Atay bi Naana (Moroccan Mint Tea)

In Morocco, mint tea is not a drink so much as a small ceremony. Someone pours it from high above the glass, a thin gold stream that catches the light and finishes with a little foam crown on top, and however busy the house is, everything pauses for a round. It is the first thing offered to a guest and usually the last thing too.

The tea itself is straightforward: gunpowder green tea, a generous fistful of fresh spearmint, and sugar dissolved in while everything is still hot. Spearmint matters here, it is milder and sweeter than peppermint, and it is what gives the tea its real character rather than a menthol bite.

We have adopted it as our own after-dinner ritual, the way we lean on Poncha (recipe on the site) from Madeira when we want something a little stronger. Nobody in this house pours from quite the traditional height yet without spilling, but we are working on it.

Atay bi Naana Recipe

Prep time: 5 minutes · Cook time: 10 minutes · Total: 15 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~60 per serving

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons gunpowder green tea leaves
• 3 to 4 cups boiling water, divided
• 1 large bunch fresh spearmint (about 1 1/2 cups packed leaves and stems)
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar, to taste
• Pine nuts, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Put the tea leaves in the teapot and pour in a splash of boiling water, swirl briefly, and discard this first rinse. It removes the bitterness.
2. Add about 1 cup of boiling water to the tea leaves and steep 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the sugar to the pot while the tea is still hot and stir to dissolve.
4. Add the mint and the remaining boiling water.
5. Let steep 5 minutes.
6. Pour a glass out and back into the pot once or twice to mix everything evenly, the traditional method, or simply stir.
7. Pour from as high above the glasses as you can manage without spilling, to raise a little foam on top, and serve hot.

Recipe Notes

• Spearmint is the traditional choice, milder and sweeter than peppermint. Use peppermint only if it is truly all you can find.
• Gunpowder tea is sold at Middle Eastern and Asian grocers and online; a strong green tea will work in a pinch, though the flavor will be lighter.
• Traditionally Moroccan households serve three rounds from the same leaves and mint, each a little different in strength, adding fresh mint and a bit more sugar to the pot for the second and third pours.
• Adjust sugar to your own taste, Moroccan tea is often sweeter than most Americans expect on the first try.