What's the etiquette if a local invites me for tea?

Tea is the beating heart of Moroccan hospitality, so the default posture toward a genuine invitation is to accept it warmly. Mint tea — sweet, poured theatrically from a height — is how Moroccans welcome guests, seal a deal, mark a visit and simply pass the time, and offering it is an act of generosity that it would be rude to brush off. If a host, a family you have been introduced to, or someone you have built a little rapport with invites you to sit and share a glass, say yes, slow down, and enjoy it; these unscripted moments of welcome are often the trips people remember most fondly.

There is a small grammar of manners worth knowing. Use your right hand to accept the glass and to eat, as the left is traditionally considered unclean; take at least one full glass, because declining outright can read as a snub, and tradition holds that three glasses are the proper courtesy if you have the time. Compliment the tea and thank your host sincerely — a little appreciation goes a long way — and if you are invited into someone's home rather than a shop or stall, bring a small gift, pastries, fruit, or something sweet, and follow your host's lead on shoes, seating and when to eat.

Now the honest caveat, because it matters. Tea offered the moment you step into a carpet shop, an argan cooperative or a souk stall is frequently a sales tactic — the warmth is real enough, but the glass is also a soft hook designed to make you feel obliged to buy. The crucial thing to understand is that you are not obliged. You can graciously accept the tea, enjoy the chat, admire the wares, and still leave without purchasing; a polite "thank you, it's beautiful, but not today" is entirely acceptable. The tea is hospitality, not a contract, and no honest seller will hold it against you.

My honest guidance: read the context. A spontaneous invitation from someone with nothing to sell — a fellow traveller's host, a family in a village, a craftsman taking a break — is hospitality in its purest form and should be embraced without suspicion. Tea inside a commercial setting can still be lovely, but enjoy it with clear eyes and no guilt about declining the sale. Either way, be courteous, grateful and unhurried, and you will honour one of the most beautiful customs in Moroccan life. Customs vary by region and household, so take your cue from your host throughout.