Brews N News

How to make Chai from scratch

Why not try and make chai from scratch? You can vary the following according to taste.

1/3 cup filtered water
2/3 cup milk (substitute with rice or almond milk, if desired)
1 teaspoon of tea for each cup measure (plus a bit extra)
freshly chopped ginger
cardamom pods
a little piece clove (optional)
enough sugar to make it sweet

Place all ingredients into a saucepan and bring slowly to a boil. When boiling turn up the heat and swirl it around until it reaches the desired strength and the spices provide a kick. Strain it into small glasses.

Chocolate Toothpaste?

Chocolate could help prevent tooth decay, according to scientists at Japan's Osaka University. The husks of the cocoa beans from which chocolate is made contain an antibacterial agent that fights plaque. These husks are usually discarded in chocolate production, but in future they could be added back in to chocolate to make it dental-friendly.

They concluded that the cavity-fighting action of cocoa bean husks isn't enough to offset decay caused by chocolate's high sugar content, however, so chocolate isn't going to replace toothpaste any time soon.