Moroccan Mint Tea
Sweet, strong green tea steeped with fresh mint and poured from height to build a light foam — the everyday drink of Moroccan hospitality.
Mint tea in Morocco is less a beverage than a social ritual — offered to guests almost the moment they arrive, and often poured and re-poured throughout a visit rather than served once and left. Turning down a glass is unusual enough that it’s worth knowing the custom before you’re a guest in someone’s home.
Gunpowder green tea, rolled into small pellets, is the traditional base because it holds up to the fairly long steep time without turning overly bitter — a delicate green tea meant for quick steeping will taste harsh here.
The sugar amount in this recipe is a starting point rather than a rule; Moroccan tea served in cafes and homes is often sweeter than what most non-Moroccan palates are used to, so adjust freely to taste.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp Chinese gunpowder green tea
- 3 1/2 cups boiling water — divided
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, tightly packed — spearmint if you can find it
- 1/4 cup, or to taste sugar
Method
- Rinse the tea leaves
Put the green tea leaves in a teapot and pour a small splash of boiling water over them. Swirl briefly and discard this first rinse — it removes bitterness and dust without wasting the flavor.
- Steep
Add the remaining boiling water, the mint leaves and the sugar to the teapot. Let it steep for 5-7 minutes.
- Stir and taste
Give the tea a gentle stir and taste, adjusting sugar if needed — Moroccan tea is traditionally quite sweet, though you can scale this back.
- Pour from height
Pour a glass out and back into the pot once or twice, holding the pot high above the glass. This aerates the tea and builds the thin foam on top that's part of how it's traditionally served, then pour into small glasses to serve.
More Moroccan recipes
Moroccan Harira
A hearty tomato, lentil and chickpea soup thickened with a flour-and-water slurry, brightened at the end with fresh herbs and lemon.