Tea moruno

Around the middle of the 19th century, the English had to look for new commercial starts for the tea, owing to the war of Crimea, that inhabilitaba the Slavic market. They went back then to Morocco, concentrating in Mogador and Tangier.

Until this moment the favourite infusion of the Arabs was the one ofMintAnd during the winter the one of ajenjo. When softening the tea the bitterness of these infusions, the change was very very received among the population, generating even an art of the tea. TheGreen tea, generallyGunpowder, it has become indispensable part of the Moroccan hospitality. It designates him Tea Moruno, and it knows him commonly like the “whisky bereber”.

In Tea Shop can find this traditionalGreen tea with MintIn two versions: oursGreen tea MorunoIt is an excellent base of tea Gunpowder to which combines the freshness of the leaves of green mint; regarding theGreen tea Moruno Upper, it stands out for being elaborated with the variety of Green Tea Pinhead Gunpowder Special, the most valued degree of the Gunpowder by the so small size of the leaves. Impressive!

The tea is a true ceremony. It prepares it usually the host of the house or in his absence his woman or the person of more age. If had occasion to be invited to an Arab tea orTea moruno, we would assist to the following ritual:

It offers to the invited a jofaina with cold water, so that they can wash the hands. After this, somebody will bring a hervidor full of water, the box of the green tea, the azucarero and on a tray, the tetera and the glasses with a ramito of fresh mint. While the water begins to boil, puts in the tetera a spoonful of dessert of tea for two glasses. When the water boils pours a small quantity on the tea, moving the tetera with a soft movement circulate to wet the tea, and empty the content in a glass.

It repeats the operation twice more with two new glasses, with the end to wash the tea of impurities. Then it pours in the tetera the first glass and adding waters boiling spends to the fire the tetera. When the tea boils –what more boil, stronger will be- removes the tetera of the fire and adds the mint, that will have prepared previously and also a big clod of sugar. To end up adds a clod of sugar by cup.

Afterwards it begins the process of aeration. It fills a glass of tea and spends of east to the tetera two or thrice followed, elevating the tetera, so that the liquid pull and the tea oxigene. Only it will be missing to check the point of sugar, fill definitively the glasses and serve to the invited.

While it consumes , the leaves continue in infusion, resulting each stronger tea that the anterior.

Thus there is a said Bereber that prays:

"The first tea is soft like the life, the sweet second like the amour and the third bitter like the death".

In winter the leaf of mint is rare, by what substitute it with the Chiba, an aromatic plant that is not another that the absinthe. His perfume is surprising. Also they use the verbena and other plants that are used to to compose the infusions.

The bereberes of the Valley of the Sous, accompany the tea with bread that wet in oil of olive or of erguén and afterwards add honey. Going down southward , in the desert, the mint disappears completely. In Guelmin can try the tea of the saharauis, that boils and boils. It is so strong that runs the risk of, to the third glass, be giving jumps among the trees!