Tunisian Pine Nut Tea (Thé aux Pignons)

Name: Tunisian Pine Nut Tea (Thé aux Pignons)
Prep time: 13 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Tunisian
Ingredients: 4 tbsp (36 g) raw pine nuts, rinsed, then soaked in cold water; ½ cup (120 ml) cold water for soaking the pine nuts, cold; 2 tsp (6 g) loose gunpowder green tea; 4½ cups (1080 ml) water, fresh, cold, for boiling (120 ml is used to rinse the tea); ½ cup (12 g) fresh mint, leaves and tender stems, lightly packed, rinsed; 4 tbsp (50 g) granulated sugar

From the MyKitchenBank Kitchen

A fragrant Tunisian glass of sweet mint green tea with soft, buttery pine nuts resting at the bottom. Sip the tea, then scoop up the nuts with a small spoon at the end.

Prep: 13 min
Cook: 7 min
Wait: 1 hr 5 min
Total: 1 hr 25 min
Makes: 4 small glasses (about 6 oz / 180 ml each)

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Steps

Before you start

Start the pine nut soak about 1 hour before you want to serve. The soak makes the nuts tender and creamy.
Use loose-leaf gunpowder green tea if you can. It gives the strong, slightly smoky flavor typical of Tunisian tea.
Fresh mint matters here. Dried mint will taste dull and can turn the tea muddy.
Set out 4 heatproof glasses (about 6 oz / 180 ml) and a small teapot or heatproof pitcher before you begin.

1
Soak the pine nuts
- Put the pine nuts in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse them under cold running water for 10 seconds.
- Transfer them to a small bowl and cover with the 120 ml (½ cup) cold soaking water.
- Let them soak at room temperature for 1 hour.
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Ready when: Nuts look slightly plump and feel tender when pressed with a fingertip
Tip: You can soak them up to 8 hours in the fridge. Drain before using.
2
Boil the water
- Pour the 4½ cups (1080 ml) water into a saucepan or kettle.
- Bring it to a full rolling boil over high heat, about 6 minutes.
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Ready when: Large bubbles break constantly across the surface
3
Rinse the tea
- Put the green tea in the teapot.
- Pour in about ½ cup (120 ml) of the boiling water and swirl for 30 seconds to wake up the leaves.
- Strain out and discard this liquid, keeping the leaves in the pot.
- Keep the rest of the water hot, and return it to a boil if it stops steaming.
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Ready when: Leaves look unfurled and smell grassy and fresh; the rinse water is pale green
Tip: This quick rinse removes bitterness and is the key to a clean-tasting tea.
4
Add mint and sugar
- Add the mint and sugar to the teapot with the rinsed leaves.
- Gently press the mint with the back of a spoon 3 or 4 times to bruise it and release its oils, without shredding it.
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Ready when: Mint is bright green and smells strongly fragrant
5
Steep the tea
- Pour the remaining 4 cups (960 ml) boiling water into the teapot, cover with the lid, and steep for 5 minutes.
- Stir once with a spoon to dissolve any undissolved sugar.
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Ready when: Tea is golden-green, smells of mint, and tastes sweet with a mild bitterness
Tip: Don't steep longer than 6 minutes or the tea turns bitter.
6
Fill the glasses
- Drain the soaked pine nuts well.
- Place 1 tablespoon of nuts in the bottom of each of the 4 glasses.
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Ready when: Each glass has an even layer of nuts on the bottom
Tip: Warm the glasses with a splash of hot water first if you like, then tip it out. Cold glass can crack with hot tea.
7
Strain and serve
- Pour the tea through the fine-mesh strainer into the glasses, holding the pot a little high (about 8 inches / 20 cm) to create a light foam.
- Fill each glass to about ½ inch (1 cm) below the rim.
- Serve hot, with a small spoon to scoop the nuts once the tea is finished.
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Ready when: Tea has a light foam on top and the nuts rest at the bottom
Tip: Serve right away. Hot tea left on the leaves keeps extracting and becomes bitter.

Good to know

Tips

Pour the tea from a height for a light foam, a classic touch in Tunisian tea service.
Adjust sweetness to taste: Tunisian tea is usually quite sweet, but 3 tablespoons (38 g) of sugar is a good lighter amount.
Use small glasses. The pine nuts are rich, so a little goes a long way.
Allergy note: pine nuts are tree nuts for some people. Check with guests before serving.

Make ahead

Soak the pine nuts up to 8 hours ahead and keep them covered in the fridge. Drain before using.

Storage & reheating

Best served immediately. Strained tea (without nuts) keeps covered in the fridge for up to 2 days; reheat gently on the stove until steaming, not boiling, or serve over ice. Soaked pine nuts keep in the fridge for up to 1 day. Not suitable for freezing.

Substitutions

raw pine nuts → Aleppo pine seeds (zgougou) or blanched slivered almonds. Aleppo pine seeds are the most traditional choice. Almonds give a similar crunch but a different flavor.
loose gunpowder green tea → Other loose green tea or 3 green tea bags. The flavor will be milder and less smoky than gunpowder tea.
granulated sugar → Honey, 3 tablespoons (60 g). Stir it in after steeping, once the tea has cooled slightly, for the best flavor.
fresh mint → Fresh spearmint or peppermint. Spearmint is sweeter and milder; peppermint is stronger, so use about ⅓ less.