Tea & infusions
Verbena Tea (Louiza)
لويزة · louiza
Louiza, lemon verbena, grows in courtyard pots and garden beds across Marrakech, its long, rough leaves releasing an intense citrus scent the moment they're crushed. Steeped alone or dropped into the mint tea pot, it is one of the most familiar herbal infusions in a Moroccan home, reached for as an evening calmer and a gentle aid to digestion.
- Type
- Lemon verbena herbal infusion
- Served
- Hot, in a glass
- When
- Evenings, after meals, for calm
- Key flavour
- Lemony, floral, mild
What Verbena Tea is
Louiza is lemon verbena (Aloysia citrodora), a shrub with rough, narrow leaves that carry a citrus fragrance far stronger than their plain green appearance suggests. In Marrakech it is grown in courtyard beds and rooftop pots as much for the tea pot as the garden, and a few crushed leaves steeped in hot water make a pale, fragrant infusion that tastes of lemon rind without any of the sourness.
It rarely stands entirely alone. Louiza is just as often a supporting note, a handful of leaves dropped into the mint tea pot alongside the spearmint once the weather cools, deepening the aroma without competing with it. Drunk on its own, it is considered a gentle, caffeine-free infusion suited to the evening rather than the wake-up cup.
How it's made & served
Fresh or dried louiza leaves are simply steeped in freshly boiled water for several minutes, no tea base needed, then sweetened lightly with sugar or honey to taste. Because the leaves are so aromatic, a small handful is enough for a full pot; oversteeping can tip the flavour from bright to faintly bitter, so most cooks judge it by colour and scent rather than the clock.
When added to mint tea, a few louiza sprigs go into the pot with the mint itself, steeping together so the lemon note threads through the whole pot rather than sitting apart. Either way it is served hot in small glasses, the same way as any other Moroccan infusion.
In the glass, at a glance
- Fresh or dried lemon verbena (louiza) leaves
- Freshly boiled water
- Sugar or honey to sweeten
- Often combined with fresh mint and green tea
- Small glasses, served hot
A flavour snapshot of what goes in.
When & where you drink it in Marrakech
Louiza is a home infusion more than a café order, grown in garden pots and brewed as the evening winds down or when someone's stomach feels unsettled. Herbalist stalls in the spice square sell the dried leaves loose for anyone without a garden bush of their own.
You are most likely to taste it as an addition to a winter pot of mint tea in a riad or family home, where a host may ask if you would like it 'bi louiza'. A spice souk tour is a good way to see the dried herb sold alongside the country's other everyday infusions.
Cultural notes
Herbal infusions like louiza sit in the same family as mint tea but occupy a gentler, more medicinal register — plants grown as much to be useful as to be pretty, tended in courtyard pots that double as a household pharmacy. Offering a guest tea 'with louiza' is a small, specific act of care, often suggested for a restless stomach or a long day.
It is also part of how Moroccan households personalise their tea: the base recipe of green tea, mint and sugar is a constant, but the herbs folded in around it shift with the season and the family. Explore the wider infusion tradition in our guides.
Frequently asked questions
What is louiza tea?
Louiza is lemon verbena, an intensely citrus-scented leaf grown in Moroccan gardens and steeped alone in hot water, or added to the mint tea pot, as a calming, caffeine-free evening infusion.
Is verbena tea the same as mint tea?
No, though the two are often served together. Mint tea is a sweetened green tea and spearmint infusion; louiza is a separate herbal tea, sometimes brewed on its own and sometimes added as extra leaves to a mint tea pot.
When do Moroccans drink verbena tea?
Mostly in the evening or after a meal, valued as a gentle digestive and a calmer before bed, and especially popular once the weather turns cooler.