- On 05/09/2020
- In Tips for travellers Turkish Cuisine Turkish Culture
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How To Make An Amazing Turkish Tea
Turks consume the highest amount of tea per person in the entire World which makes Turkish tea an important part of their daily life. There is not a specific time or a pattern to have a sip, with the breakfast in the morning till the end of the dinner as a finishing touch Turks drink almost 4 glasses of tea per day.
As Turkish tea is not instantly made, there is a unique procedure to brew the tea and give its beautiful color and smell which shows the quality of the tea. Here, you will find the steps to brew and serve the proper Turkish tea(cay in Turkish) in a Turkish way.
Brewing and Serving Turkish Tea
First of all, you will definitely need the authentic Turkish teapot(caydanlik) in order to brew a delicious Turkish Tea. Secondly, the tea should be from Northeast Turkey, there is no other way to brew Turkish tea as the taste of the other black teas is not quite alike. Lastly, the acidity of the water should be close to PH 7, neutral is the ideal. Water should be of good quality, that is why we should use distilled water instead of tap water.
There are different kinds of pots made from various materials however to brew a superior tea, it is recommended to use either porcelain or glass pots. The pot consist of two separate parts, the main pot is the large one below and there is another smallest one on the top. We use the main pot to boil the water and heat the upper part while brewing the tea. We start with boiling the water then pour some on the one above. The water above should be around 85°C /185°F.
Then we add the tea to the top of the water in the pot above. Meanwhile, the water below should barely be boiling not to overheat the pot above which will make your tea burn.
A teaspoon of tea would be enough for one tea glass which has the capacity of 100ml. We wait for 15 minutes for the tea to gently brew. To serve, you should fill the desired part of the glass with your tea first. You may top the glass with water and regarding your preference, you may add sugar like most of the Turks do.
During the process, you should pay attention to the points below to make the most of them.
• Do not make any other kinds of teas or hot drinks in the pot that you use for Turkish tea as it will spoil the taste. Also do not use detergent as it will absorb the smell.
• If everyone that you serve drinks the tea with sugar, you may add a little bit while brewing it to make it more delicious.
• It is better to store the tea in a dry place that is away from sunlight. Heat and moisture are not good to keep it fresh.
• Warm the upper pot before pouring the boiled water not to lose any heat before brewing the tea.
• As it is obvious from the size of the teapots, it is always better to drink Turkish tea with friends or relatives, it is indeed a common way to socialize for Turkish people.
We, Guided Istanbul Tours, are looking forward to offering you a cup of tea in our office in the Old City. We may give you some information regarding our tours and services or assist in any other subject that we could help you with.
