Dishes & their history
The History of Moroccan Mint Tea
No drink says Morocco like a glass of sweet, mint-scented green tea, poured in a long stream from a raised silver pot. It is the drink of welcome, of the souk and of the family gathering — yet it is a relative newcomer, and the story of how it arrived mixes solid trade history with a good deal of legend.
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- 8 min
- Topic
- Dishes & their history
- Updated
- 19 July 2026
At a glance
- The tea itself is imported gunpowder green tea from China; mint and sugar are the local touch.
- Tea reached Morocco through trade and spread widely in the 18th and 19th centuries.
- A popular story links its mass adoption to redirected British tea trade — colourful, but treat it as tradition, not fact.
A newcomer that became a symbol
For all its status as the national drink, tea is not ancient in Morocco. Green tea from China reached the country through trade, and while small quantities were known among the elite earlier, it was only from around the 18th century onward, and especially through the 19th, that tea-drinking became a widespread popular custom.
One frequently repeated account holds that large consignments of British tea, unable to reach their usual markets in the mid-19th century, were diverted to Moroccan ports and helped fix the taste. It is a memorable story, but the details are uncertain and it is best treated as tradition rather than documented fact.
What is in the glass
Moroccan mint tea, atay, is a specific combination rather than a vague idea of herbal tea. Getting it right is a point of pride, and the balance of tea, mint and sugar is adjusted to taste and occasion.
- Gunpowder green tea: rolled Chinese green tea leaves that unfurl in the pot, the imported base of the drink.
- Fresh spearmint: generous bunches of na'na', added for aroma and coolness.
- Sugar: traditionally a good deal of it, often from a broken sugar loaf.
- Seasonal variations: wormwood (chiba) in winter, or verbena, sage and other herbs.
The ritual of pouring
Preparing and serving tea is a small ceremony. The host rinses and steeps the leaves, sweetens the pot, and pours the tea from a height into narrow glasses — a flourish that aerates it and builds a light foam on top. The first glass is often poured back to blend the brew, and tea is served in rounds to guests as an unhurried act of hospitality.
A well-known saying likens the three glasses of a sitting to the stages of life: the first gentle, the second stronger, the third bittersweet. Whether or not the words are old, they capture the drink's place at the centre of Moroccan sociability. For the wider trade story, see the tea trade and Morocco.
Frequently asked questions
Is mint tea originally Moroccan?
The mint and sugar are the Moroccan contribution, but the tea itself is imported green tea from China. Tea reached Morocco through trade and became the national drink only in the 18th and 19th centuries, making it a relatively recent arrival that Morocco made its own.
How did tea become so popular in Morocco?
Tea spread through trade and had become a widespread custom by the 19th century. A popular story credits redirected British tea consignments in the mid-1800s, but the details are uncertain, so it is best regarded as a colourful tradition rather than established fact.
Why is Moroccan tea poured from high up?
Pouring from a height aerates the tea, builds a light foam on top and cools it slightly as it fills the narrow glass. It is also a display of skill and hospitality, part of the small ceremony of serving guests.
What kind of tea is used?
Moroccan mint tea is made with gunpowder green tea — rolled Chinese green tea leaves — combined with fresh spearmint and sugar. In winter, herbs like wormwood are sometimes added, and other herbal infusions are used seasonally.