Morocco-Inspired Tea Party

Growing up in Morocco, my family hosted a Moroccan tea party pretty much every weekend. Our friends and family used to gather at our riad for a whole afternoon drinking mint tea and connecting with each other for hours.

The rose-flavored Moroccan mint tea, the delicate coconut, and almond pastries, and the bohemian Moroccan decor with its fluffy rugs and comfortable poufs probably encouraged the warm and intimate ambiance of the party.

Years later and thousands of miles away from Morocco, here I am perpetuating the tradition I grew up in, always finding a good excuse to throw a Morocco-inspired tea party.

If you would like to give it a try – which I highly encourage you to do – here are all the steps to host a successful Moroccan tea party at home.

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Moroccan Tea Party Food & Drinks

The main foods and drinks served at a Moroccan tea party are Moroccan mint tea and pastries. Moroccan Mint tea is made with Chinese gunpowder tea, fresh mint leaves, and a few aromatics like rose petals, orange blossom water, and verbena. It’s a delicious and fragrant hot drink made in a ceremonial engraved teapot and served in a matching tray.

 

If you or some of your guests are coffee lovers, you can also serve, in addition to the Moroccan mint tea, Morocco’s cherished spiced coffee. It’s a coffee flavored with a mix of earthy spices creating an incredibly fragrant and warm drink.

Check Moroccan Coffee Recipe here

The pastries that I serve at my tea parties are a mix of traditional and international pastries. The international pastries include, but are not limited to, chocolate cookies, ladyfingers, and french croissants. But the stars of the show are traditional pastries as they are pastries initially designed to complete the flavors of mint tea.

While some Moroccan pastries can be quite complex and technical to make, there are others that are accessible to beginners and they are the ones I will share with you here. Honestly, they are very easy to make, quick, and almost unmissable. I highly encourage you to make for your party at least one traditional Moroccan pastry – if not more. It will surprise your guests and introduce them to new delicious flavors and fragrances.

 

 

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Tea Party Utensils

The main utensils for a traditional tea party in Morocco are the teapot, tea tray, and tea glasses. A traditional Moroccan teapot is designed to keep the tea hot for longer periods than a classic teapot. These teapots are also designed to be in close contact with a heat source, which is primordial in Moroccan mint tea making as the tea leaves and aromatics need to actively boil for at least a couple of minutes.

 

The tea glasses used for serving mint tea are typically small. They come in different colors and designs, making them very versatile to create any particular ambiance. They can be bright, colorful, in different colors, or discreet. They always look gorgeous combined with a traditional teapot and tray.

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Tea Party Decor

The go-to decor for a Morocco-inspired tea party is the boho decor, incorporating a few handcrafted Moroccan decor items. This decor style is also very versatile and can be either colorful or more subtle and discreet.

Here I went for a cozy decor incorporating a few oversized poufs and pillows for sitting, a fluffy beni-ourain rug, and a couple of traditional tray tables which can be detached and used as trays.

Tea Party Music

I have a playlist for my Moroccan tea parties. It’s a two-hour playlist with the best Moroccan and Arabian songs to set an intimate ambiance. I created this list a couple of years ago and I always get back to it as it has a collection of Arabic music masterpieces. These songs are great for the day and the night and are very popular in Morocco and the Arab world in general often played during engagement parties and marriages.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/30Ht3VKgh78j7GkEtVkSnY?si=b00665c349b64635

That’s it! All you need to know to host a successful Morocco-inspired tea party. I hope you enjoy the whole process – cooking, decorating, setting the ambiance – and most importantly, have fun with your guests!