How to Make Turkish Tea
Turkish tea is a strong black tea that is grown in the region near the town of Rize along the Black Sea in northern Turkey. Turkey is one of the top producers of tea in the world as well as one of the top consumers of tea in the world. Turkish tea is a sign of hospitality and Turkish people drink several cups of tea throughout the day, including before or after meals. In Turkey, tea is typically made in a special teapot of two stacked kettles called a caydanlik.
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Things You'll Need
- Turkish teapot, or a teapot that includes a stacking top and bottom kettle
- Loose leaf black Turkish tea
- Tea strainer
- Turkish tea glasses
- Saucers
- Spoons
- Sugar cubes
Instructions
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Fill the bottom tea kettle with water and place it on high or medium high heat. Heat the water until it comes to a rolling boil.
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Put some loose leaf black Turkish tea in the top kettle. Pour some boiling water from the bottom kettle into the top kettle, and leave a little water in the bottom kettle also. Place the bottom tea kettle back on the burner, but turn the burner down to low heat. Place the top kettle on top of the bottom kettle. Wait 15 minutes for the tea leaves to steep. Turn off the heat and remove both kettles from the stove.
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3
Pour the Turkish tea from the top kettle into traditional tulip-shaped tea glasses using a tea strainer. However, only pour the tea so that the glasses are 1/4 full. Add more hot water to the Turkish tea for the tea drinkers who prefer a weaker tea, and add less hot water to the tea for tea drinkers who prefer their tea strong.
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Place a saucer under the glass. Put a spoon and some sugar cubes on the saucer. The tea drinkers can add the sugar cubes to taste. Serve the Turkish tea immediately.
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Tips & Warnings
Lemon wedges can also be offered to those who want a weaker tea.
Samovars holding strong Turkish tea and hot water allow café drinkers in Turkey to prepare their tea to taste and refill it as many times as they wish.
References
- Photo Credit John Foxx/Stockbyte/Getty Images
