Ayurveda gives this blend its name and its logic. Liquorice root, ginger, fennel, orange peel, cardamom and cinnamon are combined to support the VATA dosha, one of three energies that Ayurvedic tradition holds responsible for health. In that system Vata governs motion: circulation, breathing, blinking, the heartbeat. Pitta handles metabolism, digestion and temperature, while Kapha oversees growth and the body's water balance. The belief behind this blend is that it eases strain in the bodily functions tied to Vata specifically, though you could just as easily drink it for the taste. Around 80% of rural households in India still draw on this kind of thinking day to day, using herbs and spices that have carried this meaning for thousands of years.
Whatever you make of the theory, the cup itself is easy to like: a bright yellow, light-bodied liquor with sweet, spiced notes built around orange, honey and warm spice rather than anything bitter. Fennel and cardamom carry the sweetness, cinnamon and ginger bring the heat, and liquorice root rounds off the finish, so the overall effect sits closer to a spiced fruit tisane than a medicinal brew.
Ginger is the ingredient most often singled out. Traditional use credits it with easing digestion and lifting metabolism, and some research has looked at gingerol, the compound behind ginger's bite, for its effect on fat metabolism. That's worth knowing, but it's a long way from a guarantee, and the tea is better approached as a pleasant, warming cup than a remedy for anything specific.
Brew with freshly boiled water for five to ten minutes. It's fine served plain; add honey if you'd like it sweeter. The Kent and Sussex Tea and Coffee Company packs this blend at its factory in Kent, and says doing so guarantees quality and consistency.
