Mint Tea | A Living Heritage
Mar 14, 2025
Mint Tea | An Art of Living
There are scents that tell stories, flavors that endure through the ages without ever losing their vibrancy. Mint tea is one of them.
Imagine…
The delicate rustle of fresh mint leaves as you crush them between your fingers. The sweet music of tea flowing in a thin, amber stream, leaping from a controlled height before embracing the glass. A light vapor rises, carrying with it an enchanting fragrance, a subtle blend of brewed tea and Moroccan mint.
Around them, conversations ripple and glances soften. A glass in hand, its comforting warmth against the palm, and already, time seems to stand still.
Mint tea is not just a drink. It is a promise of hospitality, an art of living, a moment of exchange and serenity.
A Passed Down Heritage, A Living Tradition
In the alleys of Fez, in the white houses of the Rif, or under the Berber tents of the desert, tea is prepared with the same attention and respect. A ritual unchanged for centuries, passed down like a treasure from generation to generation.
If Ahmed, a tea master for over forty years, likes to say:
—The secret to a good mint tea? It's the time you give it. There's no rush. The water must sing, the leaves must dance, and the sugar must melt slowly.
In a village perched high in the Middle Atlas, 85-year-old Fatima prepares her tea every morning with the same care. A silver teapot, patinated by time, delicately chiseled colored glasses, and always that wise smile:
—Tea is like life. If you prepare it with love, it will be sweet. If you are impatient, it will be bitter.
Mint tea isn't something you drink; it's something you share. It encourages confidence, soothes minds, and builds friendships. It's the universal language of respect and kindness.
When a Tea Changes the Course of History
History itself bears witness to this.
In 1840, in the midst of the colonial conquest, a French battalion from Berry besieged the town of Mazagran , in Algeria. The battle seemed inevitable.
And yet…
Rather than pitting sword against fire, the city's Bey chose another course. He invited the French officers to sit down and share a mint tea.
A suspended moment, a gesture of peace in a context where everything incited violence.
Tea was served in simple terracotta cups. These same cups would later inspire the Pillivuyt factory to create the famous "Mazagran" , which became a benchmark in France for enjoying coffee and mulled wine.
Thus, from a moment of tension was born an everyday object, a silent witness to a possible dialogue between cultures.
Because that's the magic of mint tea: it transforms a meeting into an exchange, a silence into mutual understanding.
A Journey for Peace
It is from this conviction that the Mint Tea for Peace Tour was born, an invitation to travel, not only through landscapes, but through hearts and minds.
We dream of a modern pilgrimage, a path traced by the aromas of tea and the values of peace it embodies.
We will leave from the Saint-Étienne Cathedral in Bourges , cross the forecourt of Notre-Dame de Paris , then head towards Jerusalem , before ending this journey at the gates of Mecca .
At each stage, a Peace Conference , punctuated by a Mint Tea for Peace ceremony.
During a meeting with Ms. Audrey Azoulay, Director General of UNESCO , we shared this dream. She invited us to formulate a project so that this trip would be placed under the high patronage of UNESCO.
And yet, since October 7 , this dream seems like a utopia .
But we refuse to give it up .
We believe that more than ever, the world needs rituals that bring people together, moments of grace where we can, over a simple glass of tea, relearn how to listen to and understand each other.
So we move forward, with the conviction that this journey must exist. That it will exist... in Shaa Allah (in Arabic إِنْ شَاءَ ٱللَّٰهُ which means "if God wills")
A Final Testimony of Generosity
This conviction was reinforced during our last Mint Tea for Peace ceremony, organized as part of the Izouran festival , in Aït Ben Haddou , in collaboration with the NGO WeSpeakCitizen .
That day, under an ochre and azure sky, we experienced a moment of rare intensity.
Lalla Loubna and Moulay Hicham, emblematic figures of Moroccan hospitality, were keen to welcome Marie , for whom it was the first trip to the Moroccan South .
With a precise and delicate gesture, they poured the tea with infinite grace, offering much more than a drink: an invitation to be part of their world, if only for a glass.
Marie, moved, let herself be carried away by this gentleness, by the dazzling simplicity of this moment when everything made sense.
There were no more differences, no more boundaries. Just a warm cup in their hands, a smile exchanged, a moment of pure sharing.
It is for these moments that we pour tea again and again.
It is for these meetings that the Mint Tea for Peace Tour will take to the road.
Because as long as there is Mint Tea, there will always be hope for peace.
