Moroccan Mint Tea Recipe

Heat water

Bring 4 cups (about 1 liter) of fresh water to a boil in a kettle or saucepan.

Rinse teapot (optional)

If you have a teapot, warm it by swirling a little boiling water and discarding it. This helps maintain infusion temperature.

Place 2 teaspoons of green gunpowder tea into the warmed teapot (or a heatproof pitcher). Pour in about 1 cup of the just-boiled water, swirl gently for 10–15 seconds, then pour off this first infusion (this 'rinse' removes dust and opens the leaves).

Add the rinsed tea back to the teapot (or keep it in the pitcher). Pour the remaining hot water over the tea and let it steep for 2 to 3 minutes. Avoid steeping more than 3 minutes to prevent excessive bitterness.

While the tea steeps (or immediately after), add the packed 1 cup of fresh spearmint leaves into the teapot with the steeping tea. (If using a pitcher, add leaves to the brewed tea.)

Add 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar to the hot tea. Stir until fully dissolved. Taste and adjust sweetness: traditional Moroccan tea is fairly sweet, so increase by 1 tablespoon at a time if desired.

Allow the tea with mint and sugar to sit for an additional 1–2 minutes so the flavors meld.

If serving hot, gently stir, then pour the tea into small glasses. For the classic presentation, pour from a height into the glass and back into the pot once or twice to aerate and create a light foam on the surface.

Garnish each glass with a small sprig of mint if desired and serve immediately.

To make iced Moroccan mint tea: allow the brewed and sweetened tea to cool to room temperature (about 20–30 minutes). Remove or press down on mint leaves if you prefer less strong mint flavor.

Fill a large pitcher with 2 cups of ice cubes. Pour cooled tea over the ice to chill quickly. Taste and, if needed, add a little more sugar while still warm or simple syrup if sweeter flavor is desired.

Serve the iced tea in glasses filled with ice, garnished with lemon slices or a fresh mint sprig if desired.

If you want an extra cold, clearer iced tea, strain the cooled tea into a pitcher and refrigerate until cold, then serve over ice.