Some years ago, I was sat beneath the awning of a tiny makeshift shop in Sidi Hamarouche, halfway up Mt Toubkhal in Morrocco. It was here that I was served Moroccan mint tea.My host not only allowed me to observe the art of making the tea (almost akin to a Japanese Tea Ceremony), but also revealed the ingredients to me, and the correct proportions of them. Since then, I've searched high and low for it. What I've found is that the world is stuffed with fake versions - fake, mainly because they don't use the correct mint - Nana Mint - it's softer, almost aromatic, and very distinct from the typical Spearmints and Peppermints used by virtually every other 'Moroccan' brand on the market. Thus, with the emphasis on the use of Nana mint, I snapped up a box to try it.The result, for me at least, is to declare that "it's close". However, the Shara Green Tea in the blend, just doesn't have the depth of the Chinese 'Gunpowder' Green tea my host used. Thus, what you get has less punch than what I was expecting.It is, of course, possible that Shara Green tea is more expensive, so the Berbers of the Atlas Mountains don't use it, which leaves me to ponder if, given their claim of authenticity, this version is served at the finer places in Morrocco, rather than in the mountains. If so, all I can say is that from Oukaimeden to the Sahara and back to Marrakech, I never saw Shara green tea used once, only, and ever only, Gunpowder Tea.That said, if I want a mint tea, this is now my go-to; not for its 'almost' authentic taste, but for the fact that it is actually quite elegant - one might describe it as the Earl Grey of the mint tea world, even. It's certainly a far cry from the overpowering efforts of other brands. And for that, it gets four stars for class.
