Moroccan mint tea

Ingredients for 1 servings:

• 4 cups water
• 1 tbsp Chinese green tea (Gun Powder)
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 bunch of Moroccan mint (Nana), fresh, large bunch
• 1 handful of mint leaves (Nana)

Instructions

Working time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 30 minutes

1 cup = 250 ml \ 1 tea glass = 150 – 175 ml

Boil the water. Now add 1 tablespoon of dried green tea to the pot. You can use any green tea of ​​your choice, but in Morocco (and Algeria too), Chinese green Gunpowder tea is most commonly used. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over the tea and immediately strain. Pour the water into a cup and set aside. Reuse this first cup, as it contains the core flavor of the tea. Now add another cup of boiling water to the teapot and immediately strain it into the glass, but this time pour it away. This step is intended to purify the loose tea (now that the leaves have opened due to the hot water). Now return the first strain to the teapot and fill it with boiling water. Let it steep over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Then add the mint sprig and 2-3 tablespoons of sugar to the teapot. Let all ingredients steep for about 5 minutes. Before serving, pour all ingredients into a tea glass, holding the teapot as high as possible so that the tea stream is exposed to air. Pour the tea from the glass back into the teapot and repeat the process 2 or 3 more times to allow the aroma to develop. Pour this tea high above the glass to preserve that special Moroccan mint tea aroma. Divide the mint leaves between the tea glasses and pour the tea over them. Serve as hot as possible. Note: Moroccan (and Algerian) mint tea is often very sweet and is usually enjoyed at the end of a meal, as a kind of dessert. Of course, you can also make the tea less sweet or without sugar at all (which is my favorite). It’s entirely up to your own taste.