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Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous

What i really like is Armenian style coffee black with chai spices... mmmm its the best of both worlds! Ethiopians do it like this too

i've never had armenian coffee but if it's anything like turkish (i suspect) the spice that makes all the difference in it is cardamom-- which you can buy cheaply in bulk at your local food co-op (well, cheapness is relative-- cheaper than $4 chai at starfux).

masala chai ("chai" in 'merica) is brewed with cardamom pods (plus ginger, cinnamon, etc). you can blend your own brew w/ cheap broken leaf assam.

if you want to add cardamom to your coffee, just use it in powder when you brew-- it's great to improve a coffee that's starting to lose its freshness (e.g. you bought it ground last week and it's not quite where it was before). a tiny pinch will do, the aromas are very volatile and it can overpower.