In many Palestinian and Jordanian homes, the everyday tea is black tea with a few leaves of sage — maramiya — dropped into the pot. It's the tea of long afternoons, family visits and anyone who just walked in the door. Our founder grew up with it: black tea steeped with sage or with mint, made the same way for generations.
What it tastes like
Sage softens strong black tea. It adds a soft, herbal, slightly piney smell and takes the edge off the tannin, so the tea feels rounder and warmer. It's usually served sweet, in small glasses.
What you need (two to three small glasses)
- 2 cups of water
- 2 teaspoons of loose black tea, or 2 black tea bags
- 4–6 dried sage leaves (Mediterranean or "Lebanese" sage if you can find it), or 2–3 fresh
- Sugar to taste
Method
- Bring the water to a boil.
- Take it off the heat and add the tea. Cover and steep for three to four minutes.
- Add the sage leaves for the last minute or two — sage turns bitter if it steeps too long, so it goes in late.
- Sweeten in the pot if you like, then pour into glasses, leaving the leaves behind.
Sage, mint, cardamom
Families have their house tea: sage in some, mint in others, cardamom in many. We don't sell a sage blend (yet). If you love the warmth of maramiya, our Good Morning blend — black tea with whole cardamom, cinnamon bark and clove — is its spiced cousin, and our caffeine-free Good Afternoon blend carries the fresh, minty side of the same afternoon ritual.