The Ritual of Turkish Tea

By Sara Shacket

Tea made its way to Turkey through the silk road trade route in the 5th century, but tea drinking didn’t really take off until coffee became prohibitively expensive and mostly unavailable during World War I. The government started experimenting with tea growing in Rize province in 1912, and larger scale crops were cultivated in the 1930s and 40s. In the 1950s, tea became the beverage of choice in Turkey, largely due to the government’s support of tea farming.

A huge part of the ritual is brewing the tea. First, a special kettle called a çaydanlık is used. It looks like two kettles stacked on top of each other, similar to a Russian samovar. The large bottom kettle is for boiling water, and the top is for steeping tea. Turkish black tea (or any CTC tea will do) is used, and served in tulip-shaped glass teacups with saucers. Little spoons for stirring are nice to include as well. The tulip-shaped glasses are produced in Istambul, where there is a large glass-blowing industry.

To make Turkish tea, the bottom kettle is filled with water and allowed to boil, and the heat turned off. About 2 tablespoons of tea are added to the top kettle and it’s slowly filled with the freshly-boiled water. The bottom pot is topped off with fresh water to re-boil while the steeping happens on the top (this water will be needed for serving later). The tea should steep for 10-15 minutes. It’ll be good and strong!

The steeped tea is poured into glass cups, leaving room to dilute with the freshly boiled water. The tea is always quite strong, but the depth of the strength can be personalized. My Turkish friend said the tea is supposed to be the shade of Rabbit’s blood; which is a little gruesome, but a helpful visual reference.

When drinking from a tulip-shaped glass, the lip of the glass should be held, in order to keep fingers from being scorched. The first time I had Turkish tea was in a restaurant, and the server didn’t mention where to hold the glass. I had such a hard time drinking the tea, because the glass was too hot to hold! I loved the tea, but I wasn’t sure how anyone could comfortably drink it. I must’ve looked quite silly trying to drink it without burning my fingers. It took me a while to figure out that the top of the glass where the ‘tulip’ flares out is the best place to hold it.

Sugar is usually served in cubes alongside the tea cup, but it doesn’t have to be used. The traditional tea is strong, bitter, earthy, and sweet. Snacks are often served alongside the tea. Snacks such as feta cheese and simit (a Turkish bread) are a great addition. Bites of tangy, salty cheese combined with the chewy sesame flavor of the simit goes really well with the strong tea. Of course, sweets are welcome as well.

Imagine enjoying a cup of this invigorating tea while visiting family, or sitting at a café with friends. Tea makes an appearance at every social situation. This Turkish ritual of steeping tea and serving to guests has similarities to the ritual of Masala Chai in India and German East Frisian tea. Worldwide, tea cultures may seem very different from place to place, but there is a similar theme. A mindfully prepared cup, often enjoyed in the company of friends and loved ones.