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Moroccan Mint Tea



Morocco is place full of memorable moments, sights, sounds, smells and tastes. Perhaps none is more memorable than the delicious mint tea that is served everywhere all day - in shops, cafes and after meals, Moroccan mint tea is hot, sweet and delicious - and relatively easy to make once you get the routine down. 
On our recent trip to Morocco we picked up some mint, tea and traditional teapots and glasses, but you can easily make the tea in a pan or in any stovetop pot or kettle. 
Full tutorial after the jump:


You will need:
1/2 -1 tbsp gunpowder green tea
handful fresh mint leaves 
(I also added a few sprigs of chiba (or sheba - also known as absinthium or wormwood which adds a slightly bitter aromatic taste)
2 tbsp sugar (Moroccans use white sugar cubes, I used golden caster sugar) - add more or less to taste.
Freshly boiled water.

* Add a spoonful of green tea to your pot and add a cup of boiling water.
* Let this tea steep for a minute or so, then pour into a cup. This is the essence of the tea and will be added back later to help flavour the tea. 
* Add another cup full of boiling water to the teapot and swirl the pot for a few seconds. 
* Pour the tea into a glass. This extracts the bitterness from the tea and is poured away.




*See the difference in colour (above) between the first cup of tea holding the essence and flavour on the right and the tea which we will discard on the left. 



* Now you are ready to add your sugar, mint, your first cup of tea and the remaining boiling water.
* Simmer your teapot on a low heat on the stove for about 5 minutes. This gives the tea time to caramelise and the mint to flavour the tea.



  * Now pour the tea into a cup - but wait! You will now need to pour this tea back into the teapot and repeat a couple of times. This is to aerate the tea, mix it and lower the temperature.
*Now FINALLY the tea is ready to pour and enjoy.

* When pouring into your teacups, try to pour from a high height to get that lovely bubbly froth that traditional Moroccan tea always has.

ENJOY!





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