Atay (Moroccan Mint Tea)

The pour is the dish. You can put good tea, fresh na'na (spearmint), and sugar in the pot, but atay only becomes itself when the tea falls long and bright into the glass, making that little foam at the top. That foam tells the guest: you were expected, even if you knocked without warning.

Rinse the gunpowder tea first. That small bitter wash is not for drinking; it wakes the leaves and takes away their harsh edge. Then the mint goes in, never bruised into sadness, just folded into the pot with enough sugar to make the tea generous. Moroccan atay is sweet. You can soften it for your table, but don't pretend the old glass was shy.

Pour the first glass back into the pot once or twice so the strength, sugar, and mint settle together. Then serve everyone from the same hand. Une table, c'est une porte qu'on laisse ouverte, a table is a door you leave open, and sometimes the key is a silver teapot.