Cardamom vs clove
The two aromatic spices that define a masala, and the pair most often over-used by someone building a chai from scratch. One is a pod and one is a flower bud.
botanical
What is being compared
Point by point
| Aspect | Cardamom | Clove |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The seed pod of a southern Indian ginger relative. | The dried unopened flower bud of an Indonesian myrtle. |
| Appearance | Pale green papery pods that split under a knife. | Dark brown nail-shaped buds with a round head. |
| Flavour | Sweet, floral and resinous with a eucalyptus lift and no heat. | Intensely clove, with a numbing quality and no supporting notes. |
| Quantity | Three or four pods in a pot, cracked before use. | Two is often enough; it takes over a blend within seconds. |
| Preparation | Cracked and simmered, usually with milk. | Simmered whole; ground clove fades and dominates at once. |
| Where it belongs | Chai, Scandinavian baking, Arabic coffee, Indian sweets. | Chai, mulled wine, Middle Eastern coffee, and jerk seasoning. |
| Confusion | Black cardamom is a different genus, fire-dried and smoky, and wrong in sweet preparations. | Allspice is the softer relative and cannot be pushed hard enough to replace it. |
The short answer
Cardamom is the aromatic and clove is the assertion. If a home-made chai tastes of one thing, it is almost always the clove.
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