Mint tea is not just a drink Morocco--it may be a sign of hospitality, friendship, and tradition. Since this drink is so popular, it's served all day long, after every meal, and with every conversation. Moroccans take great pride in their tea and can often ask a visitor who among their group of friends makes the simplest cup of mint tea, and a minimum of two to 3 cups must be drunk so as to not offend the host. Moroccan mint tea may be a favorite among many of us outside of Morocco, too, due to its smooth and sweet taste. It's served very sweet and made the old-fashioned way with gunpowder tea .
Ingredients
Makes 6 servings
1 Tbsp (15 ml) loose Chinese gunpowder tea
5 cups (1.2 L) boiling water, divided
3 to 4 Tbsp (45 to 60 ml) sugar
1 large bunch fresh peppermint, about 1 oz (28 g)
PART 1 . Activating the Tea Leaves
1 Boil 1 cup (240 ml) of water
Fill a tea kettle or small saucepan with 1 cup of water, and bring it to a boil on the stove over medium-high heat.
You can prepare the full amount of water during this step, but you'll only use 1 cup (240 ml) when activating the tea leaves. The rest of the water may need to be reheated before use.
Note that the water should be between 158°F and 176°F (70°c and 80°c).
2 Warm the teapot
Pour 1/4 cup (60 ml) of boiled water into the clean teapot. Swirl the water around slightly to rinse and warm the pot.
If possible, attempt to use a Moroccan teapot. Moroccan teapots vary in size, but alittle pot typically holds a few half liter (six glasses) of tea, while a bigger pot holds approximately a liter (12 glasses); you'll also use a standard teapot if you do not have a Moroccan one. Flameproof teapots are ideal when available
3 Add the loose gunpowder tea
Place the tea leaves within the tea pot. you will need about 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of loose gunpowder tea for each 6 oz (177ml) of predicament . If following the quantities noted during this recipe, add the complete amount of leaves.
Chinese gunpowder tea is that the most conventional, but if you're unable to seek out this tea, you'll prepare an identical version of this drink using other loose tea leaves or tea bags. Use a minimum of 2 tea bags for each 1 Tbsp (15 ml) of loose tea if choosing this feature .
4 Pour within the remaining 3/4 cup (200 ml) of water.
Add boiling water to the tea pot, directly over the tea leaves currently within the pot. Swirl the pot gently to warm, rinse, and activate the tea leaves.
5 Steep briefly.
Allow the tea to steep within the predicament for about 30 seconds.[6] For a stronger flavor, you would possibly consider letting it steep for as long as 1 or 2 minutes.
6 Strain the water.
Swirl the pot to scrub and rinse the tea leaves, then carefully strain the water out through the spout of the tea pot, keeping the leaves within the pot.
The drained liquid isn't Moroccan tea. this first portion of water only rinses the leaves.
Some tea pots have strainers in them; others don't . If your pot doesn't have its own strainer, confirm that you simply pour the contents through a separate strainer to gather the leaves and return them to the pot.
PART 2 . Steeping the Tea
1 Add subsequent ingredients to the teapot
This includes mint leaves and therefore the sugar. Add them on to the wet tea leaves within the pot.
Try to find a Middle Eastern grocery . Moroccan mint features a different taste than most other mints. If you're unable to seek out Moroccan mint, use any spearmint or peppermint.
Cane sugar is best. Dextrose also will work if you do not wish to use cane sugar, but you will need to double the quantities of sugar to make sure sweetness.
2 Fill the pot with the remaining water.
If you boiled the water previously and it still feels hot enough, you'll add it immediately. If not, boil the remaining 4 cups (1 L) before adding it to the pot.
Leave the tea to steep for about 5 minutes.
If you've got a Moroccan teapot or a heatproof teapot, instead of steeping, set the teapot over low heat and convey the tea to a coffee simmer. Then, immediately remove from the warmth , and permit to steep several minutes more.
3 Pour one glass of tea.
Pour it back to the teapot. do that three or more times. This helps dissolve the sugar.
4 Pour the tea from a high distance.
Doing this may help to make a skinny layer of froth on the highest . When pouring, confirm the tea pellets stick with the tea inside the pot. Only fill the cup two-thirds full; this permits the aroma to develop fully.
5 Enjoy! After pouring the remaining tea,
garnish the tea with extra mint (if available). this is often an optional step but makes it look fantastic, especially if you've got proper Moroccan glasses.
Tips
This tea has 24 calories and 6g of sugar per serving.
Carefully pour the tea therefore the tea pellets stay inside the pot. you'll use a strainer if it helps.
Traditionally the tea is served 3 times , and therefore the amount of your time the tea has been steeping gives each of the three glasses of tea a singular flavor, so have everyone drink 3 cups, during this case the 2 persons.
Adjust the quantity of sugar and mint to your liking. you would possibly wish to try different sweeteners, like stevia or honey if you do not like sugar. The sugar utilized in the photos was dextrose and it worked well.
