Mint tea, also known as Touareg tea, originates in northern Africa and Arabia, and is flavored with Moroccan mint. This is different from peppermint tea, a more common concoction popular in the United States and elsewhere. The preparation process of mint tea is a great deal more complicated than peppermint tea preparation, so it's not quite as popular with drinkers for home use, and mint tea is often found in fine restaurants as a result.

Just as English tea is steeped in custom and tradition, the preparation and serving of mint tea also has ceremonial uses in the Maghreb countries. In most instances around the world, ceremonial preparations are performed by females. However, Mint tea preparation is often carried out by males, and especially the head of a household, in order to honor visiting guests who will drink three glasses of the tea as part of the ceremony.

To prepare mint tea correctly, there is an extensive and long process involved. First, Chinese green tea is utilized as the base of the tea, and boiling water is added to it and allowed to steep for about half a minute. Drinkers believe that this forms the "spirit" of the tea itself, and then the tea is diluted more times with more boiling water. Next, sugar and mint are combined with the tea. This blend is permitted to boil further to help make the flavor more complex, plus more sugar is added, depending on the taste of the drinkers. After 3 to five more minutes, a glass is poured, and then returned to the pot. This is replicated several times in order to better mix the tea. Finally, the tea is ready to serve; the serving process is also a vital part of the concoction. The tea is poured at a significant height above the glass which helps to swirl loose tea leaves toward the glass bottom as well as aerate the tea to further improve its flavor.

Touareg tea can also be obtained as a ready-mix product, which is very easy to purchase and store, but the taste is not as rich as with the traditional preparation.

Mint tea is considered to be an extremely serious drink of Arabia. It's a good idea to try this tea out and see the difference between the average pre-packaged version of this tea and the one that is made with great ceremony. The flavor of the tea is distinctive and complex, and the sugar and mint that are mixed with the tea take over the base green tea flavor. Mint tea contains caffeine, so it will give drinkers a short-term energy boost in the same way that caffeinated coffee does.

Since the taste of Touareg tea is the basis of its attractiveness, it might be interesting to know how to taste the tea as a professional taster would, in order to best enjoy and appreciate the flavor. It is best to first plan to drink it in the late afternoon or in the evening, just before you eat a meal. Make sure that you have not eaten any foods with powerful tastes that day, and this includes onion or other heavy spices. Completely cleanse your mouth some hours ahead of partaking. Mint tea really should be served immediately after it is prepared, and it should be served at the correct temperature. You won't want to drink immediately from a cup as you as you typically would with other types of drinks. Locate a large soup spoon and dip it directly into cup. You should loudly slurp your first spoonful of the tea, instead of sipping it daintily. Loudly slurping it makes certain that the tea is spread over your taste buds evenly. Now you can drink the rest of the serving, and relish the full experience of this tasty tea.