Technique · 05
Moroccan Mint.Poured from a height, on purpose.
Gunpowder green, a fistful of fresh mint, more sugar than you’d admit to. The long pour is the whole trick — it aerates the tea and raises a soft crown of foam on every glass.
The short answer
Moroccan mint tea is gunpowder green tea steeped strong with a generous bundle of fresh spearmint and plenty of sugar, then poured from a height into small glasses to build a frothy crown. Rinse the gunpowder first to soften its bite, steep it hot, and pour it long.
The idea
It’s the most theatrical thing you can do with a cheap tin of green tea. The pour — a foot or more from spout to glass — isn’t showing off; the fall aerates the tea and lifts the foam the Maghreb calls the crown. Get the concentrate strong and sweet enough to survive the height, then let the arm do the rest. A pot, a handful of mint, patience.
The method
5 steps. No shortcuts.
- 01
Rinse the gunpowder
Put a tablespoon of gunpowder green in the pot, cover with hot water, swirl once, and pour it straight off after ten seconds. That first quick rinse washes away the smoky, dusty edge and wakes the pellets so they open evenly.
- 02
Steep it strong
Refill with about 12oz of 195–200°F water — just under a rolling boil. Steep four to five minutes, longer and stronger than a plain cup of green. It has to survive a load of sugar and mint and still taste of tea.
- 03
Mint and sugar
Pack in a generous handful of fresh spearmint, stems and all, and sugar to taste — traditionally a lot, a tablespoon or more. Let the mint and sugar steep with the leaf for another two or three minutes off the heat.
- 04
The long pour
Fill the first small glass, then pour it back into the pot to mix the sugar through. Now pour each glass from as high as your nerve allows — a foot or more — so the stream falls and foams. That soft head on top is the sign you did it right.
- 05
Serve it in rounds
A Moroccan service is three glasses off the same leaf, each a shade different as the pot re-steeps. Top up with hot water, give it a few minutes, and pour again. Drink it hot, drink it slow.
What it takes
The short shopping list.
Loose leaf
Numi Organic Gunpowder Green
The base, and the traditional one. Tightly rolled pellets unfurl slow and hold their nerve against all that sugar and mint instead of vanishing under it.
Teapots
FORLIFE Stump Teapot with Basket — 18oz
A long, clean spout is what lets you pour from a height without wearing half of it. The borosilicate glass also lets you watch the pellets stand up and open.
Paper bags
Twinings Pure Peppermint Herbal Tea (100 ct)
The stand-in for the day the greengrocer has no fresh spearmint. Peppermint runs sharper and cooler than the traditional leaf, but steeped alongside the green it carries.
House rule
Pour it long or don’t bother. The height is the point — that’s where the crown comes from.
FAQ
Moroccan Mint Tea, answered.
What tea is used in Moroccan mint tea?+
Gunpowder green — Chinese green tea rolled into tight pellets. It brews strong and holds up to the sugar and mint without washing out, which is why it is the traditional base rather than a delicate leaf like sencha or a white tea.
Why do you pour Moroccan tea from a height?+
The long fall aerates the tea and raises a layer of foam — the crown — on each glass. It also cools the tea slightly and mixes the sugar evenly through the pot. It is function first, theatre second.
Can you use dried or peppermint instead of fresh spearmint?+
Fresh spearmint is traditional and tastes rounder and sweeter. Fresh peppermint or a peppermint tea bag will stand in — sharper and cooler — and dried mint works at roughly a third of the fresh amount, but the fresh bundle is worth chasing.
How much sugar goes in Moroccan mint tea?+
Traditionally a lot — the drink is meant to be properly sweet, often a tablespoon or more per pot. Add it while the tea is hot so it dissolves clean, and pull back to your own taste; the sugar is part of the recipe, not an afterthought.