7 Most Popular Teas In The Middle East That You Must Try

Everyone loves tea in the Middle East, and, as far as I’m concerned, there’s no right way to make your perfect cup of tea. Whether you love it strong or prefer it weak, it’s your tea or more exactly your comfort and well-being in a cup. 

Serve it in a traditional cup, bone china cup, or a mug, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is that with just a few ingredients, you’re up for a life-changing experience. 

Let me introduce you now to the most popular aromatic and herbal teas in the Middle East that you can easily make at home:

1. Mint Tea 

Arab people have enjoyed mint tea for centuries. It’s a herbal tea easily made by infusing mint leaves in hot water. Also, it’s great for calming an upset stomach. If you love mint, you’ll love the aroma and flavour of this tea. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of water
• 15 fresh mint leaves with stalks

Directions:

1. Fill a teapot with water and fresh mint leaves.
2. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 5 minutes to release the exquisite flavour of the mint.
3. Once the water changes colour into a pale green/yellow, it’s ready for you to enjoy. The duration depends entirely on how strong you wish your tea to be.
4. Remove the leaves from the liquid.
5. Sweeten with honey or sugar if desired.
6. Place a mint leaf into each cup to garnish.

2. Cinnamon Tea

Cinnamon tea has always been very popular in the Middle East. It’s simply delicious and easy to prepare and offers a wide range of health benefits. Traditionally, cinnamon is infused in black tea or English breakfast tea.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of water
• 2 tea bags (black tea) or 2 teaspoons of loose black tea
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• sugar or honey to sweeten
• a handful of roughly chopped walnuts 

Directions:

1. Fill a teapot with water, add tea bags and cinnamon sticks.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 3-5 minutes. The duration depends entirely on how strong you wish your tea to be.
3. Remove the tea bags and the cinnamon sticks.
4. Serve it hot.
5. Sweeten with honey or sugar if desired.
6. Top with chopped walnuts.

3. Z-hourat Tea

Z-hourat is a popular herbal tea enjoyed mostly in Lebanon and Syria and made from a blend of aromatic herbs and rose petals. This tea is the perfect combination of rich herbs, fragrant smells and goodness. Z-hourat blends are readily available to buy throughout the Middle East. You can also buy them here.  

Here’s what you need to recreate my homemade blend:

• Rose petals (dried)
• Lavender flowers (dried)
• Hibiscus flowers (dried)
• Chamomile flowers (dried)
• Thyme leaves (dried)
• Sage leaves (dried)
• Mint leaves (dried)
• Balm mint leaves (dried)

Combine equal amounts of the above-listed ingredients and store them in an airtight container. This blend will last up to 6 months.

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons of z-hourat blend
• 2 cups of boiling water

Directions:

1. Combine z-hourat tea and water and then bring it to a boil. 
2. Remove from heat and allow to infuse for 5 – 10 minutes. The duration depends entirely on how strong you wish your tea to be.
3. Strain the flowers and herbs from the liquid.
4. Sweeten with honey or sugar if desired.

4. Lemon Verbena Tea 

If you love herbal teas, you’ll enjoy the fragrant lemon verbena tea. The flavour is zingy, lemony, and absolutely delicious. The lemon verbena plant is a woody shrub with light green leaves and small white or lilac flowers and has many health benefits including its immunity-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties. 

My family purely drink it because it has a delicious lemony flavour. You can also add lemon verbena leaves to your black tea. 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of water
• 8 fresh lemon verbena leaves 
• 1 black/English breakfast tea bag (optional)

Directions:

1. Fill a teapot with water, fresh lemon verbena leaves and a teabag.
2. Boil for approximately 5 – 7 minutes. The duration depends entirely on how strong you wish your tea to be.
3. Remove the leaves and the teabag from the liquid.
4. Serve it hot.
5. Sweeten with honey or sugar if desired.

5. Lemongrass Tea

Lemongrass tea is, in my opinion, usually best as a herbal tea with no black tea added to it. Only the outer part of the lemongrass is used for the tea. Wash and cut it into 8-10 cm pieces using a pair of scissors. If you’ve never tried lemongrass tea, try this simple recipe at home:

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of water
• 1 cup lemongrass (fresh, washed, and cut)

Directions:

1. Fill a teapot with water and lemongrass.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and boil for a further 5 minutes. The duration depends entirely on how strong you wish your tea to be.
3. Strain the stalks from the liquid.
4. Serve it hot.
5. Sweeten with honey or sugar if desired.

6. Sage Tea

Sage is often added to black tea but you can easily keep it herbal. It’s naturally caffeine-free so you can enjoy it any time of the day. Sage tea belongs to the mint family, and therefore, this plant infused in hot water boasts refreshing, delicate, and earthy flavours.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of hot water
• 2 tea bags or 2 teaspoons of loose black tea
• 8 fresh sage leaves
• 2 lemon peels

Directions:

1. In a teapot, pour hot water over the sage leaves, tea and lemon peel mix.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes. The duration depends entirely on how strong you wish your tea to be.
3. Remove the tea bags, lemon peel, and sage leaves from the liquid.
4. Serve it hot.
5. Sweeten with honey or sugar if desired.

7. Marjoram Tea

Marjoram tea is quite an acquired taste. It has a soft and sweet but slightly bitter flavour. It’s unique as a tea so you’ll either love it or hate it from the first sip.

Also, marjoram tea is full of minerals and vitamins that will keep your body healthy and safe from illness.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of boiling water
• 8 fresh marjoram leaves

Directions:

1. In a teapot, pour hot water over the marjoram leaves.
2. Cover and let it infuse for approximately 5-10 minutes. The duration depends entirely on how strong you wish your tea to be.
3. Remove the leaves from the tea.
4. Serve it hot.
5. Sweeten with honey or sugar if desired.

All the above teas can be made with dry herbs. Keep in mind that you won’t get the same aroma and flavours as you would from fresh herbs.

For every cup of water, add 1 teaspoon of dried herbs. Combine in a teapot and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, allowing it to infuse for 5-7 minutes. Strain and enjoy!

Check out these super easy dessert recipes you can enjoy with your cup of tea:

• Orange Tea Cake
• Honey Ricotta and Pear Cake 
• Petit Fours Butter Cookies
• Rolled Oats Biscuits
• Almond Butter Cookie
• Biscuit Cake
• Walnut Stuffed Ma’moul

Which tea is your favourite? Let me know in the comments below.

With Love