Saturday, July 08, 2006

Updated recipe - Moroccan Mint Tea

Hi, All - I've updated my Moroccan Mint Tea recipe. I've been perfecting it. :-) Also, in my original post about Cafe et Crepe, I mentioned that they server Armenian tea. A reader pointed out I should have written Algerian tea, so I made that correction. Thanks!

Steph's Moroccan Mint Tea
Here is my recipe for Moroccan Mint tea. I prefer to use fresh mint, when it's in season.

A handful (~1 cup loosely packed) of fresh mint sprigs, plus a few extra for garnish
3 teaspoons green tea (traditionally, gunpowder green)
3 tablespoons sugar (or less, depending on your preference)
4 cups water
4-5 whole cloves to taste (whole - not ground)

This isn't a precise recipe, so taste and adjust to suit your preferences. Also, I should preface this by saying I prefer mine pretty minty....so that drives how I concoct this brew.

Add the mint leaves and cloves into the water and bring to a boil. Let boil for ~2 minutes to get a good mint base. (Once it starts to boil, bring it down to a rolling simmer.)

After the mint base is ready, bring the heat down so that the water is barely rolling and add the sugar and tea. Cook for another 1-3 minutes, depending on how strong you like the tea flavor.

Pour through a filter into a teapot or teacups and serve. Small glass cups are traditional, but be careful! They get very hot and, if there is a crack already, the hot liquid can pop the glass open.

Garnish with remaining sprigs of mint. Enjoy!

2 comments:

John said...

perfect timing! I was just about to email you and ask you for the recipe for this! I'm heading to the tea store today. By the way, is 'mint' peppermint or spearmint or none of the above?

John said...

I think it is Armenian. I googled it and came up with recipes for Armenian mint tea but not much for Algerian tea. My understanding is that this type of drink is common in the northern africa, western middle east and turkey. So it very well could be both!