Food
How Mint Tea Is Poured in a Fes Riad
Gunpowder green tea, fresh spearmint and a long pour from the pot: the small ritual that welcomes every guest in Morocco.
In Morocco tea is the first thing you are offered, in a riad, a carpet shop or a family home, and saying yes is part of the welcome.
The leaves and the mint
Moroccan tea is made with Chinese gunpowder green tea, a large handful of fresh spearmint and sugar. The tea is rinsed first with a little boiling water, which is thrown away to remove bitterness.
The pour
The host pours from high above the glass to aerate the tea and raise a light foam, then often pours the first glass back into the pot to mix it. The tea is served in small, decorated glasses, usually three rounds, each a little stronger than the one before.
Where to try it
Ask for tea on the rooftop of your riad in Fes in the late afternoon, when the call to prayer moves across the medina.
