Just wanted to share: Ahmad tea

Hello there. I am new to this website and saw this forum so wanted to share with you a tea that I enjoy on an almost daily basis.

I am Egyptian and our culture is huge on tea-drinking. Unlike the British or Indians, we typically don't drink our tea with milk (although this is often done for children). It is traditionally had as black loose leaf tea with sugar (with or without fresh mint) and the tea is often kept in the cup for the entire time (i.e. people like it rather dark and strong).
These are of course generalizations and I'm sure there are individual exceptions.

One brand I particularly enjoy is the Ahmad Ceylon Tea loose leaf. Even though I'm not a huge Early Grey drinker, their Earl Grey is also well made.


For reference, this is how I like mine: 1/2 tsp of loose leaf, 1 tsp of regular granulated sugar, add boiling water, stir, and keep in cup. For those of you who prefer the traditional route of steeping for 4 minutes, that works fine as well.
Also, some fresh mint (preferably Egyptian or Moroccan peppermint) can also be added to enhance taste. These are relatively cheap teas but of high quality IMHO.

Welcome to B&B and the Cafe'! Thanks for sharing your favorite tea with us. And especially how you commonly prepare it.

Welcome, it sound delicious. I've tried mint in black tea only once and did like it but just haven't done it myself.

The Mick said:

Welcome, it sound delicious. I've tried mint in black tea only once and did like it but just haven't done it myself.

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Yes. In North Africa black tea is frequently drunk with mint. Some people dry the mint leaves to prolong lifespan but I prefer fresh mint. The key is not to use any old mint. The ones they sell at vegetable aisle of a supermarket are nowhere near potent enough (and I believe are generally meant for cooking). I don't know if you know anyone who grows Moroccan or Egyptian peppermint but if you do get some. They are possibly the easiest thing to grow after a cactus as they are essentially weeds. Added bonus: apparently many rodents are repelled by the mint and it could help minimize infestations.

NEWBY WAN KENOBI said:

For reference, this is how I like mine: 1/2 tsp of loose leaf, 1 tsp of regular granulated sugar, add boiling water, stir, and keep in cup. For those of you who prefer the traditional route of steeping for 4 minutes, that works fine as well.
Also, some fresh mint (preferably Egyptian or Moroccan peppermint) can also be added to enhance taste.

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Excuse my ignorance but you leave the loose tea leaves in the cup floating around? How do you avoid drinking them or do you drink them to?

NEWBY WAN KENOBI said:

Yes. In North Africa black tea is frequently drunk with mint. Some people dry the mint leaves to prolong lifespan but I prefer fresh mint. The key is not to use any old mint. The ones they sell at vegetable aisle of a supermarket are nowhere near potent enough (and I believe are generally meant for cooking). I don't know if you know anyone who grows Moroccan or Egyptian peppermint but if you do get some. They are possibly the easiest thing to grow after a cactus as they are essentially weeds. Added bonus: apparently many rodents are repelled by the mint and it could help minimize infestations.

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Yes indeed fresh is always better. We do actually some peppermint and spearmint in our garden. But I don't think it is Moroccan or Egyptian. I currently only have Assam black tea no Ceylon. I drink more coffee than tea but do enjoy a good tea from time to time.

Jinx18 said:

Excuse my ignorance but you leave the loose tea leaves in the cup floating around? How do you avoid drinking them or do you drink them to?

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No, I don't drink the tea leaves When the tea leaves become saturated they become more dense and stay at the bottom of the cup. After you stir just give it a minute or 2 to settle (you'll want to do that anyway as it is steeping). It's usually completely settled by the time it takes for me to move my cup from the kitchen to my office, sit down and begin drinking. The only time I deal with avoiding leaves is in the very last sip of the cup (where I'm draining the darkest tea from between the leaves themselves).

I could understand why you might expect it to be irritating but it never bothers me. Still, if you find it bothersome you could always just remove it after 4-5 mins with a spoon. I just don't find it worthwhile to do so.

PS - a good quality almond biscotti doesn't go amiss every once in a while either

Welcome aboard. I saw that brand of Ceylon tea at a store I frequent. I will give it a shot. It may be a nice change of pace from my customary PG Tips.

NEWBY WAN KENOBI said:

Hello there. I am new to this website and saw this forum so wanted to share with you a tea that I enjoy on an almost daily basis.

I am Egyptian and our culture is huge on tea-drinking. Unlike the British or Indians, we typically don't drink our tea with milk (although this is often done for children). It is traditionally had as black loose leaf tea with sugar (with or without fresh mint) and the tea is often kept in the cup for the entire time (i.e. people like it rather dark and strong).
These are of course generalizations and I'm sure there are individual exceptions.

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Welcome and thanks for sharing a "different" way of drinking tea.

Do you get one cup of tea this way, or do you pour more hot water in and get a second?

NEWBY WAN KENOBI said:

Yes. In North Africa black tea is frequently drunk with mint. Some people dry the mint leaves to prolong lifespan but I prefer fresh mint.

Click to expand...

With fresh mint, do you leave the leaves intact, or try to break them up?

I always appreciate learning of a new loose leaf tea. I too take mine clear and usually unsweetened. I'll have to give this brand a try.

Doc4 said:

Welcome and thanks for sharing a "different" way of drinking tea.

Do you get one cup of tea this way, or do you pour more hot water in and get a second?



With fresh mint, do you leave the leaves intact, or try to break them up?

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As a rule, I do not reuse tea leaves. That being said, I have different size cups and my favorite is a tall glass with a handle which probably holds ~14 oz. The point is, the tea leaves are strong enough to make a large cup if you want to do that. bviously you can tinker with the quantity if you are making larger sizes. If you're going to make a second I would change the tea leaves.
PS - playing with quantity of tea is a matter of experience and preference. If you leave them in like I do it matters more how much you put. If you are steeping then removing them it probably doesn't make as big a difference. In general, I feel 1/2 teaspoon scooped is a good starting amount.

I leave the mint leaves intact. Unfortunately, I have found that fresh mint leaves have more of a propensity to float so I inevitably have to remove them after a few minutes with a spoon. But my friends leave them in like the tea.

I like Ahmad teas. Drink some almost everyday.