kahva or qahva : a nice warming Kashmiri tea infused with cinnamon, green cardamom and almonds

Someone was teasing me with a picture of kahva and I wanted my 2 mugs of this warming concoction. Yes 2 mugs as I always make some extra and have another mugful after a while. I love my kahva so much.

So I made the kahva and took pictures. I had some old pictures too but this time I decided to include all the ingredients into the pictures so the picture would tell the recipe too as it is not much of a recipe beyond that.

Half a tsp of green kashmiri tea leaves (or Chinese green tea) are boiled along with an inch piece of cinnamon, one crushed green cardamom and 2 crushed almonds. Sugar to taste. Some people like walnuts in this tea but I like almonds more. Add a few saffron strands if you wish, I make Kahva with or without saffron depending on how fancy I am feeling when I make it.

The recipe was told to me by a dry fruits shop owner in Katra (the base station to vaishno devi trek), from where we always get this green Kashmiri tea and some dry fruits for the season. He had told the recipe with such good expressions on his face that I still remember how he had prompted me to buy so many small packets of this green tea. I have gifted this green tea to many of my friends, and needless to say have made many fans of this special tea.

Everything on the ingredient list is boiled for about 5 minutes ( this tea is not brewed like other green teas), strained and then some freshly chopped or crushed almonds are added to the mug...

Inhale and you fall in love.

Otherwise too, I am a tea enthusiast and have many varieties of tea at any given point of time. Darjeeling is our daily morning cuppa ( the same mug actually and we are addicted to this mug for our clear teas) and then there are many flavored and unflavored green teas.

We use the CTC tea granules for our milky masala chai, I like a robust one for my masala chai and a lighter flavorful one for a light brew sometimes, a different tea for a different mood, season, time of the day etc. etc.

Kahva is a favored tea when I have my headaches (I am a migraine personality didn't you know?) The cinnamon helps with it most of the times. It is a soothing tea for any time you need it. You feel rejuvenated while boiling it, when you inhale are wafting aromas involuntarily.

Kahva or Qahva as it is pronounced, the tea is very comforting in winter months, especially in the northern India where the sun often hides through the day. Kahva has a  more appealing taste on such days I must add. I always wonder how we adapt our foods and drinks in different geographical regions.

This is the best Kashmir could do with green tea, infuse it with spices and almonds. Culinary evolution always depended on local produce and climate. Kahva explains it quite well.