DIY Herbal Infusion Advent Calendar 2024 – Day 8
Name: Elements: Fire
Ingredients: tulsi, cinnamon, ginger, black cardamom, orange
Movie: The Year Without a Santa Claus
Yay, the second element-inspired blend! I was excited to see this one so that I could try it again ha ha. Since I blended all of these last month, it’s been long enough that they’re fun to revisit now.
So… I really didn’t want to make a chai for fire, because I feel like it’s very overdone. And yet, I still ended up with a spiced blend LOL. This infusion has a tulsi base, because I feel like tulsi has a naturally warm flavor to it. I added cinnamon and ginger for more warmth and heat, respectively. And then my favorite ingredient – black cardamom. I had never tried this before, but ordered a sample from Selefina out of curiosity. The natural smokiness it has is almost unbelievable. It reminds me of lapsang, but then there’s also this sort of resin or camphor quality to it. It doesn’t exactly taste like juniper, but it’s somewhere in that ballpark, or at least it reminds me of it. The internet describes it as pungent, and I think I agree. And I then I put in a couple of pieces of dried orange just to add a little brightness and acidity.
Really like this one! I’m not even mad that I made an almost-chai XD. I will say, I didn’t really taste the orange, so I think I would add more next time.
Flavors: Camphor, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Earthy, Ginger, Herbaceous, Medicinal, Mineral, Resin, Roots, Savory, Smoke, Spices, Spicy, Sweet, Tulsi
Oh wow, black cardamom sounds amazing!
It’s so interesting, glad I tried it! :)