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How to Make Authentic and Delicious Moroccan Mint Tea

After traveling through this majestic and exotic country for a couple of weeks on our Moroccan road trip, we got used to the welcoming custom of someone offering you a glass of tea and moment to rest and relax before jumping into any business.

As the habit began to form, even I become a little cranky if I haven’t been offered a glass of tea within milliseconds of arriving….anywhere!  There is something soothing, relaxing, calming about being offered the chance to sit and wait for your tea, then drink it leisurely while filling out paperwork or ordering dinner or even watching the sun begin to set over Ksar ait Benhaddou.

Moroccan cookies and tea, the best Moroccan snack.
Moroccan cookies and tea, the best Moroccan snack.

Getting hooked on the sweet tea, warming you inside and out, was a happy circumstance of our trip. We drank tea while watching the food stalls being erected in the Marrakech Medina. We sipped a glass while enjoying the sunset on the beautiful Portuguese city of El Jadida, and we even had a glass in the blue shadows of stunning Chefchaouen. It’s the experience that brought the whole trip together.

A steaming glass of authentic Moroccan Mint Tea.
A steaming glass of authentic Moroccan Mint Tea.

How many glasses of mint tea will you need before you become tea-drunk?

I believe, the Moroccan tea-drinking culture may actually have been developed once people needed to navigate a medina (within the walls of the old town), since it can be a bit frustrating.  Between trying to find my destination and fending off unofficial guides, I have to admit that every time I arrived, I breathed a huge sigh of relief and looked forward to a cuppa.

Mint tea is more than a drink, more than a tradition, more than a ceremony.  It’s a conversation.  When someone offers you a glass of tea, it is an invitation to get to know each other, to settle in and enjoy your host’s company.  

It’s considered bad form to offer tea or accept tea without expecting to spend some time conversing.  Therefore, the making and serving of the tea is just as important as the consumption.

Moroccan waiter pouring two glasses of tea, an essential experience on a Ksar Ait Benhaddou day trip.
An inviting glass of tea is perfect on a chilly evening at the top of the ksar.

How to Make Moroccan Mint Tea

Visiting a Berber family south of Marrakesh, I learned how to make mint tea the Moroccan way.

Here’s what I learned:

Ingredients: hot water, mint, tea, sugar…lots of sugar!

Ingredients used in traditional Moroccan mint tea.
Ingredients used in traditional Moroccan mint tea.

First you put in the tea.  With a normal pot, you put one handful and a little extra.  Cover it completely with boiling water, and shake, shake, shake.  At this point, you pour out all the water and completely discard.  This is considered cleaning the tea, and the dirty water is called “chilil” or “chilila”.

Adding water to steep the tea.
Adding water to steep the tea.

Next, you put a big handful of mint, and a liberal amount of sugar in the pot, before filling the teapot with hot water.  This you let sit and steep for a few minutes, shake, and pour it into one glass, but immediately pour it back into the teapot.  You repeat this step three times, so that the sugar, mint, and tea can fully mix.

Adding sugar and mint to our teapot.
Adding sugar and mint to our teapot.

The next step is for you to determine if the mint tea has a good taste.  Pour a small amount into your own glass and sample.  Does it have enough mint? Enough sugar?  This is your opportunity to make sure the taste is perfect.  If you have to adjust it, put in the desired ingredients and repeat the pour in and pour out method three more times before serving the delectable tea to your guests.

The tasting step must not be skipped, because according to my teacher, Khailil,  “It is shameful if your guest has to add sugar to their tea after it is served,” since it will not be fully integrated with no gritty pieces floating in the mix.

Serving the tea also takes a little practice.  A talented server can hold the teapot up to a couple of feet above the glass, so that you can see the golden brown color and enjoy the look of your tea as well.  

Pouring from way above the teapot allows you to feast on the perfect color of the tea.
Pouring from way above the teapot allows you to feast on the perfect color of the tea.

By serving from a height, the splashing tea froths and foams.  A perfect glass of tea will have at least a half inch of froth on the top.  After pouring, garnish it with a few more mint leaves.

You will notice that at most tea houses or restaurants, the mint leaves are in the glass.  If you watch your neighbors, you’ll notice that they will take the mint out of the glass and put it on a plate.  

Mint Tea Assembly Line in Marrakesh.
Mint Tea Assembly Line in Marrakesh.

As you can see below, Aicha’s food stall in Marrakesh serves many glasses of tea each night, so they have put the mint and sugar in the glass and will only add the hot tea.  To my foreign taste buds, it was still delicious, but I’m not sure what Khailil would think about this assembly line method.

Have you had mint tea from Morocco?  Will you try and make it yourself?

Author Bio: Corinne Vail is a travel photographer, food lover, and a perpetual traveler who has been travel writing for over 14 years. For many years she lived overseas in Germany, Japan, Turkey, South Korea, and the Netherlands teaching the children of the US. military. She’s visited over 90 countries, and she’s not stopping anytime soon.

Corinne Vail

Tuesday 20th of January 2015

Luke, What I've written in the post is as close to a recipe as I have. Sorry.

Adelina // Pack Me To

Friday 16th of January 2015

I don't really like minty things unless I'm eating a peppermint candy. Mojitos are ickky too. I wonder if I would like this with all the sugar in it. Does it have a very strong taste of mint?

Corinne Vail

Tuesday 20th of January 2015

Adelina, It doesn't have a very strong mint taste at all.

SJ

Thursday 15th of January 2015

I am home now from my big 6 week trip and am freezing catching up on my blogging pals I'd love to drink this right now snuggled up by the fire. Send me some?

Corinne Vail

Friday 16th of January 2015

Sj, Welcome home! From your photos it looks like you had a fabulous time. I wish I were at home sipping Moroccan tea, too, but alas I'm at work!

Amy @ Ms. Toody Goo Shoes

Thursday 15th of January 2015

Wow, that looks SO good. I remember seeing tea something like this in Amsterdam.

Corinne Vail

Friday 16th of January 2015

Amy, It's pretty good as long as it's not too sweet.

Michele {Malaysian Meanders}

Tuesday 13th of January 2015

Does having Moroccan Mint Tea in the Morocco pavilion at Disney's EPCOT center count? I really enjoyed the tasted but had no idea about all the tradition behind it. The way that the server is frothing the tea by pouring it from high up reminds me of Malaysian Teh Tarik (pulled tea). I really enjoyed learning more about this custom from you.

Corinne Vail

Tuesday 13th of January 2015

Michele, Ha, ha! I don't know. I've never tried Moroccan tea in Disneyworld. Too funny!