Turkish apple tea is the glass handed to you in every carpet shop in the Grand Bazaar, and it is almost never what visitors think it is. It is not brewed from apples and it is not, strictly, tea. It is a granulated apple drink that dissolves in hot water in about ten seconds.
That is not a criticism. It is sweet, it is warm, it is bright orange and it takes three minutes. Below is how it is actually made, plus the slower version from real apples if you would rather have that.
What you need
For two tulip glasses, about 200 ml in total.
- 2 heaped teaspoons Turkish apple tea granules (about 12 g) Add · $28.55
- Hard sugar cubes, to taste, or none at all Add · $28.31
- 200 ml water, just off the boil (about 95 C)
- 2 thin slices of fresh apple, for the saucer
- A small piece of cinnamon stick, optional
To serve properly: two tulip glasses with saucers. Add · $109.33
Granules vary in sweetness between producers, so measure the first glass and adjust from there. Ours are on the less sweet side, which is why we start at two heaped teaspoons rather than one.
How to make it
- Fill both tulip glasses with hot tap water and leave them for a minute, then tip it out. Thin glass loses heat fast, and a cold glass will drop your drink ten degrees before you lift it.
- Put two heaped teaspoons of apple tea granules into each warmed glass. They should sit loose at the bottom, not packed down.
- Pour water that is just off the boil straight onto the granules, filling the glass to the waist rather than the rim. The colour turns bright orange almost immediately.
- Stir for about ten seconds, until there is nothing left at the bottom of the glass. If you can still see grains, keep going; undissolved granules make the last mouthful cloying.
- Taste it first. The granules already carry sugar, so most people add nothing. If you want it sweeter, hold a hard cube between your teeth and drink through it, the way it is done in Erzurum.
- Lay a thin slice of apple on the saucer, set the glass on top and serve immediately. It is at its best in the first two minutes and dull by the tenth.
If the glass tastes thin, add granules rather than steeping longer. There is nothing to steep. If it tastes syrupy, top it with hot water instead of starting again.
The slow version, from real apples
This is what Turkish home cooks make in autumn when the apples are cheap, and it tastes nothing like the granules. Quarter two firm, tart apples, skin on, and drop them into a litre of water with a cinnamon stick and two cloves. Simmer, uncovered, for about twenty-five minutes, until the water has taken the colour of weak cider and the kitchen smells of baked apple.
Strain it, sweeten only if the apples were not sweet enough, and serve it in the same tulip glasses. It is paler, cloudier and far less sweet than the granulated version. A dried apple ring dropped into the glass at the end is the usual finish.
Either version keeps in the fridge for two days. Reheat gently; do not boil it again.
Granules, fresh apples or a tea bag
Three ways to get an apple tea into a glass, and what each one actually gives you.
| Method | Time | Colour | Sweetness | Tastes like |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granules | 3 min | Bright orange | High, built in | The Bazaar glass |
| Fresh apples | 30 min | Pale gold, cloudy | Low, you control it | Stewed apple and cinnamon |
| Apple tea bag | 5 min | Light amber | None | Flavoured black tea, not this |
The tea bag row is there because it is what most supermarkets outside Turkiye sell under the same name. It is a different drink: black tea with apple flavouring, not a fruit infusion.
Bring the Bazaar home
What we would put in the basket to make this properly.
One jar of granules makes roughly thirty glasses, which is why it is the thing people bring back by the bagful.
Questions we get asked
Is Turkish apple tea actually tea?
The granulated version is not. It contains no tea leaf at all, only dried apple, sugar and citric acid. The version made from real apples is a fruit infusion. Neither one is black tea.
Do Turkish people drink it?
Rarely. It is served to visitors and children, and Turks drink plain black tea all day instead. That is worth knowing before you order it in front of a local.
How many granules per glass?
Two heaped teaspoons for a 100 ml tulip glass, adjusted after the first one. Brands differ a lot in sweetness, so treat the first glass as a test.
Can I make it iced?
Yes, and it works well. Dissolve the granules in a little hot water first, then top with cold water and ice, otherwise they clump at the bottom of the glass.
What is the difference between apple tea and apple-flavoured tea bags?
Apple tea is a fruit drink with no tea leaf. An apple tea bag is black tea with apple flavouring added. They look similar on a shelf and taste nothing alike.
Can I use it in cooking?
The granules dissolve into warm syrups and work in poached fruit or a glaze. Use less sugar in the recipe to compensate.
How long does an open jar last?
Around a year if it stays dry and sealed. Granules absorb moisture and clump, so keep the lid tight and the spoon dry.
Is apple tea caffeine free?
The granulated version contains no tea leaf, so there is no caffeine from tea in it. We sell food rather than health advice, so we leave anything beyond the ingredients list to your own judgement.
Three minutes, two spoons and hot water. If you have ever been handed a small orange glass in Istanbul and wondered how it was done, that is the whole of it.
For the black tea Turks actually drink all day, read our guide to Turkish tea types and glasses.
