounds like you really love full-flavored spices.
I find that anise and licorice are fairly polarizing flavors. Personally, I’m not a big fan, so I always love to get expertise from those who love them. What are some of your favorite hot drink blends/recipes that use anise or licorice as ingredients?
i love cardamom… so love it with chai… but with coffee and hot choco i love to add a little cinnamon, gives it a little warm touch… vanilla goes great with my milk…
My favorite spice is actually an herb. I love to add chocolate mint to my teas, especially to my iced teas. Also like mint in my hot chocolate & there is also a pepperment patty coffee that I love.
Tribo – I totally agree about cardamom! Delicious! When I was in Darjeeling, I got to try a variety of black cardamom that grows wild. It was like green cardamom, but much spicier and stronger, almost peppery. And, of course, cinnamon and vanilla are also very tasty.
Becky – Good call! Mint and chocolate are amazing for cocoa and coffee. I also enjoy them in a good rooibos blend from time to time, but have never tried it in iced tea… As soon as the weather gets warm again, I’ll be sure to try it out!
Ginger has to be my favorite spice. I love adding it to tea and to hot chocolate.
Elizabeth – I adore ginger, too! I find that fresh is always best, but crystallized can do in a pinch.
I recently learned a trick for peeling fresh ginger. Just cut off one end and then use a spoon (held with the top facing you and one edge scraping the skin off) to peel it. It’s far easier than using a knife or a vegetable peeler, plus there’s less waste — the skin comes right off without taking a lot of ginger with it.
I especially like my hot chocolate with just a pinch of Cayon or jalapeno to spice it up.
Sounds great, Laurie! Have you tried this Aztec Chili Hot Chocolate recipe? Do you have a particular recipe you usually follow?