Making Traditional Moroccan Mint Tea

In a quiet corner amongst the hotel's warren of courtyard, Mohamed Senior can be found serving a unique blend of Berber tea. Today I'm his apprentice and it all begins with fresh ingredients from the garden. You start with fresh mint. Some mint. Mint tea is extremely popular across Morocco and a big part of hospitality here. The mint is smelling so great. So nice to come and get your own ingredients. Thank you very much. But this particular Berber blend combines mint with strong herbs. Absinthe? Yes, absinthe. It's not like the alcohol. Oh, that smells wonderful. Love rosemary. Sage, yes? Yes. A little bit of bay leaf. In Berber culture, you take the tea five times every day. The first breakfast, the second breakfast, lunchtime, afternoon tea and the dinner. That's a lot of tea. A lot of tea, yeah. This is the green tea. Green tea. Rosemary. I'm quickly learning. Cut it small. Please. This is much more complicated than dunking a teabag. Just like that? Yes, please. Absinthe. It's a recipe with balance and finesse. A little bit more. Yes, good. That much mint? More, more. This is mint tea. Mint tea. Once brewed, the tea is poured from height. The bubbles help to further infuse the herbs and Mohamed performs it with grace and accuracy. Mohamed, you might want to stand back in case I burn you. I can take it? Yes. Cheers. Oh, nice. Mint. Yeah. Isn't it? You smell all the herbs. All the herbs. That's so wonderful. The ceremony lulls you into a kind of tea trance until Mohamed reminds me that all that training wasn't for nothing. Now, Monica, you can try to make the tea from the guests. To serve some guests? Yes, to serve some guests. Are you sure you want to do that? Yes, it is. It's nice. Graciously sampling my very first brew are Barbara and Ben from the USA. Hi, Barbara. Hi, Ben. It's the first two or three cups need to go back into the pot to get the mix and then the herbs all the way through it. Oh my gosh, I can feel Mohamed just watching me there. No pressure. He's a proud teacher. I hope so. Thank you. Here we go. Thank you. Welcome. I like to think I've picked up some of Mohamed's expertise, but perhaps not his modesty. Oh, I think she makes a mean cup of tea. Did very well. Is that OK? Yes, it's fine. Yeah. I'd say fine from the master is praise indeed. You can make it at home. I will.