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What is attaya?
Attaya is the tea ritual of Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, the Gambia and Niger. One charge of gunpowder green tea is brewed three times in a small enamel pot with sugar and fresh mint, poured from height between glasses to raise a foam, and served in three rounds that grow sweeter and milder. The saying attached to it — the first is bitter like life, the second strong like love, the third gentle like death — is the whole specification in one line.
| Round | Character | What it demands of the leaf |
|---|---|---|
| First | Bitter, strong, little sugar | Tight pellet that has not yet fully opened |
| Second | Balanced, more sugar and mint | Body still present on re-infusion |
| Third | Sweet, gentle | Leaf that has not collapsed into fannings |
Guide
Why does attaya decide the purchase?
Attaya decides the purchase because a tea that gives everything on the first round fails the second and third. Pellet tightness and re-infusion behaviour are therefore commercial variables in these markets, not tasting notes. That is why Senegal buys gunpowder 3505 with the suffix fixed, and why it paid USD 4,024.6 per tonne in 2025 — 32.2% more than Morocco.
How large is the attaya market?
Senegal took 24,000 tonnes of Chinese tea in 2025, up 61.4%, and ranked second by export value at USD 98.4 million. Mauritania was fourth at USD 83.2 million, taking 100% green tea. Ghana's USD 72.4 million partly re-exports into Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, where the same ritual is practised.
Frequently asked
What tea is used for attaya?
Gunpowder green tea — principally grade 3505, with Chunmee 41022 alongside in some markets.
How is attaya different from Moroccan atay?
Both use gunpowder, mint and sugar. Attaya is explicitly three rounds from one charge, each with its own character; atay is prepared and poured from height and is not structured as three named rounds.
Next step
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