Moroccan Mint Tea

The tea is Chinese gunpowder green, which arrived through trade in the nineteenth century and took hold completely, brewed in a metal pot with a large bunch of fresh spearmint pushed in and sugar in quantity - the sweetness is not optional in the traditional preparation and asking for it without is understood but is not the thing. It is poured from a height into small glasses, which aerates it, cools it slightly and produces the foam on top that is the mark of a proper pour; the first glass is often returned to the pot to mix. Three glasses is the customary sequence and there is a well-known saying about the first being gentle as life, the second strong as love and the third bitter as death. It is served to guests, at the start of negotiations, in shops, at every visit, and refusing it outright is rude. Absinthe wormwood is added in winter in some regions.

What you actually see

• Gunpowder green with spearmint - Chinese tea taken up completely in the nineteenth century.
• The high pour - aerating the tea and producing the foam that marks a good one.
• Three glasses - the customary sequence, with the saying attached to it.
• An obligation - offered at every visit and transaction, and not refused lightly.

When to go

All year, constantly. An hour per sitting.

Honest expectations

It is very sweet by default - asking for less sugar is possible but changes the drink. Accepting tea in a shop is not a commitment to buy, though the seller may act as though it is. Cafe tea is often made with dried mint out of season. Refusing entirely reads as rude.

Nearby

Everywhere in the country, at every hour.