Turkish tea, or çay, is part of everyday life for many people. The distinctive small tea glass, the deep reddish-brown colour and the gentle pouring make Turkish tea different from an ordinary cup of tea from a tea bag.
Traditional Turkish tea is also not brewed in a single teapot. Instead, a double Turkish teapot, also known as a çaydanlık, is usually used.
But how exactly does a double teapot work? How much tea do you need and why do you use two pots?
We explain it step by step.
What is Turkish tea?
Turkish tea is usually made with black tea. The main difference lies in the brewing method.
Instead of making a ready-made cup of tea straight away, you first make a relatively strong tea concentrate. When serving, you mix this with hot water.
This allows everyone to decide how strong their tea should be.
This immediately explains why two teapots are used in 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. The concentrated tea is brewed in the smaller top pot.
The two pots are placed on top of each other during brewing.
TEKZEN sells various double Turkish teapots. The current range includes stainless steel models and glass versions from Ferveo in different sizes. Some models are explicitly suitable for induction.
What do you need to make Turkish tea?
For the traditional method, you really only need a few things: black tea, fresh water, a double Turkish teapot and glasses to serve the tea in.
Sugar is optional and is usually added to taste when drinking.
The most important tool is the double teapot. It allows you to keep the tea concentrate and the hot water separately.
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 naturally depends on the number of people and how much tea is being drunk.
If you regularly make 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 in the smaller top teapot.
The exact amount depends on the size of your pot and how strong you want the tea to be.
You do not need to make a full cup of tea yet. In the top pot, we are brewing a strong tea concentrate.
Step 3: add hot water
When the water in the bottom pot is hot, pour some over the tea in the top pot.
This allows the tea to start brewing.
Enough hot water remains in the bottom pot to dilute the tea later when serving.
Then place both pots back on top of each other.
Step 4: let the tea brew gently
Now comes an important part: give the tea enough time to brew.
By placing the top pot over the hot water, the tea stays warm while the flavour develops.
The goal is to make a strong tea concentrate that you can dilute per glass later.
So you do not need to boil the tea hard again and again.
Step 5: decide the strength yourself
This is perhaps the best thing about the traditional way of making Turkish tea.
When pouring, start with tea from the top pot. Then top up the glass with hot water from the bottom pot.
Do you want strong tea? Then use relatively more tea concentrate.
Do you want it a bit lighter? Use less concentrate and more hot water.
This way, tea can be poured for several people at different strengths using the same çaydanlık.
Why is Turkish tea served in small glasses?
Turkish tea is often drunk from distinctive narrow tea glasses.
Because the glasses are relatively small, you can pour fresh hot tea multiple times instead of one large mug that slowly cools down.
Moreover, the transparent glass allows you to see the colour of the tea clearly.
A deep reddish-brown colour is characteristic of a well-brewed Turkish çay.
Turkish tea with sugar
Whether sugar belongs in Turkish tea is mainly 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 add sugar to the glass.
This way, everyone can choose.
Can you make Turkish tea on induction?
Yes, provided the Turkish teapot used is suitable for induction.
You must check this for each product.
Within TEKZEN's current range, several Ferveo çaydanlık models are explicitly indicated as suitable for induction, including the Seyma, Ayda, Alima, Mina, Nora, Velda, Yasmina and Noya.
This is interesting for modern kitchens where a gas stove is no longer present.
Stainless steel or glass Turkish teapot?
Both have a different look.
A stainless steel Turkish teapot has the classic look that many people associate with a çaydanlık. At TEKZEN, you will find, for example, the Ferveo Seyma of 0.7 + 1.5 litres and larger Ayda and Alima versions of 1 + 2 litres.
With a glass version, on the other hand, you can see the contents. TEKZEN has, among others, the Ferveo Mina, Nora and Velda.
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.
For people who often make tea, such an electric system can be easier than always using two pots on the stove.
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.
This is considerably larger than many normal double teapots and can therefore be interesting for larger families, guests or long tea moments.
Which Turkish teapot do you need?
Start above all with the number of people you normally make tea for.
For a small household, you probably do not need an enormous samovar. If you regularly make tea for family and guests, a larger capacity is actually convenient.
Then look at the heat source. If you use induction, check explicitly whether the chosen çaydanlık is suitable for that.
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 on top and hot water on the bottom.
This way, you only decide how strong each glass will be during pouring.
With a traditional çaydanlık, electric double teapot or larger samovar, you can easily apply this principle at home.
View the Turkish teapots at TEKZEN to compare different sizes, materials and versions. The current range includes traditional double teapots, induction-suitable models, electric teapots and samovars.
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