Mint Tea/Culture – A Moroccan specialty

An intrinsic part of Moroccan culture is in the way tea is served. Mint tea is a special favorite and Moroccans take pride in the way it is prepared and served to guests. At Marrakesh we take pride in preserving this most ancient mint tea culture. Right from the way we make it to the way we serve and present it – you can be sure it will be a memorable experience for you!

Making tea: an artistic pride!

Making tea for us Moroccans is not just about preparing a beverage. It goes beyond that and almost assumes an artistic form. Moroccans drink tea with almost every meal and the way it is prepared is very different from other parts of the world. We make green tea which has been proven to be extremely good for health owing to its abundance of antioxidants. When you visit us at Marrakesh you will simply love the aroma of our wonderful and refreshing mint tea!

Atai: the way we make it

We call our mint tea ‘Atai’ and the way we prepare it is dramatically different from other parts of the world. A complex process and attention to every detail result in a wonderful, refreshing brew that ignites your senses. We only use the freshest mint leaves in our preparation of Atai and we also use a lot of sugar to neutralize the bitterness and neutral taste of green tea. For each teaspoon of the tea leaves we use around 5 spoons of sugar. We ensure that all of the green tea used is thoroughly cleansed in boiling water before drying it out. This will cleanse the tea leaves of dust and germs and also removes the bitterness from the tea. What you get is a fine tea leaf that is succinctly sweet.

The actual brew

We mix boiling water and fresh tea leaves from our green tea together for many minutes until a mild brew results. Then we add in fresh, green mint leaves as well as the sugar into a teapot. This teapot is special as it has a curved spout and reminds one of ancient Arabian Nights stories. Sometimes we add the sugar into the tea and boiling water while the brew is being prepared while at other times we add the sugar and mint separately after the brew is done. Both ways are good and produce the same results.

The serving: a special touch!

The way the tea is poured into small glasses is also a treat to be observed. If you come into our kitchen in Marrakesh you will find our expert chefs pouring out fresh mint tea from a height as much as half a meter or so into small glasses! This results in a beautiful foamy texture on the tea surface and can be a delightful thing to watch! Tea is an intrinsic part of Moroccan culture and at Marrakesh we lay great emphasis on the preparation, brewing and serving as well as the way we present it to our guests. So welcome to our restaurant and sip on the wonderful fresh brew!