Moroccan Tea and Turkish Coffee

Ah Moroccan tea. 

I had read that one of the must tries when you eat Arabic food, is to accompany it with mint tea (warm and fragrant). So I thought I would survey the beverage menu the next time I went to a cafe or sheesha bar.

The friendly neighbourhood sheesha joint, Kamanana Cafe, has a dimly lit but comfy setting. Their couches are generously endowed with giant embroidered cushions (may it be known - I LOVE CUSHIONS). 

We had just finished classes, it was early evening, so we were just looking to chill for an hour with a sheesha. We ordered double apple, not for lack of choice of flavours, as their sheeshas were available in mint, grape mint, apple mint, double apple, double mint, double grape, rose, strawberry, and what have you.

From the beverage menu, we honed in on Turkish coffee and Moroccan tea. The Turkish coffee arrived in two tiny cups of dark aromatic brews, whereas the tea was served in a quaint Aladdin lamp type teapot and two beautifully bejewelled green glasses.

The Turkish coffee was unlike any coffee I had tasted before. It was sweet, but not sugary. It was strong, but not heady. It was also thick, and well, yeah it turned out to be a little muddy at the end, because the coffee powder started depositing at the bottom of the cup. I’m guessing they’re not big on stirring and making frappucinos out of their caffeine fixes out here? Other than that, the flavour was very pleasant, but not for the faint!

F*F Tip: Speaking of coffee, check out Sarah’s discovery of the how, when, where, what and why of coffee: http://backtothegrindblog.wordpress.com/ 

The Moroccan tea was the clear winner. A light green concoction containing at least 5-6 herbs, it tasted sweet and refreshing. It did not hint an overbearing dimension of any one flavour, but I could definitely taste some mint and lemon in there. And could it be just a pinch of sugarcane added too? Crushed tea leaves completed the drink.

It may be noted that the actual brew can go terribly wrong, with flavours being almost absent, since I’ve sampled it at other outlets. Either way, it’s usually salvaged by the decorative silverware they put out for you, giving you a magic carpet ride sort of feel, even though you may just be sipping plain tea.

Overall, the combination of apple sheesha, Moroccan tea and Turkish coffee was super rejuvenating and exotic. A brilliant way to spend an evening after a long hard day. Definitely coming back for more!

                                     

Where have you sipped your best Moroccan tea?