0:00
At the spice stall
Smell and taste whole spices with your guide: cumin, coriander seed, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, paprika and saffron, and learn how to spot good saffron.
Fes, Morocco· Concierge · Mon–Sat · 09:00–18:00 GMT+1
Mint tea and spice blending
Visit a spice stall in Fes el-Bali to smell and buy whole spices, then blend your own ras el hanout and a fresh chermoula in a riad salon and learn the full Moroccan mint tea ritual. The workshop takes about 2–2.5 hours and suits families. You take your blend home.
- Private or small-group
- Menu agreed with you
- Recipes to take home
What the class is like
Mint tea is poured dozens of times a day in Fes, and every household has opinions about how to make it. Spices are the other half of the Fassi kitchen: the famous ras el hanout is not a fixed recipe but a spice seller's own blend, with anything from a handful to a few dozen ingredients.
This short workshop covers both. You visit a spice stall to smell and buy whole spices, then blend your own ras el hanout and a fresh chermoula, and finish by learning the full tea ritual. You take your blend home.
Best for: A short slot between sightseeing; Gift-hunters (you bottle your own blend); Families and non-cooks.
- How long
- About 2–2.5 hours
- Where
- A spice stall in Fes el-Bali, then a riad salon
- Diets
- Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-free on request
- Families
- Children welcome
How the class runs
A typical running order. Times are from the start of the class and shift with your group and the season.
0:45
Blend ras el hanout
Toast, grind and balance your own blend, tasting as you go, and jar it to take home.
1:15
Chermoula
Make the herb and spice marinade used for fish and vegetables: coriander, parsley, garlic, cumin, paprika, lemon and olive oil.
1:40
The tea ritual
Rinse the gunpowder tea, pack the pot with fresh mint, sweeten to taste and pour from a height to raise a foam. Then try winter herbs such as louiza (lemon verbena) or chiba.
What you cook
Ras el hanout
Literally 'head of the shop': a spice seller's signature blend, typically built on cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, pepper and many others. Used in tagines, mrouzia and rfissa.
Chermoula
A fresh marinade of herbs, garlic, spices, lemon and olive oil, used on fish, chicken and vegetables.
atay
Mint tea
Chinese gunpowder green tea brewed with fresh spearmint and sugar, served in small glasses and poured from height.
Private or small-group
Private
Your party with a guide and a tea host. Easy to tack onto another class or a medina tour.
Small-group
A shared workshop with a few other travellers.
Dietary needs
Naturally vegan and gluten-free. Tea can be made with little or no sugar. Tell us about spice allergies; you can leave anything out of your blend.
Good to know
Customs rules on spices vary by country; whole and ground spices are usually fine, but check yours. Saffron is often faked in tourist markets; you'll learn how to tell. Pairs well with the pastries class for a sweet afternoon.
Before you knock
The questions people ask us most before they plan a trip.
What is ras el hanout?
It means 'head of the shop' and is a spice seller's house blend. There's no single recipe; blends commonly include cumin, coriander, ginger, cinnamon, turmeric and pepper among many others. In the workshop you make your own.
How is Moroccan mint tea made?
Gunpowder green tea is rinsed briefly, then brewed with a large bunch of fresh spearmint and sugar, and poured from a height to aerate it and raise a foam. You'll practise the whole ritual.
Can I take the spices home?
Yes. You leave with a jar of your own ras el hanout. Check your home country's customs rules for food items before you fly.
Keep cooking
Pastries & cookiesGazelle horns, chebakia, ghriba and almond briouats: the sweets Fassi families make for weddings, Eid and Ramadan, rolled and shaped by hand.See the class
Riad class + souk shoppingShop the Fes el-Bali food souks with your cook, then carry the bags back to a riad kitchen and cook a full Fassi lunch from what you bought.See the class
Family & kidsA shorter, hands-on class built for children: kneading msemen, rolling kefta, shaping ghriba cookies and pouring mint tea from a height, with lunch at the end.See the classPair it with: The Moroccan mint tea ritual, Fes souks and shopping, Fes food tour of the medina.
Send your dates, group and diet. We'll set the menu with you.
- Tell us what drew you in. Your dates, who is travelling and what you want to see.
- A person reads it. We write a day-by-day plan for your group, private or small-group.
- You change anything. Then we confirm the guides, drivers and riads.