Tea is part of the culture and national identity of Turkey, and like all traditions it has its own special way of preparation. The Turkish teapot is one of the

Fundamental instruments for its preparation. In this text I am going to tell you how it works, where it comes from and what the word Çaydanlık means.

Not only its deep red color and the tulip-shaped glasses in which Turkish tea is drunk attract the attention of foreigners. The way it is prepared is also very curious: with a double kettle. It is especially asked by many people who see it on soap operas and have not had the opportunity to see this type of kitchen utensils in person.

The truth is that its operation has no mystery and is very easy to understand.

How does it work

There are teapots of different materials and appearances; There are even electric and more technological ones. But the operation of all Turkish teapots is essentially the same.




The Turkish teapot consists of two parts: a lower jug, with a wider mouth, and an upper jug ​​with a smaller mouth that 'fits' on top of the first. It is nothing more and nothing less than that. The lower part is used to heat the water, while the upper part to make tea. I will explain.

To prepare the drink, first what you do is heat the water in the largest (lower) jug. Meanwhile, in the small (upper) jug, put the tea leaves.

Once the water in the lower part boiled, it is placed in the upper kettle, and the lower part is refilled with water to put the fire again. Thus, while the concentrated tea is brewed at the top, more water is heated at the bottom.

Once the water below has warmed up, and the tea on top has steeped long enough to release its full flavor, it is ready to serve.

By then, the kettle will have a concentrated, bitter-tasting tea on the top and hot water on the bottom. At the time of serving, mix the liquids of both jars combined. The ratio of tea and water is what makes the tea softer or more intense. It is usually a third of tea and two of water, but sometimes it is made softer to ingest less caffeine, or more intense if you want to taste better.

What is the double kettle for?

The double kettle has several advantages over a regular kettle, or over tea bags.



The first and foremost is that it allows you to have tea early for a large number of hours. As the tea is not directly on the fire but what is always heated is water, it does not burn or change its flavor when heated. The upper kettle is always heated by steam from the lower one.

It is normal for houses and eating places to always have tea early because once it is ready, a very small flame can be left for hours to keep it warm. That's one of the secrets they drink tea for all day: basically because there always is.

Second, it allows the infusion to be made without using artifacts that affect its flavor, as in the case of paper. The truth is that after one gets used to drinking tea in a teapot, and tastes that same tea in paper sachets, the flavor changes completely.

Finally, the Turkish teapot is used to prepare large quantities and make the most of the tea leaves. Because the kettle is double, a small one contains at least 1 liter of tea between the two jugs; Enough for several people to serve themselves tea several times a day.

In summary, the Turkish teapot may at first glance seem cumbersome and unnecessary, but seeing its benefits one can understand that thanks to them it is possible to have a delicious, hot drink to share for many hours. And it is largely thanks to her that tea is the most popular drink in Turkey.