Enjoy a cup of this soothing and delicious Tunisian green tea and mint. It is sweet, easy to make, and everything you would expect to get from Tunisian hospitality.
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what is Tunisian Mint Tea?
Tunisian mint tea is a Maghrebi-style tea that is popularly consumed in the Maghreb region, in the Northwest of Africa, comprising countries such as Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, and Algeria. This tea culture has can also be seen in other countries such as Egypt and Sudan.
Similar to other Maghrebi-style teas, Tunisian tea is made by brewing green tea and mint leaves in boiling water. The tea is usually offered as a sign of hospitality to guests and is normally available in the house throughout the day.
ingredients
This section gives a summary of the ingredients you will need to make this Tunisian mint tea, as well as possible substitutions. Please see the recipe card provided at the bottom of this page for the full measurements.
- Dried green tea leaves: alternatively, use gunpowder green tea (a Chinese-style tea in which the leaf has been rolled into a small round ball, resembling gunpowder).
- A few cleaned fresh mint sprigs: This is the kind you mostly find in supermarkets or in your garden.
- Sugar: Tunisian mint tea is known to be notoriously sweet, from white table sugar. In this regard, feel free to adjust the sugar according to your taste, or even make it keto-friendly by using sugar-free sweeteners!
- Water: boiling water to steep the mint and tea leaves in.
what to serve with Tunisian mint tea
For an authentic experience, serve this mint tea with pine nuts, and some Tunisian sweets. When serving, Tunisian tea is normally poured into glasses from a distance, a process that helps aerate the tea, so feel free to also try this.
useful tips
- Feel free to use loose-leaf black tea in a 1:1 ratio, if you do not have loose-leaf green tea.
- To enjoy this tea cold as an iced tea, simply keep it in the fridge and allow it to chill for about two hours, then serve it with some ice cubes.
- I do not recommend making the tea ahead to consume the next day, as it tastes best when taken within the same day.
frequently asked questions
While Chinese gunpowder tea or green loose tea gives the best results, you can, also use loose black tea leaves. These are nowadays readily available online, in supermarkets, and in most Mediterranean shops.
Tunisian tea is normally served sweet but you can totally leave out the sugar. You can also use sugar-free sweeteners to make it low-carb or coconut sugar and honey, to make it paleo-friendly.
more tasty recipes
You definitely want to try out these delicious recipes!
- Kenyan Ginger Tea with Milk (Tangawizi)
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- Cucumber Lemon Ginger Water
- Red Velvet Coffee Latte
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📖 Recipe
Tunisian Mint Tea
Equipment
Ingredients
- 5 cups water
- 3 tablespoon dried green tea leaves (use more or less depending on how dark you prefer your tea)
- 4 tablespoon sugar (use more or less, depending on how sweet you like your tea)
- a handful of fresh mint sprigs (reserve a few mint leaves to use as garnish when serving-optional)
- a handful of pine nuts to serve
Instructions
- Boil water in a small pot or a heatproof kettle. Using a cup from the boiled water, sieve the green tea leaves and then discard the water. This helps clean the leaves as well as get rid of the strong green tea flavor.
- Add the sieved tea leaves to your pot or a heat-proof kettle, the sugar, and the mint leaves. Stir to combine and allow this to come to a boil. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Add a teaspoon of toasted pine nuts to each glass. Serve the tea immediately in the glasses by pouring it from a height to create a frothy head on top. Garnish with the reserved mint leaves (optional) and enjoy!
Notes
- Feel free to use loose-leaf black tea in a 1:1 ratio, if you do not have loose-leaf green tea.
- To enjoy this tea cold as an iced tea, simply keep it in the fridge and allow it to chill for about two hours, then serve in glasses with some ice cubes.
- I do not recommend making the tea ahead to consume the next day, as it tastes best when taken within the same day.
