It’s that time of year when there are many (many!) get-togethers and events to host and attend. Maybe you’re hosting and maybe you’ve just been asked to bring along something to nibble.
I can’t believe I haven’t posted a recipe for how to make Moroccan mint tea but realized now would be a great time. This is a great Moroccan drink for adults and kids. Even people who don’t like tea love Moroccan tea!
Moroccan tea doesn’t come in a tea bag. It’s brewed loose and you will get pieces of tea leaves and mint in your cup. Don’t worry it settles to the bottom and it’s customary to always leave just a little bit of sediment there. To make the tea you will need;
- loose green tea. Chinese Gunpowder tea is the most commonly used variety.
- Mint. Fresh mint is the best but if it’s not in season or expensive dried mint also works
- Sugar.
- Water (of course)
I use a metal teapot like is shown above but a ceramic pot also works.
This recipe is based on a 16oz capacity teapot.
Place your tea kettle on to boil.
Then add 2 heaping teaspoons of loose tea to your teapot.
If you’re using fresh mint add 5-6 springs into the pot – you may need to stuff it in!
Finally, add 4-5 teaspoons of sugar. Is this a lot of sugar? Yes. But the sugar is key.
If you served a Moroccan tea without sugar they probably would be too polite to say anything but would wonder what in the world was going on.
When your water has boiled pour it into the teapot.
If you are using a metal teapot, place it onto your burner and turn up the heat.
You will want the water to boil again as a way to steep the tea.
If you are using a ceramic teapot, allow the tea to steep for about 5 minutes before serving.
Tea is served in small glass cups.
It’s a skill to pour the correct way which is holding the tea pot with one-handed and raising the stream as high as possible.
This action creates bubbles on the top of the tea cup – the more bubbles the better. It’s common to see the host pour a glass of tea and then pour it back into the tea pot. This may happen several times. It’s a way to circulate the tea before serving. This may seem like a complicated way to prepare tea but the results are well worth it!
On an interesting note, the level of sweetness varies regionally. The further south in the country you go the sweeter the tea gets. I have a friend from northern Morocco who makes tea one way but always doubles the sugar when my husband is at the table.
What about tea bags?
If you’re thinking this is all more than you’d like to deal with you can of course always use tea bags. There are several different brands of Moroccan mint tea that are very good. Here are some of my favorites
