Should I crush the spice for Chai Tea Latte? After having a cup of Chai Tea Latte from Starbuck,I decided to make a cup of Chai Tea Latte by myself.

I've bought the spice from India store, however, they are not in powder simply because they don't have label on the powder so I can't identify them. However, I recognized their original shape so I bought them in the raw shape.

I don't have a grinder or mortar/pestle. I really don't want to buy them for occasional drink.

Is it common way to put the spice directly into the boiling water without grinding them into powder?

Below is the recipe:

I got cinnamon stick, cardamom pods (green cardamom) and cloves in raw shape.



  1 1/2 cups of water
  
  1 1/2 inch stick of cinnamon
  
  8 cardamom pods
  
  8 whole cloves
  
  1/4 inch fresh ginger root (sliced thin)
  
  2/3 cup of milk
  
  6 teaspoons sugar
  
  3 teaspoons of Darjeeling Tea leaves
The way we make Chai in India ( there are lots of variants of the spice mix) is to use the spices whole while brewing the tea and to strain the tea before drinking. 

Though for cardomom you should crush it to release the flavor. I would suggest using your hand or the broad side of your knife blade.

If you decide to use ginger, it might be a good idea to grate it to increase the surface area so that the flavor is absorbed quicker. (Ginger chai is really good in winter :))