Moroccan Mint Tea

Before you start

Moroccan mint tea, often called atay, is Chinese gunpowder green tea brewed strong in a metal teapot with a large bunch of fresh spearmint and plenty of sugar. It is served in small decorated glasses and poured from a height so that a cap of foam forms on top. The result is sweet, cooling and slightly bitter all at once, and it is offered as a gesture of hospitality across the Maghreb.

The technique has a few distinctive steps. The tea leaves are rinsed first with a splash of boiling water to wash away dust and the harshest bitterness. The tea is then brewed directly on the heat for a few minutes, sweetened in the pot, and mixed by pouring a glass out and back in rather than stirring. Sweetness is traditionally high; this recipe gives a moderate level you can adjust.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp (about 6 g) Chinese gunpowder green tea
• 120 ml (½ cup) boiling water, for rinsing
• 750 ml (3 cups) boiling water, for brewing
• 1 large bunch (about 20 g) fresh spearmint — stems and leaves, rinsed
• 40 to 60 g (3 to 5 tbsp) granulated sugar — traditional versions often use more

Method

1. Put the gunpowder tea in the teapot. Pour in the 120 ml of boiling water, swirl for about 20 seconds and pour this first liquid into a glass. Set it aside; this first infusion carries much of the aroma and goes back in later.
2. Add another splash of boiling water, swirl again and discard it. This rinse removes dust and some of the harsh bitterness.
3. Return the reserved first glass to the pot, then add the 750 ml boiling water. Set the pot on low heat and bring it to a gentle simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Take the pot off the heat. Push the whole mint bunch into the pot and add the sugar. Let it steep for 3 minutes.
5. Pour a full glass of tea out and return it to the pot. Repeat 2 or 3 times; this mixes the sugar and mint through the tea without stirring the leaves.
6. Taste a little. Add more sugar if you like and repeat the pour-back once more.
7. Serve by holding the pot high above each glass and pouring in a thin stream, raising it as you go, so the tea foams on top. Fill glasses only halfway to two-thirds.

Tips for success

• Spearmint is the traditional mint. Peppermint is stronger and more menthol-like, which can overwhelm the tea.
• Pack the pot with mint. The quantity looks excessive, but the tea is strong and needs that much herb to balance it.
• Practice pouring from height with water over a sink first; aim for a steady, thin stream rather than speed.
• Second and third pots can be made from the same leaves with fresh mint and sugar; they get lighter and sweeter each round.

Substitutions

Gunpowder green tea

Any robust Chinese green tea works. Japanese greens are too delicate for simmering and turn bitter.

Granulated sugar

Sugar cubes or a cone of loaf sugar are traditional. Honey changes the flavor but works if you prefer it.

Fresh spearmint

In winter some households add sprigs of sage, lemon verbena or wormwood alongside or instead of mint. Dried mint makes a flat, dusty tea and is not a good swap.

Variations

Iced mint tea

Brew as directed, let it cool, then pour over ice with fresh mint sprigs. Add a little extra sugar since cold dulls sweetness.

Lightly sweet

Use 25 g sugar for a tea where the green tea and mint lead.

Troubleshooting

The tea is very bitter

The leaves were not rinsed, or it simmered too long. Rinse once, simmer only 3 to 4 minutes and balance with more sugar or mint.

There is no foam on top

The pour was too low or too fast. Lift the pot higher, at least 30 cm (12 in), and pour in a thin stream.

The mint tastes cooked and brown

The mint was simmered on the heat. Add it only after the pot comes off the burner.

Storage

Mint tea is best poured as soon as it is made. Leftover tea can be refrigerated for a day and served iced, but the mint darkens and the flavor flattens. Store gunpowder tea airtight away from light and moisture.

Safety notes

Gunpowder green tea contains caffeine, and this brew is strong. Pour hot tea carefully, especially when pouring from height near others.