Turkish tea, or çay, is a part of every moment of the day for many people. The characteristic small tea glass, the deep reddish-brown color, and the leisurely topping up make Turkish tea different from a regular cup of tea made with a tea bag.
Traditional Turkish tea is also not brewed in a single teapot. Usually, a double Turkish teapot, also called a çaydanlık, is used for this.
But how exactly does such a double teapot work? How much tea do you need, and why do you actually use two pots?
We explain it step by step.
What is Turkish tea?
Turkish tea is generally prepared using black tea. The big difference lies primarily in the preparation method.
Instead of brewing one ready-made cup of tea immediately, you first make a relatively strong tea concentrate. When serving, you mix this with hot water.
This allows everyone to determine the strength of their own tea.
That immediately explains why you use two teapots for the traditional method.
What is a çaydanlık?
A çaydanlık is a double Turkish teapot consisting of two parts.
The larger bottom pot is used for hot water. In the smaller top pot, the concentrated tea is steeped.
The two pots are stacked on top of each other during preparation.
TEKZEN sells various double Turkish teapots for this purpose. The current range includes stainless steel models and glass versions from Ferveo in various capacities. Several models are explicitly suitable for induction.
What do you need to make Turkish tea?
For the traditional preparation, you only really need a few things: black tea, fresh water, a double Turkish teapot, and glasses to serve the tea in.
Sugar is optional and is normally only added according to personal preference while drinking.
The most important tool is the double teapot. This allows you to keep the tea concentrate and the hot water separate.
Step 1: fill the bottom teapot with water
Start with the large bottom pot.
Fill it with enough fresh water for the number of glasses of tea you want to serve and bring the water to a boil.
How much water you need depends, of course, on the number of people and how much tea is being consumed.
When you regularly brew tea for a larger group, a larger çaydanlık can therefore be useful.
Step 2: put the tea in the top pot
Meanwhile, put black tea into the smaller top teapot.
The exact amount depends on the size of your pot and how strong you want the tea to be.
You don't need to make a full cup of tea at this moment. In the top pot, we are preparing a strong tea concentrate.
Step 3: add hot water
When the water in the bottom pot is hot, pour a portion of it over the tea in the top pot.
This allows the tea to start steeping.
Enough hot water remains in the bottom pot to dilute the tea later during serving.
Then place both pots back on top of each other.
Step 4: let the tea steep gently
Now comes an important part: give the tea enough time to steep.
By placing the top pot over the hot water, the tea stays warm while the flavor develops.
The goal is to make a powerful tea concentrate that you can later dilute by the glass.
You don't need to keep the tea boiling hard.
Step 5: determine the strength yourself
This is perhaps the best part of the traditional way of making Turkish tea.
When pouring, start with tea from the top pot. Then, fill the glass further with hot water from the bottom pot.
Do you want strong tea? Then use relatively more tea concentrate.
Do you want it lighter? Use less concentrate and more hot water.
In this way, tea of different strengths can be served to several people using the same çaydanlık.
Why is Turkish tea served in small glasses?
Turkish tea is often drunk from recognizable narrow tea glasses.
Because the glasses are relatively small, you can pour fresh hot tea multiple times instead of having one large mug that slowly cools down.
Moreover, you can beautifully see the color of the tea through the transparent glass.
A deep reddish-brown color is characteristic of a well-brewed Turkish çay.
Turkish tea with sugar
Whether sugar belongs in Turkish tea is primarily a matter of personal preference.
The difference with Turkish coffee is important: with Türk Kahvesi, sugar can be added during preparation. With Turkish tea, you normally only add sugar in the glass.
This allows everyone to choose for themselves.
Can you make Turkish tea on induction?
Yes, provided the Turkish teapot used is suitable for induction.
You have to check this per product.
Within the current range of TEKZEN, various Ferveo çaydanlık models are explicitly indicated as induction-suitable, including the Seyma, Ayda, Alima, Mina, Nora, Velda, Yasmina, and Noya.
This is interesting for modern kitchens that no longer have a gas stove.
Stainless steel or glass Turkish teapot?
Both have a different look and feel.
A stainless steel Turkish teapot has the classic look that many people associate with a çaydanlık. Within TEKZEN, you can find, for example, the Ferveo Seyma of 0.7 + 1.5 liters and the larger Ayda and Alima versions of 1 + 2 liters.
With a glass version, on the other hand, you can see the contents. TEKZEN carries the Ferveo Mina, Nora, and Velda, among others, for this purpose.
Which version you choose is therefore partly practical and partly a matter of taste.
Can Turkish tea also be made electrically?
Certainly. You are not limited to a traditional çaydanlık on the stove.
An electric double teapot combines the principle of a kettle and a teapot in one system. For example, the Arzum Tea Clock has a glass version of 1.7 + 1.0 liters, a power output of 2200 watts, and a 360° base.
For people who frequently brew tea, such an electric system can be easier than constantly using two pots on the cooktop.
And what is a samovar?
A samovar, also known as a semaver, is another solution for brewing and keeping tea and hot water warm.
This becomes especially interesting when you need larger quantities.
The Arzum Ehlikeyf Samovar that TEKZEN currently carries, for example, has a capacity of 3.5 + 1.2 liters, a power output of 2200 watts, and is available in black and white.
That is significantly larger than many normal double teapots and can therefore be interesting for larger families, visitors, or long tea sessions.
Which Turkish teapot do you need?
Start primarily with the number of people for whom you normally brew tea.
For a small household, you probably don't need a huge samovar. If you regularly brew tea for family and visitors, a larger capacity becomes quite pleasant.
Next, look at the heat source. If you use induction, explicitly check if the chosen çaydanlık is suitable for it.
After that, you can choose between stainless steel, glass, or electric.
Making Turkish tea yourself
Making good Turkish tea is ultimately not complicated. The secret lies mainly in working with two different strengths: concentrated tea in the top and hot water in the bottom.
This way, you decide the strength of each glass only when pouring.
With a traditional çaydanlık, an electric double teapot, or a larger samovar, you can easily apply this principle at home.
Check out the Turkish teapots at TEKZEN to compare different sizes, materials, and designs. The current range includes traditional double teapots, induction-suitable models, electric teapots, and samovars.