Tea Review: Moroccan Mint Tea

Instead of mint juleps, I'll be drinking my own brew of Moroccan mint tea tomorrow as I listen to the running of the roses (aka Kentucky Derby). Kentuckian and fellow tea lover at Friendship Tea has been blogging in anticipation of the race all week. Fun!

Moroccan mint tea, to me, is a special treat. The combination of mint, tea and sugar (lots of sugar) is very pleasing. If you're having it served at a Moroccan restaurant, it will probably be given to you in a glass teacup with fancy pouring.

Photo from wikipedia

Here's my recipe. If you try the tea, let me know how you like it! Leave a review in the comments section.

Steph's 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!