Drinks Guide
What Marrakech drinks
From the foaming mint tea of the welcome tray to the numbered orange-juice carts of Jemaa el-Fnaa, this is the first-hand guide to Moroccan drinks — the teas and herbalist infusions, the café-culture coffee, the fresh souk juices and the thick almond and avocado drinks poured in tall glasses. What each one is, how it's made and served, and where to drink it. 59 drinks and growing.
Page 1 of 3 · 59 drinks
22 drinks
Tea & infusions
The heart of Moroccan hospitality — foaming mint tea poured from height, plus the herbalist infusions of hibiscus, saffron and warming pepper.
Tea & infusions
Moroccan Mint Tea
أتاي · atay
Sweet green tea packed with fresh spearmint and poured from a height into small glasses — the drink of welcome served everywhere, all day long.
- Type
- Sweet green tea infusion
- Served
- Hot, in small glasses
Tea & infusions
Karkadé (Hibiscus Tea)
كركديه · karkadé
A deep-crimson infusion of dried hibiscus flowers — tart, cranberry-like and refreshing, drunk hot in winter or iced in the Marrakech heat.
- Type
- Hibiscus flower infusion
- Served
- Hot in winter, iced in summer
Tea & infusions
Saffron & Pepper Tea
أعشاب · a'shab (herbal infusions)
Warming wellness infusions from the herbalist's stall — precious saffron threads and cracked black pepper steeped for cold days and clear heads.
- Type
- Herbal / spice wellness infusion
- Served
- Hot
Tea & infusions
Verbena Tea (Louiza)
لويزة · louiza
A lemon-scented herbal infusion from the courtyard garden — calming and digestive, and often stirred straight into the mint tea pot in winter.
- Type
- Lemon verbena herbal infusion
- Served
- Hot, in a glass
Tea & infusions
Wild Wormwood Tea (Chiba)
شيبة · chiba
A bitter, silvery desert herb steeped alone or folded into the mint tea pot — a sharp winter infusion prized for warming the body and settling the stomach.
- Type
- Wild wormwood herbal infusion
- Served
- Hot, in a glass
Tea & infusions
Sage Tea (Salmiya)
سالمية · salmiya
A warming, slightly camphorous garden herb steeped alone or mixed into mint tea — the classic Moroccan answer to a cough or a cold evening.
- Type
- Garden sage herbal infusion
- Served
- Hot, in a glass
Tea & infusions
Wild Thyme Tea (Za'atar)
زعتر · za'atar
An earthy, pungent infusion of wild mountain thyme — in Morocco, za'atar means the herb itself, steeped as a strong herbalist's tea for digestion and colds.
- Type
- Wild thyme herbal infusion
- Served
- Hot, in a glass
Tea & infusions
Ginger Infusion (Skinjbir)
شاي الزنجبيل · shay skinjbir
Fresh ginger simmered into a sharp, warming infusion — a household remedy for colds, nausea and cold hands, sweetened with honey and lemon.
- Type
- Fresh ginger infusion
- Served
- Hot
Tea & infusions
Orange Blossom Water Drink (Maa Zhar)
ماء الزهر · maa zhar
A few drops of distilled orange blossom water in a glass of water or hot water — Morocco's simplest calming drink, poured for guests, nerves and new mothers.
- Type
- Diluted orange blossom water
- Served
- Hot or cold, in a small glass
Tea & infusions
Galangal Winter Tea (Khoudenjal)
خوذنجال · khoudenjal
A warming root sold by the herbalist and simmered into a spiced winter infusion — one of the lesser-known warming teas of the Marrakech attarine stalls.
- Type
- Galangal root infusion
- Served
- Hot
Tea & infusions
Pennyroyal Mint Tea (Fliyou)
فليو · fliyou
A wild, camphor-scented mint relative added to the tea pot for stomach complaints and winter chills — a classic herbalist companion to spearmint.
- Type
- Pennyroyal herbal infusion
- Served
- Hot, in a glass
Tea & infusions
Fenugreek Drink (Sharbat El-Helba)
شربات الحلبة · sharbat el-helba
A thick, spiced, honey-sweetened brew of boiled fenugreek seeds — a traditional strength-building drink given to new mothers and reached for in winter.
- Type
- Boiled fenugreek seed drink
- Served
- Hot
Tea & infusions
Anise & Fennel Tea (Nafâa)
نافع · nafâa
A gentle, liquorice-scented seed tea steeped for digestion and colic — one of the mildest herbalist infusions, often given even to small children.
- Type
- Anise and fennel seed infusion
- Served
- Warm to hot, in a glass
Tea & infusions
Chamomile Tea (Babunj)
بابونج · babunj
A pale, floral flower-head tea sold by every herbalist — a calming, stomach-soothing infusion reached for at bedtime or after a rich meal.
- Type
- Chamomile flower infusion
- Served
- Hot, in a glass
Tea & infusions
Saharan Tea Ceremony (Atay Sahraoui)
أتاي صحراوي · atay sahraoui
The slow three-glass tea of the desert — brewed over coals, poured back and forth to build foam, and drunk in a ritual that can last an hour.
- Type
- Slow-brewed gunpowder green tea
- Served
- Hot, in small glasses, three rounds
Tea & infusions
Rosemary Tea (Azir)
أزير · azir
A piney, resinous mountain infusion of wild rosemary — brewed for a clear head and an easy stomach, and sold in fragrant bundles at the herbalist.
- Type
- Wild rosemary herbal infusion
- Served
- Hot, in a glass
Tea & infusions
Marjoram Tea (Mardqoush)
مردقوش · mardqoush
A soft, sweet-herbal infusion of dried marjoram — a gentle calmer for nerves and headaches, brewed at home and dropped into the winter tea pot.
- Type
- Marjoram herbal infusion
- Served
- Hot, in a glass
Tea & infusions
Lavender Tea (Khzama)
الخزامى · khzama
A pale, floral infusion of Moroccan lavender — soothing and softly perfumed, brewed for calm evenings and drunk as much for its scent as its taste.
- Type
- Lavender flower infusion
- Served
- Hot, in a glass
Tea & infusions
Eucalyptus Tea (Kalitus)
الكاليتوس · kalitus
A sharp, clearing infusion of eucalyptus leaves — Morocco's household remedy for winter coughs, blocked noses and heavy chests.
- Type
- Eucalyptus leaf infusion
- Served
- Hot, drunk and inhaled
Tea & infusions
Black Seed Drink (Sanouj)
سانوج · sanouj
A warm, peppery wellness drink of ground black seed and honey — the 'seed that cures everything' brewed as a folk tonic for immunity and colds.
- Type
- Black seed and honey tonic
- Served
- Warm, in a small glass
Tea & infusions
Pine Nut Mint Tea (Atay bi Snoubar)
أتاي بالصنوبر · atay b'snoubar
A celebratory pour of mint tea crowned with floating pine nuts — a Fez-style flourish that turns the everyday glass into a small luxury.
- Type
- Mint tea garnished with pine nuts
- Served
- Hot, in small glasses
Tea & infusions
Olive Leaf Tea (Warq Zzitoun)
ورق الزيتون · warq zzitoun
A rustic, faintly bitter infusion of olive leaves — a countryside folk remedy brewed for blood pressure and blood sugar from the trees that feed Morocco.
- Type
- Olive leaf herbal infusion
- Served
- Hot, in a glass
2 drinks
Coffee & café culture
Morocco's other daily ritual — the milky nous-nous, the espresso-dark café cassé and the pavement café where the city watches itself go by.
Coffee & café culture
Nous-Nous & Moroccan Coffee
نص نص · nuṣṣ-nuṣṣ (half-half)
Half espresso, half steamed milk in a small glass — the everyday café order that anchors Morocco's pavement coffee culture.
- Type
- Espresso with steamed milk
- Served
- Hot, in a glass
Coffee & café culture
Café Cassé
قهوة مهرسة · qahwa mherrsa
A short black coffee 'broken' with just a dash of milk — the strong, dark cousin of the nous-nous for serious coffee drinkers.
- Type
- Black coffee with a dash of milk
- Served
- Hot, short
Answers
Moroccan drinks: common questions
What is the national drink of Morocco?
Mint tea (atay) — sweet green tea steeped with fresh spearmint and poured from a height to raise a foam — is Morocco's defining drink and the universal gesture of hospitality. Coffee, in the form of the milky nous-nous, is the country's other daily ritual, drunk in its pavement cafés.
What is this Moroccan drinks guide?
A first-hand guide to what Marrakech drinks — mint tea and herbalist infusions, café-culture coffee, the fresh juices of Jemaa el-Fnaa, and the thick almond and avocado drinks poured in tall glasses. Each entry explains what a drink is, how it is made and served, when and where you drink it, and the culture around it.
What should I drink at Jemaa el-Fnaa?
The square is famous for its numbered orange-juice carts, freshly squeezed to order and cheap. Try that first, then a thick layered panaché or an avocado smoothie, and in autumn a glass of ruby pomegranate juice pressed from seasonal fruit.
Is it rude to refuse mint tea in Morocco?
It can be. Mint tea is offered as a welcome in homes, shops and stalls, and declining the first glass may read as refusing the host's hospitality. It is polite to accept at least one glass, even a few sips.