Mint tea is the chameleon of all teas, it can at once do many things or simply do the one thing you need at that time. While black tea is bracing and rooibos tea is silky smooth, mint tea can be refreshing in the morning, calming in the evening, warming in the winter and cooling when it's hot out. It can soothe a fiery digestive system and perk you up at the 3pm lull.
As you might have guessed, I love mint tea in all it's incarnations and believe me, I've tried many. Peppermint "tea" (any herbal mint tisane), is a favourite of my niece M as well and most winter days when she comes to visit, I'm greeted with "Hi Tasha Khala can I have some peppermint tea please?" It's a thing for her and her younger brother to have tea time at my place; and I totally indulge it because, heck, I love tea time too! I even bought espresso cups, because they're just the right size for little hands (and mouths) to drink out of. Once they get it into their heads that they want tea, I don't hear the end of it until I make a pot. And yes, I'm right there with a little cup sitting on a footstool, at the kids Ikea table drinking it with them! And of course you can't have peppermint tea without the honey. I strongly suspect they like drinking tea mostly for the honey :)
When I made this the other week at the end of my Mediterranean themed dinner, my friend gave some to her 9-year old son and he loved it too, and he's a mint aficionado, he loves anything minty including my fav, mint-chocolate. He came up to me and thanked me for the delicious mint tea! Ahh...a (young) man after my own heart!
This tea has a natural sweetness, you don't need to add much or any sweeter, and without the sweetener it's a nice palate cleanser as well. If you want to be authentic, add lots of sugar, Moroccan style. As a sweetener I personally like raw muscavado sugar.
**The glasses are from Ikea and the box specifically indicated they were suitable for hot liquids; please do not use ordinary glasses for hot tea, they may shatter and you could really hurt yourself!
Fresh Moroccan Mint Tea
1/2 large bunch organic mint (or 1 of those plastic hanging herb packs), washed
1 tsp orange flower water
1-2 drops lemon oil
Fresh, boiling water
Raw sugar cubes or honey (optional)
To a Bodum or large regular tea pot, (clear is nice so you can see it), place in the washed mint bunch, orange flower water and drop of lemon oil. Add freshly boiled water and let it steep for at least 7 minutes (I usually go for 10.)
After your chosen steeping time: If using a Bodum, plunge it down, if using a regular tea pot, you may wish to remove the mint leaves if you don't like it too strong, but leaving them in is nice, as your second cup (or 3rd or 4th) will be just a little different than your first.
Do add the lemon oil, it adds another level of freshness to the tea and tartness complements the sweetness of the mint and sugar. Makes 8-10 servings.
Use a pure lemon oil, not extract, for the best flavour. In Canada you can find lemon oil at Bulk Barn by the cash registers. Michaels and other baking/chocolate making stores may sell it too.
Adapted from "New Moroccan" by Mourad Lahlou.
This works well with a single serve cup as well. Simply use a few sprigs of mint, instead of the bunch and a very small sprinkle of orange flower water and the tiniest drop of lemon oil.
Bottoms up! 😉
© Kooks in the Kitchen. 2016
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