Turkish Tea

Turkey ranks first globally in per capita tea consumption, with the average Turk drinking over 3 kilograms of dry tea annually — roughly 10 cups per day. Turkish tea culture developed relatively recently: although the Ottoman Empire was historically coffee-centric, tea cultivation in the Rize province along the Black Sea coast took hold in the 1930s under Ataturk's modernization program. The brewing method uses a caydanlik, a double-stacked kettle: the lower pot boils water while the upper pot holds a concentrated brew of finely processed black tea from Rize. To serve, the host pours a measure of concentrate from the upper pot, then dilutes it with boiling water from the lower pot. Guests may request koyu (dark and strong) or acik (light and diluted). The tea is always presented in clear, tulip-shaped glasses that showcase its rich reddish-amber color and are held by the rim to avoid burning fingers. Sugar cubes are offered but milk is never added. Cay is served everywhere — in offices, bazaars, barbershops, bus stations, and homes — and refusing a glass from a shopkeeper or host is a social misstep. The ubiquitous cay bahcesi (tea garden) serves as Turkey's primary social gathering space.