The short answer
Moroccan mint tea, atay, is Chinese gunpowder green tea brewed with a fistful of fresh spearmint and plenty of sugar in a tall silver teapot. It is poured from about 30 to 45 cm above small glasses to raise a crown of foam, called rghwa, and usually served in three rounds from the same leaves.
In more detail
The height of the pour is not just for show. Pouring from above aerates the tea and builds the foam, and the person making it often pours a glass, tips it back into the pot and pours again until it tastes right. Watching it done well is part of the pleasure.
You will be offered it everywhere: in homes, at riad check-in, in shop doorways in the souks, in cafés and at the end of a meal. Accept at least one glass when you can. Drinking tea in a shop does not oblige you to buy anything.
The glasses arrive hot, so hold them by the rim and the base. Sugar usually goes into the pot, so it comes sweet. You can ask for 'bla sukkar' (no sugar) or 'shwiya sukkar' (a little sugar), though a traditional host may look puzzled. Mint tea is simply tea, mint and sugar, so it suits vegans.
Good to know
- Hold the glass by the rim and the base.
- Ask for 'shwiya sukkar' if you want it less sweet.
- Learn to pour it in a Marrakech cooking class.