Immunity10 min
Kashmiri Kahwa, a Small Winter Cup
Green tea with a few saffron strands, cardamom, cinnamon and crushed almonds, taken as a warm winter cup. Pleasant and warming, not a cold remedy.
A warming cup from the valley
Kahwa is a traditional Kashmiri green tea simmered with saffron, cardamom and cinnamon, and served with crushed almonds. It is a fragrant, gently warming winter drink and a nice change from milk tea. It is a pleasure, not a cold or immunity treatment, and the spices are used in small amounts.
Keep to one or two cups a day, since it still has caffeine. Skip the sugar or keep it small. Saffron is used in a few strands only. Skip it if you are sensitive to caffeine, pregnant (ask your doctor about saffron and cinnamon amounts), or allergic to nuts.
Ingredients
- 1 cup water and 1 teaspoon green tea leaves
- A small cinnamon stick, 2 green cardamoms and 3 saffron strands
- 2 crushed almonds and a little honey if you like
How to prepare
- Simmer the water with cinnamon and cardamom for three minutes.
- Add the tea leaves and saffron, steep for two minutes and strain over the almonds.
How to use
- Sip one cup in the afternoon or evening.
- Keep it to one or two cups a day.
Helpful habits
- Do not boil the tea leaves, as they turn bitter.
- Add honey only after the tea cools a little.
Precautions
- Contains caffeine, so skip it late at night if you are sensitive.
- Ask a doctor about spices in pregnancy, and avoid it with a nut allergy.
- Not a cold or immunity treatment.
Frequently asked questions
Does kahwa boost immunity?
- It is a warm, pleasant drink. No tea is proven to boost immunity.
Can I make it without saffron?
- Yes. Cinnamon and cardamom alone make a nice cup.
Can children drink it?
- Not as a regular drink, since it has caffeine.
