The Moroccan Tea
The preparation of Moroccan mint tea involves patient ritual. It’s sometimes grand, sometimes modest, always artful, and never fails to leave me awestruck. The arduous act of Moroccan tea preparation is a constant reminder that friends always come first, and that my fast-paced American life needs to decelerate a bit.

Materials Needed:
- 1 ceramic teapot
- 1 Moroccan teapot (Berrad)
- Serving tray (Siniya)
- 1 Strainer
- Tea cups (Cas)
- Chinese Gunpowder (or Chun Mee) Tea (Atay)
- Plenty of sugar (Sukkar)
- Fresh spearmint (Naânaâ)
- Other herbs [Recommended: Lemon Verbena (Louiza) and Wormwood (Sheeba)]
Step 1: Wash your mint. The most effective way to wash mint and other herbs is to immerse them in a bowl of water, swish them around, then lift them out to drain. You can also just wash them under a spigot. Something tells me this part isn’t difficult, so I’m giving you some liberty here.
Step 2: Heat water in the ceramic teapot.
Step 3: Rinse your berrad with boiling water.
Step 10: If the water level hasn’t risen to within an inch of the brim, top off the pot with more boiling water from the ceramic pot. Leave room for more boiling.
Step 11: Leave the tea on the fire until it comes to a nearly violent boil. You’ll first notice that the mint leaves rise to the top, but eventually the tea leaves will break the surface, too. Observe to see if they’ve absorbed water and have started to bloom.
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