Kemun & Shai Kimem: Cumin, Cardamom & the Tea Spices

Not all Ethiopian spice work happens in the stew pot — some of it happens in the teacup. Meet the warm trio behind shai (tea) and so much more: kemun, cardamom, and the blend that unites them.

Kemun (ከሙን) — cumin

Cumin is a small, slender annual herb whose seeds carry a warm, earthy flavor and aroma with a bit of both sweetness and bitterness. In Ethiopia its white variety (netch azmud's cousin in the blends) opens makulaya, deepens matafecha, and grounds many a wot. Toast before grinding and it turns almost nutty.

Yeshai kimem (የሻይቅመም) — cardamom

Cardamom is a spice with an intense, slightly sweet flavor that some people compare to mint — the green pods, distinct from smoky korerima, though Ethiopian kitchens happily use both. Its name in Amharic literally nods to tea: "the tea spice."

Shai kimem — the blend

Ethiopian spiced tea is black tea simmered with a warm company of cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger — the shai kimem — sweetened generously and served in small glasses. It is the coffee ceremony's gentler sibling: quicker, but no less social. The same blend sneaks into matafecha and even flavors qoti, the tea brewed from coffee leaves.

Brew it tonight

Simmer black tea with a spoonful of tea spices for five minutes, sweeten with honey, and serve hot — or iced, which Addis cafés have long known is just as good.

Our Ethiopian Tea Spices blend is ready for the pot — and the full chai method is on our Recipes blog.