Dutch Fresh Mint Hot Tea

Name: Dutch Fresh Mint Hot Tea
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 0.5 oz Fresh mint sprigs, rinsed; 2 tsp Honey (optional)

February 19, 2026

If you enjoy hot drinks, I have a great idea for you today. Dutch Fresh Mint Hot Tea is as easy as it gets — and incredibly satisfying. Even if you don’t consider yourself a tea drinker, this one might win you over.

In keeping with my “selection process” for the recipes I’m sharing this year, this find comes with a story.

But before we go any further, let’s be honest — this isn’t really a recipe. It’s more of a reminder that sometimes the simplest things in life produce the best results. 😊

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The Story Behind This Simple Cup

In the fall of 2022, my husband and I traveled to Europe for the first time to celebrate our 20th anniversary. Visiting Europe had been on my bucket list since I was a kid, especially after hosting multiple exchange students over the years (mostly from France).

Originally, the trip was planned as a two-week adventure. But as we talked with friends about affordable ways to travel and mapped out people we could visit across the continent, we realized how many nights we could stay with friends and save on hotels. Suddenly, a month-long trip felt possible.

We ended up traveling for 28 days and spent at least 10 nights with friends and other hosts. We reconnected with German expat friends we’d met while living in Australia from 2006–2009, visited an old friend of Drew’s from his church camp days who now serves as a missionary in the Netherlands just south of Amsterdam, watched a hometown friend run the London Marathon (a total coincidence that our timelines overlapped), and reunited with my childhood exchange student from Bordeaux, France, who lived with our family for three summers during short exchange programs.

I had promised her I would visit someday. It only took 25+ years.

I shared more about this adventure both here on the blog and on the podcast, if you’re interested:

Anyway, our time in the Netherlands is where this tea was discovered. On our first evening in Delft — about an hour south of Amsterdam, where our friends lived — they took us on a walking tour of the city and then to their favorite spot for fresh mint tea. It was an intentional experience they curated for us… and it was perfect.

And yes — our introduction to this tea was paired with Dutch apple pie. What else?

I couldn’t believe how simple and delicious it was. I’m not a big tea drinker, but this was definitely up my alley. You can add honey if you’d like. As shown in the photo below, it was served in individual sachets on the plate.

I prefer it without, though!

This next photo reminds me of a principle that is a part of Dutch homes, I read about in the sweet book The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living, and that’s finding ways to fill your home with light in the dark months, whether it be with candles or lamps.

How cozy is that?!

We have lots to go over here on how to make this, so let’s get going. (I’m kidding, of course, because it’s just SO EASY!) LOL

Dutch Fresh Mint Tea: A Non-Recipe “Recipe”

FIRST

Boil water.

Careful. Don’t get too crazy here. I know this is a tough job. 🙂

P.S. I adore my OXO Electric Kettle

NEXT

Wash your mint leaves, then stuff them into a heatproof mug.

It’s traditional in the Netherlands to use clear glass, and for good reason – it’s so much more aesthetically pleasing!

P.S. I adore these Glass Coffee Mugs.

For me, that means they’re not too big, and the handle is a comfortable shape.

THEN

Pour the boiling water over the leaves and let it sit for 5 minutes or until you can’t wait any longer!

SAVOR

Isn’t it delightfully beautiful?

Inspired By Immigrants

I call this Dutch Fresh Mint Hot Tea because that’s where I discovered it, and it is a popular drink that is widely consumed in the Netherlands.

Thanks to a piano teacher friend (Suzanne G), on social media, who used to live near Delft in the Netherlands, I later learned that this tea was actually introduced to Holland through the large influx of Moroccans who came as guest workers generations ago.

From what I read online, the Moroccan brew was a bit more involved, with gunpowder, green tea, sugar, and fresh mint. The Dutch paired it down to an even simpler tea.

Interesting!