Turkish tea (çay)
Strong black tea
Çay: strong black tea brewed in a double teapot (çaydanlık)
Nowhere in Turkey is far from a glass of çay. Tea from the slopes of Rize on the Black Sea coast is brewed in a stacked double teapot, the çaydanlık, and poured into small tulip-shaped glasses all day long: at breakfast with simit and cheese, in shops when you haggle, after every meal. The strong brew sits in the top pot and each glass is diluted to taste with hot water from the bottom, so one person drinks it dark (koyu) and another light (açık). It should be clear, the colour of a ruby or rabbit's blood (tavşan kanı), never cloudy. Serve it with sugar cubes on the side, not milk. Chef's tip: steam the dry leaves in the top pot for a few minutes before adding any water; the warm leaves open up and give a rounder, deeper colour.
- Total time
- 17 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 6 ¼ cups water
- 4 tbsp Turkish black tea leavessuch as Rize tea
- 12 sugar cubes (optional)to serve
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Fill the bottom pot of a çaydanlık (or a kettle) with 6 ¼ cups water and bring it to the boil over a high heat. Meanwhile put 4 tbsp Turkish black tea leaves into the top pot and set it on top so the leaves warm in the steam.
5 minStep 2: When the water boils, pour about 400 ml of it into the top pot over the leaves. Top up the bottom pot with a little more water, set the teapot back on and turn the heat down to the lowest setting.
1 minStep 3: Leave the tea to brew gently on top of the simmering pot for 10–15 minutes, until the leaves have sunk to the bottom and the brew is deep red-brown. Don't let the top pot boil: boiled tea turns bitter and cloudy, the most common mistake.
12 minStep 4: Pour strong tea into each tulip glass, a quarter full for light tea or half full for dark, then top up with hot water from the bottom pot. Hold the glass up to the light: it should look clear and ruby-red. Serve with 12 sugar cubes on the side and refill as glasses empty.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 2 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 0 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does turkish tea (çay) take?
- About 17 minutes in total: 2 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
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