Tea (‘Cay’ in Turkish) is an indispensable part of daily life in Turkey. comparing coffee it was less popular until the end of 19th century. In modern Turkey today it is not possible to imagine breakfasts, social gatherings, business meetings without a glass of tea.
One can notice a tea house or a tea garden in every single quarter of towns. In villages or smaller towns, these tea houses can be considered as meeting places, where people gather to discuss about various issues such as politics, important events of the day, news and even gossips.
Among younger people tea is more popular then Turkish coffee for being cheeper and more practicle.
In the Black Sea Region of Turkey, especially on the eastern part of the region, you can easily see green tea gardens and village girls picking tea leaves with their panniers tied on their backs.
It is traditional to serve tea or coffee to the guests in Turkey, even in the shops customers are offered a cup of bitter Turkish coffee or a glass of dark tea.
To prepare Turkish tea, you will need a double tea pot. Boil water in the lower (larger) pot and steep loose-leaf in the top (smaller) pot. This way you can drink the tea as you like; strong or light with lots of water added. Turks never have milk in their tea, but sometimes a fine slice of lemon can be preferred.
