We all know it, we all love it - Cay (pronounced just as chai). Turkish black tea is drunk around the clock in Turkey. We would like to say that cay is to Turks what coffee is to Germans - but that would be a gross understatement.
Because in Turkey, tea is drunk at breakfast, during breaks, at work, at Cay Saati ("teatime"), every time someone visits, after dinner and whenever else it suits. It is therefore not unusual to see waiters walking through the streets with the round tea glasses on a tray. If the carpet seller next door gets a tea craving, the restaurant next door is contacted and brings the tea over.
In short: nothing works without Cay.
We are therefore not surprised that the Turks were the biggest tea consumers in 2022, with average sales of 2.8 kg of tea per capita. But that wasn't always the case! The Turkish tea culture has only developed since the late 19th century and even more so in the 20th century.
Before that, coffee was drunk in Turkey (or rather in the Ottoman Empire). So there is a lot to know about Turkish cay. And we are here to inform you! Here you can find out all about Turkish black tea, its history, Turkish tea culture, preparation and more.
Hadi, on to the ultimate cay guide!
What is Çay?
Çay (pronounced: Chai) is black tea, i.e. the tea of the tea plant (Camellia sinensis). This is the same plant from which green tea is made. The difference, however, is that black tea is fermented to give it its dark color. At first glance, Turkish cay is therefore nothing more than classic black tea. However, the special feature of Turkish cay lies in its preparation and possibly, as you will find out below, in the type of black tea.
Where does Turkish cay come from?
First of all we have to realize that "cay" simply means tea in Turkish. However, it usually refers to black tea and even here we have to make a further distinction. This is because a wide variety of black teas (usually Ceylon*) are drunk as cay, especially outside Turkey. However, the real Turkish black tea* is grown in the north-east of Turkey.
The largest growing area is in Rize, which is ideal for tea cultivation due to its humid climate, fertile soil and high rainfall. A good 85% of Turkish tea is grown here and the largest tea producer, Caykur, also produces here. It is interesting to note that Caykur, which produces the well-known "Rize Cay"*, is a state-owned company. Otherwise, there are numerous other tea brands that differ in quality.
So that's more about Turkish cay. Otherwise, you could say that cay is a black tea that is prepared in a two-tiered pot, the caydanlik. This would be general, but probably what most people understand Turkish tea to be.
Fun fact: It is customary to bring tea as well as chocolate and coffee to relatives in Turkey. This is because Turks living in Europe (or people with a Turkish background) very rarely drink real Turkish tea, such as Rize Cay. Ceylon tea is usually the preferred choice and the best-known Turkish tea products in Germany are all Ceylon teas. This tastes particularly aromatic, but is very expensive in Turkey. So everyone in Turkey is happy to receive high-quality cay from Europe,
The history of tea in Turkey
Would you have thought that tea is actually new-fashioned in Turkey? Until the 20th century, coffee was the main drink in what is now Turkey (then the Ottoman Empire). This was quite fitting, as it was grown in Yemen, which was under Ottoman rule.
In the 19th century, the consumption of tea was already occasionally documented. However, the real cay hype and the entire tradition surrounding Turkish black tea only really emerged in the 20th century. With the collapse of the Ottoman Empire and the founding of modern-day Turkey, tea culture was actively promoted.
How? Well, by importing and sowing 20-70 tons (different figures have been found) of tea plant seeds. The first harvest took place in 1938 and so the Turkish tea culture took off.
In general, it can be said that today's tea culture in Turkey was actively promoted by the state. Because after the otherwise beloved coffee became an expensive imported product, the people could be appeased with tea, which was easy to grow on Turkish soil.
Just imagine: An entire (and spirited) nation deprived of coffee...action had to be taken quickly.
What does Turkish tea taste like?
How Turkish tea tastes depends primarily on how it is prepared and poured. In general, you can say that cay simply tastes like black tea (which it is) and can therefore taste a little bitter and, depending on the brand, also floral or very aromatic. Ultimately, however, you decide how your cay tastes by adjusting the strength and sugar.
Is Turkish tea healthy?
Cay as a classic black tea is without question harmless and can even promote health. Drinking habits are much more important than the tea itself. If you tend to drink sugar with tea rather than tea with sugar, consumption naturally becomes somewhat problematic.
Everything about Turkish tea culture
Perhaps the most exciting and important part of the Cay Guide: Turkish tea culture. After all, it is almost impossible to spend a single day in Turkey or a Turkish household without learning something about it. In the following, we will therefore go into all areas of Turkish tea culture and show you how to prepare, serve, drink and more about cay.
The Caydanlik: the Turkish teapot
Caydanlik* is the name of the game. The Turkish national drink is prepared in the two-storey teapot. Every household has at least one teapot. But often there are more.
There is (sometimes) a Turkish teapot for everyday use*, one made of porcelain or enamel* for breakfast and a caydanlik, which is only used when people visit. You will also find Turkish teapots in different sizes, depending on the size of the household and the intended use.
A large family, for example, has a caydanlik in which the larger pot holds a good 3 liters (such as this teapot*). For a single household or infrequent tea drinkers, the mini models are also sufficient.
As a rule, the Caydanlik is made of stainless steel (sometimes aluminum, but we don't recommend that to anyone). As already mentioned, some households opt for a Turkish teapot made of enamel* or, more recently, glass*.
Personally, we have always had a classic caydanlik in a medium size made of stainless steel and without much this and that.
Electric Turkish tea kettles
Electric Turkish kettles* are becoming increasingly popular and can be found in many households. No wonder, because they are really practical and ideal for big tea drinkers. The larger pot is a kettle and the upper pot sits on top of the kettle. This means you can prepare the cay quickly and simply boil the water. At the same time, you don't need another kettle at home.
However, an electric samovar also takes up a lot of space. If you have enough space on your worktop and you love cay, the electric caydanlik* is definitely worth considering. In all other cases, the classic will do just as well.
Turkish tea maker instructions: How to make cay
Most Turks grow up with cay preparation and can make Turkish black tea from primary school age. However, if you're just missing that cay feeling from your vacation in Turkey or want to impress your Turkish in-laws, you'll need a cay recipe first. We can help!
Turkish tea makers are designed so that the hot water is poured into the lower large pot and the tea is brewed in the upper pot. This is how you proceed with a standard pot:
Step 1: Fill the lower pot with water and bring it to the boil. You can also boil the water in the kettle and then pour it into the teapot.
Step 2: Pour 3 tablespoons of loose black tea (Turkish Rize tea, e.g. from Caykur* or Ceylon tea) into the small pot.
Step 3: Pour some hot water from the large pot over the tea, let the water rinse off all the tea and pour this "dirty water" away.
Step 4: Now you can brew the cay! Pour the water from the bottom jug into the small jug until it is full. If there is not enough water left in the large jug, add more and bring to the boil.
Step 5: Leave the tea to infuse on the stove on a low heat. Leave it for a good 15 minutes to get a strong, aromatic infusion. Shorter is fine, but the infusion may still be too light at this stage. Afiyet olsun!
Tips for making Turkish tea
- Boil the small pot with the infusion once directly on the stove and put it back on the caydanlik when the tea bubbles up.
- Pro tip from (in-law) mom when visitors come: After you have "washed" the tea, place the small pot on top of the large one and let the water continue to boil in the large pot. The loose tea remains moist in the pot for some time. Pour the tea just before the visitor arrives. In this case, the cay will be particularly aromatic and delicious.
- A tip from a tea plantation owner from the Black Sea region: boil water in both pots, tip the loose tea into the boiling water and leave to infuse for an hour.
Cooking cay without caydanlik
Basically, you need a caydanlik for Turkish tea - but necessity is the mother of invention. In theory, you can prepare a strong infusion in a small pot and then fill the glasses separately with
hot/boiling water. You will also need a small sieve to catch the tea when pouring. Otherwise, you can follow our "Cay recipe" above.
How is cay served?
Let's call it the trademark of Turkey and, as we just remembered, the trademark of our Turkish food blog - the tea glass. Who would have thought that a small, bulbous tea glass on a saucer with strong red-brown tea and a mini spoon could represent an entire country? But it does.
Cay is boiled in a two-tiered teapot (caydanlik*) and then poured into small tea glasses. First the tea brew is poured from the small upper pot and then the hot water from the lower pot into the glass. In this case, teamwork is often required. Alternatively, you can also pour in the water and tea brew at the same time. However, this requires a little experience for the right strength.
Once all the tea glasses* are full, the Turkish teapot is placed back on the hot hob or on a coaster at the table. It is also typically Turkish to place the caydanlik on the stove, or kuzine (a mini-oven/stove combination that is/was very common in Turkiye). This keeps the tea warm and it can be poured again at any time. In Turkey, it is good manners to refill an empty tea glass immediately and never leave a guest without tea.
Speaking of guests: it can also be ayip, or "unseemly", to refill the cay at the table when important guests are visiting. In this case, the caydanlik is in the kitchen and the full tea glasses* are brought to the visitor on a serving tray. Even though any serving tray is theoretically possible here, a beautiful silver-colored tray* is used for important visitors.
But because Cay really does accompany you throughout the day, we also need to look at other serving options. How about tea at picnics and barbecues, for example? Yes, tea consumption doesn't stop there either.
A teapot (the samovar/semaver) with a gas burner is always packed for picnics. There are also garden tea kettles with charcoal*. This is particularly popular because you supposedly can taste the charcoal in the cay (we don't.). However, we believe that it's much more about the atmosphere. There's just something about sitting on the grass in the summer heat and drinking tea from the fire pit!
Alternatively, a pile of branches can be lit and the tea boiled on it. However, this of course has its disadvantages, as the picnic forests and gardens in Turkey are only damaged in this way. As a rule, there is therefore usually a ban on bonfires (which most people do not observe, of course).
How is Turkish tea drunk?
When serving cay, individual needs are taken into account. As the strong infusion (in Turkish: dem) and the hot water are poured separately, everyone can choose how they want to drink their tea.
Turkish tea is served either with 1-2 sugar cubes on a saucer or a sugar bowl with a spoon. This allows everyone to determine the level of sweetness themselves.
Customs range from tea completely without sugar to, as we have heard, eight (yes, eight, 8, sekiz, e I g h t) teaspoons of sugar in a small tea glass.
We personally, and many other people we know, have gotten into the habit of drinking tea completely without sugar. This is advisable in the sense that you almost never stop at one glass. So if you drink a good ten glasses of tea a day, you have a very high sugar intake.
There is also always a small teaspoon* in the tea glass. The only exception is if you drink your cay without sugar. Incidentally, it is important to know that Turkish teaspoons are the same size as German espresso spoons. This is particularly important for Turkish recipes.
Kitlama Cay: the other way of drinking tea
A special tradition associated with Turkish cay is kitlama cay. This originates from Erzurum in eastern Anatolia (towards Armenia). However, the special thing about Kitlama Cay is not the tea itself, but the way it is served and drunk.
This requires the Kitlama Seker* (Kitlama sugar), also known as "Erzurum Sekeri". This is an elongated sugar cube that melts slowly. This is placed in the mouth and the cay is drunk unsweetened, but with the piece of sugar in the mouth.
Kitlama Cay therefore describes the drinking of Turkish black tea with sugar candy in the mouth. This makes the teatime a special experience and is said to taste really good. The piece of sugar is placed under the tongue and sucked all over the mouth while drinking.
We have never tried Kitlama Cay, but if we get the chance, we certainly would.
When is Turkish tea drunk?
Counter question: When not?
Cay is drunk around the clock in Turkey. This includes all main meals, such as breakfast, lunch/break and dinner. In addition, tea is served around the clock during the day, while the evening is usually rounded off with tea, fruit and nuts. In offices, for example, there is always a tea server (mostly a man) who provides employees with tea and Turkish coffee around the clock.
Tea houses in Turkey
In Turkey, you will find numerous teahouses, which are usually a social meeting place for men. People often sit on mini stools and at very low tables (stools and tables are actually the size of children's craft tables).
There are also the tea gardens, i.e. the Cay Bahcesi. This is aimed at everyone and so men and women as well as whole families meet here. These tea gardens are often very large and you can sit in your own pavilion, where a whole caydanlik is brought to you. There is also food on the menu - usually meat, desserts and the like. The Cay Bahcesi is a popular meeting place in summer.
But Cay is a must everywhere. If you go for a real Turkish breakfast in a restaurant, you will also be served a whole teapot at the table. In the photo you can see a typical Turkish breakfast in a breakfast restaurant in Istanbul (taken by myself...it was an excellent breakfast with really good tea :-)).
Cay saati: the Turkish teatime
If someone invites you to cay saati (literally tea time), you'd better come hungry. Because usuallyy not only tea is served here, but the table is full of all kinds of salads, pastries (pogaca, acma and börek), stuffed vegetables (such as grapeleaf rolls), cigköfte (sour and spicy cig köfte with sweetened black tea...try it...no words) and desserts such as cookies, cakes and milk puddings.
In true Turkish hospitality style, many things are offered more than once, such as three different desserts. So it is mainly cold and more or less dry dishes that are served. There is also a good cay.
A typical menu for Turkish teatime could be
- pink bulgur salad
- Havuc tarator (carrots with garlic yoghurt and walnuts)
- Simit pogaca (filled rolls with sesame seeds)
- Börek
- Lokum keki (cake cubes)
- Tahini biscuits
- Gülüt kek (corn cake)
Yes, we know it looks like a lot - and it is. But when five friends get together for tea time, for example, a huge menu can quickly come together. We also like to prepare some of the food together. Any leftovers can be given to the guests or taken to the neighbors.
Our former neighbor used to have a tea party like this every Thursday with her friends (the walls were thin...) and one day she brought us a plate of cigköfte, pasta salad, padisa yastigi (bread dessert in caramel syrup) and small böreks made from puff pastry.
Utensils for your Turkish teatime
Yes, you can go wrong when choosing a teapot, tea glass and the like. Or you can make an unfavorable choice and then be annoyed afterwards – but not anymore. We have summarized our tips for you so that you can learn from our mistakes.
Tips for buying a Caydanlik
If you are looking for a Turkish teapot aka caydanlik for your household, we have a few tips for you when making your purchase decision.
We generally recommend a standard stainless steel caydanlik*. Porcelain is impractical and the modern glass teapots look really nice, but would be too delicate for us. In addition, glass sometimes discolors a little with tea, while the teapot no longer looks so classy and chic after the second use at the latest.
However, you can buy a Turkish glass teapot* if you only want to use it infrequently or, for example, specifically for visitors.
As already mentioned, the size also depends on your individual requirements. Very small models only hold 500 ml in the bottom jug. This is suitable for a single household, but is not enough for good tea drinkers. If you are several people or drink a lot of tea, we recommend a medium-sized Turkish teapot*, where the larger pot holds approx. 2.5 liters.
Regardless of which pot you choose, there is one thing you should always bear in mind:
The handles should not be made of stainless steel!!!
We don't know who invented this or why such caydanliks are still sold at all. But you will always burn your fingers with such teapots. That's why the handles should definitely be coated. This model* is a great classic among the caydanliks and we used to have a similar one.
We also found a chic two-tier teapot with wooden handles*. Please note, however, that it is not dishwasher-safe.
Turkish tea glasses: tips and recommendations
How much time we have already spent in our lives looking for the perfect tea glasses... You can either buy the tea glasses in a set with matching saucers* or combine them yourself.
The classic "Ajda tea glasses "*, which are the typical tea glass, are particularly popular.
However, if you take a look in Turkish interior stores, you will find a huge selection of tea glasses. Angular* or extra round tea glasses* have become particularly popular. Modern tea glasses can also be decorated with patterns*. What you choose is up to you.
However, we have a huge tip for you and to be honest, this is the only thing we would use at home: Turkish tea glasses with a handle*.
Yes, not 0815 traditional, but we don't like to burn our fingers on hot cay. Apart from that, Turkish tea glasses with a handle are just as chic – only much more practical.
We also have a recommendation for you when it comes to saucers. The best saucers* for Turkish tea glasses are those with a nicely curved rim. This makes it easy to hold and carry the cay.
How many ml do Turkish tea glasses actually have?
Turkish tea glasses are characterized by the fact that they are very small. Usually they are around 100 ml. However, they can also have a little less or more, for example the larger tea glasses have 165 ml. Large glasses are particularly popular for breakfast.
The best Turkish tea: recommendation
Let's be honest: we personally don't particularly like real Turkish tea from the Black Sea and also import our cay from Austria. But that doesn't mean that real Turkish black tea is bad - by no means!
We have listed our favorites here. If you want to make Turkish tea à la people with a Turkish migration background, we recommend Mevlana tea* 101% of the time.
However, if you want to try real Turkish tea like in Turkey, there is no way around Caykur Rize Cay*. Please note that Rize Cay is generally much finer than loose Ceylon tea. We have shown you the difference between Rize Cay and Mevlana Cay in the next photo.
What about Turkish apple tea?
Anyone on vacation in Turkey is usually served apple tea* as well as the classic cay. This is often presented to tourists as typically Turkish, whereas apple tea is never actually drunk at home. Turkish apple tea is an instant drink with a lot of flavor and sugar - but we admit it: It tastes good. If it is drunk, it is usually only by children in moderation. However, it is a great way to bring a bit of that Turkish vacation feeling home.
Write a comment