Turkish tea is brewed in a stacked double teapot called a çaydanlık: water boils in the bottom kettle while loose black tea steeps slowly in the top pot, and you pour the two together to the strength you like. It is strong, deep red, served without milk in a small tulip-shaped glass, and it is the everyday drink of Türkiye from breakfast to late evening.
Below is what Turkish tea actually is, how it differs from a regular teabag, and a step-by-step method for brewing it the traditional way in a double teapot.
What Turkish tea is
Turkish tea (çay) is a strong black tea grown on the Black Sea coast around Rize, brewed by a double-boiling method rather than a single steep. The çaydanlık has two stacked pots: the lower one holds boiling water, and the upper one holds the loose tea, which steeps gently in the rising steam and heat. You then pour a little of the concentrated brew from the top and dilute it with hot water from the bottom, glass by glass, so everyone gets it at their own strength. It is served in a small tulip-shaped glass, clear and deep red, always without milk.
Tea is woven through the day in Türkiye, offered to guests, sipped in shops, and shared after every meal. In 2022 UNESCO added Turkish tea culture, alongside its glasses and rituals, to its list of intangible cultural heritage.
What makes Turkish tea special
Three things set it apart. The double teapot lets the tea steep long and strong without ever boiling harshly, which would turn it bitter. The dilute-to-taste method means one pot serves a whole table, each glass poured açık (light) or koyu (dark). And the tulip glass is not just for looks: its narrow waist keeps the tea hot and shows off the clear red color. It is a ritual of hospitality as much as a drink.
How to make Turkish tea, step by step
You will need a çaydanlık (a stacked double teapot), loose black tea, and water. This makes a full pot for several glasses.
- Fill the bottom kettle with water and bring it to a boil.
- Add loose black tea to the empty top pot, about one teaspoon per glass plus one for the pot.
- When the bottom boils, pour some of that hot water over the tea in the top pot, set the top back onto the bottom, and lower the heat.
- Let it steep for 10 to 15 minutes. The top pot stays hot on the steam of the bottom, so the tea brews strong without boiling. Do not let the tea itself boil, or it turns bitter.
- Pour to taste. Fill each tulip glass part-way with the strong brew from the top, then top it up with hot water from the bottom kettle, more for açık, less for koyu.
- Serve in tulip glasses with sugar cubes on the side, and refill the bottom kettle to keep the pot going. No milk.
Strength, sugar, and how it is served
Turkish tea is ordered by strength, not by size. Açık (open) is diluted and light, koyu (dark) is strong and barely diluted, and tavşan kanı ("rabbit's blood") is the prized clear, bright red in between. Sugar goes in as cubes to taste, stirred into the glass; milk is never added. The glass sits on a small saucer with a tiny spoon, and a good host keeps the çaydanlık topped up all day.
How Turkish tea is different from a regular teabag
It is the same plant, but the method changes everything. A teabag steeps once, quickly, in a mug. Turkish tea uses loose leaves and the double teapot to brew a strong concentrate that you dilute glass by glass, so it is fuller, redder, and made for sharing rather than for a single cup. Like our Turkish coffee, it is as much a ritual as a drink.
Types of Turkish tea
- Black tea (siyah çay) — the classic Rize-grown leaf, the everyday tea brewed in the çaydanlık.
- First-harvest tea — the early-season pluck, prized for a brighter, cleaner cup.
- Green tea (yeşil çay) — the same plant, unoxidized, lighter and grassier; brew it cooler and shorter than black.
Where to start
A good cup starts with good loose leaf. Our Lazika premium first-harvest black tea is the classic Rize leaf for the çaydanlık, the authentic tea in a tin is a premium pick that keeps well, and the handcrafted green tea is the lighter option. All ship worldwide from Türkiye.
Frequently asked questions
What is so special about Turkish tea?
It is brewed in a double teapot that steeps the leaves long and strong without boiling them bitter, then diluted glass by glass to each person's taste. Served clear and red in a tulip glass without milk, it is a ritual of hospitality as much as a drink.
What kind of tea is Turkish tea?
It is a black tea grown on the Black Sea coast around Rize, called çay. The everyday cup is loose black tea; there is also a lighter green tea from the same region.
How is Turkish tea different from a regular teabag?
Same plant, different method. Turkish tea uses loose leaves and a stacked double teapot to brew a strong concentrate you dilute glass by glass, so it is fuller and redder than a single-steeped teabag, and made for sharing.
Do you add milk to Turkish tea?
No. Turkish tea is served black, with sugar cubes added to taste. Milk is never part of the traditional glass.
How do you make it stronger or weaker?
You dilute to taste. Pour the strong brew from the top pot, then add hot water from the bottom kettle: more water for açık (light), less for koyu (dark). The bright red in between is prized as tavşan kanı.
Where can I buy authentic Turkish tea online?
You can order it from us directly. Try the Lazika premium first-harvest black tea or the handcrafted green tea. We ship worldwide from Türkiye.
