Moroccan mint tea
Section: Hot · tea
Applies to: gunpowder green tea steeped with fresh spearmint and sugar, poured from height, served in small glasses.
Target: 7-10 minutes per fresh pot.
Operating procedure
- Use gunpowder green tea, a generous bunch of fresh spearmint, and sugar; have a metal teapot and small glasses ready.
- Rinse the tea leaves once with a little hot water and discard that first rinse to soften bitterness.
- Heat water to about 80-85°C for green tea — boiling water scorches it and turns it harsh.
- Wash the fresh mint and keep the sprigs whole.
- Add the rinsed gunpowder tea to the pot and pour in the 80-85°C water to steep.
- Green tea steeps cooler than black — 80-85°C keeps it fresh and grassy, not bitter.
- Steep the tea base for about 2-3 minutes, then add the fresh mint and sugar.
- Add mint after the base has steeped so its oils stay bright and do not stew.
- Let the mint and sugar infuse for a few more minutes, adjusting sweetness to taste.
- Pour a glass, then return it to the pot once or twice to mix the tea evenly.
- Serve by pouring from height into small glasses to build a light foam cap.
- Clear golden-green color with a light foam on top from the high pour.
- Balanced mint-and-sweet flavor; not stewed, bitter, or cloying.
- Served hot in small glasses, freshly brewed per pot.
Sweetness is traditionally generous but is a to-taste call; some prefer it light. The high pour is not just for show — it aerates the tea and builds the signature foam. Spearmint is the classic mint here.
No caffeine figure is published for this drink: its record carries no tokenised ingredient list to derive from.