Maramiya tea

Ingredients

The tea

• 4 teaspoonsblack tea leaves
• a strong Ceylon or Assam
• 800 mlwater

The sage

• 8fresh sage leaves
• maramiya, wild sage
• or 2 teaspoons dried sage

To sweeten

• 6 tablespoonssugar
• or to taste

In summer instead

• a large handful of fresh mint
• na’na

Directions

1. Use less of it if that is what you have. Anyone on medication should check first. Pick the sage leaves from their stems. Rinse them under cold running water. Use the leaves rather than the stems.
2. Tear or bruise the leaves lightly. Do not shred them to pieces though. Bring the water to a boil in a pot. Add the black tea leaves to it. Let it boil for about three minutes. Three minutes of boiling makes it strong.
3. Add the sage leaves to the pot. Let it steep for about five minutes. Five minutes is about right for it. Take the sage out after five minutes. Add the sugar to the hot pot now.
4. Stir it until it dissolves completely. Taste it and adjust the sweetness. Reduce it if you prefer it lighter.
5. Pour it through a fine mesh sieve. Discard all of the spent leaves. Take the pot off the heat entirely. Add all of the fresh mint to it. Let it steep for three minutes only.
6. Heat destroys its aroma quickly. Serving it is always done very hot. Pour it out into small glasses. Those glasses hold about a hundred millilitres.
7. Pour it from a height into the glass. Put a fresh sage leaf in each glass. It is drunk hot and quite slowly. Make it fresh each time where you can.

Technique

• Sage contains thujone, which is harmful in large quantities; common garden sage contains more of it than the wild Levantine species used here. A cup of tea is not a concern — the caution concerns concentrated or prolonged heavy use — but sage is advised against in pregnancy, and anyone on medication should check first. It is a drink rather than a remedy.
• The sage goes in after the tea has brewed and steeps off a lowered heat for about five minutes, since boiling sage hard makes it bitter and longer steeping turns it medicinal; the summer mint version goes in entirely off the heat for three minutes, since mint is far more delicate and heat destroys its aroma.
• Salvia fruticosa, the wild Levantine sage, is milder and more floral than common garden sage, which is stronger and more savoury and can overpower the tea; use less of it if that is what you have.

Substitutions

• Dried sage stands in for fresh, used more sparingly since it is concentrated.
• Fresh mint replaces the sage entirely in summer, added off the heat.

Variations

• The sugar goes into the pot rather than the glass, as it does across the region.
• It is poured from a height into small clear glasses to raise a little foam.
• A fresh sage leaf or mint sprig is put in each glass to serve.

History

Sage picked in the Jordanian hills flavours the tea offered to guests; mint replaces it in summer.

Frequently asked questions

What is Maramiya tea?

Maramiya tea is a drink from Jordan: black tea steeped with wild sage and sweetened heavily. Sage picked in the Jordanian hills flavours the tea offered to guests; mint replaces it in summer.

How long does Maramiya tea take to make?

Maramiya tea takes 5 minutes of preparation and 10 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Maramiya tea?

Yes, within limits. Dried sage stands in for fresh, used more sparingly since it is concentrated. Fresh mint replaces the sage entirely in summer, added off the heat.

What is the most important thing to get right in Maramiya tea?

Use less of it if that is what you have. Anyone on medication should check first. Pick the sage leaves from their stems. Rinse them under cold running water. Use the leaves rather than the stems.