I’ve been drinking cardamom coffee lately. Why, I’m drinking some now. The stuff at Hampton Chutney on Prince Street in Manhattan is great but homemade can be as good.
For a first attempt, I bought a small bag of whole green cardamom pods from a cash-and-carry among the strip of Indian stores lining Oak Tree Road in Iselin, New Jersey. (Try buying cardamom at your local grocer and you’ll find it’s among the most expensive spices on the rack, right up there with saffron. Seek out an Indian specialty store for massive cost savings; Kalustyan’s is my go-to spot in New York City.)
I poured the hot coffee over the pods in a mug and it was O.K. But after a second attempt, I found what works best is simply adding a tablespoon of cardamom seeds to the coffee grounds then brewing per usual.
Use a dark-roast coffee; I favor Café Bustelo because it’s cheap and readily available. For the true Hampton Chutney experience, stir in a glob of sweetened condensed milk. That’s some good cardamom coffee.