Whenever I make this tea at home, I use a naturally caffeine-free tea from the plant Aspalathus linearis called Rooibos, that is grown on the slopes of South Africa's Cedarberg mountains.

It is available at well-stocked supermarkets as Rooi tea (pronounced "Roy"). The tea lends itself well to this version of the ubiquitous spicy chai available all over the Indian Subcontinent.

Serves 4.

• 4 cups water
• one 6cm cinnamon stick
• 10 green cardamom pods
• 10 whole cloves
• 1¼ cups milk
• 2½ tablespoons sugar, or to taste
• 6 teaspoons Rooibos tea, or 2 bags

Bring to the boil the water, along with the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves, in a medium saucepan over full heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Return to the boil, drop in the Rooibos tea, remove from the heat, cover and set aside for 5 minutes.

Add the milk and sugar, strain and serve immediately.

Note: unlike most teas, Rooi tea can be left to draw for long periods then successfully reheated without any bitterness.

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