Tea Plant

Tea plant is a perennial shrub with a huge and short trunk that lives approximately 70 years. It’s height may reach as high as 2 metres. Tea leaves are dark green of an elongated oval shape, a short neck and indented edges. Tea is grown in many countries like India, China, Ceylon, and Japan in special environmental circumstances due to the need of tea bushes for hot weather and plenty of water.


Turkish Tea Beverage


Turkish tea is a hot drink made of the tea plant leaves of the camellias specie. Tea can be can be considered the most consumed drink worldwide after water and coffee. The Tea International Committee has classified the Turkish people as the most tea-consuming people in the world followed by the English people. The Turks’ average daily consumption of tea is between 3 to 4 cups per person and this number may amount to 10 cups during winter.


Turks Are Fond of Turkish Tea

Turks believe that tea is a fundamental part of their daily lives. It’s not likely that one day passes by without having at least one cup of Turkish tea. When you visit someone there, you guarantee having tea because it’s the first hospitality drink to be offered, even without asking, as they believe nothing is more better for you than tea. 

You can imagine how Turks are correlated to Turkish tea by observing that it is even there in the spectrum of their traditional proverbs as one of these goes: “Conversations without tea are a night sky without a moon”.


Mustafa Atatürk & The Relation With Turkish Tea

After the collapses of the Ottoman State, the founder of the Turkish Republic Mustafa Kemal Atatürk started encouraging his people to cease drinking too much coffee and shift to consume more tea. Coffee, at the days of the Ottoman rule, was easily arriving from Yemen. After the collapse, arrival of coffee has ceased and the process of obtaining or importing it seemed very expensive.

the Turks since then, and for fulfilling the wish of their leader, started growing tea in the Black Sea regions especially in Rize & Trabzon provinces until they are addicted to it as it’s the case with them nowadays.

Turkish Tea Types

Turkish Black Tea

The most widespread worldwide. It’s extracted from camellia leaves by way of rolling the leaves, brewing, drying, then grinding them. Turkish black tea contains a big percentage of important antioxidants as well as 40 mg of caffeine in one cup.

Turkish Green Tea

The second famous type of tea worldwide. It’s made via drying the camellia green leaves, then heating and brewing them. The most important benefit is that it protects you from developing cancer. As far as caffeine is concerned, one cup of green tea contains 25 mg.

Turkish White Tea

It’s extracted from the young ripe leaves of camellia plant and it’s distinctive for a more moderate taste than Black tea. One cup of it contains 15 mg of caffeine only.

Turkish Herbal Tea

This type is comprised of a group of natural herbs, dried fruits, and followers and roses leaves, distinctive for being void of caffeine. It increases the feeling of relaxation in addition to burning fats of the body.

Turkish Tea Benefits

  • Tea beverage of all types is diuretic
  • It was used, previously, in the treatment of cold, asthma, facilitating digestion, and vitalizing the nervous system.
  • Contains polyphenol salts that play a role in protecting against oral cancer
  • Tea beverage contains flavonoids substance that is similar to vitamin C in its effects.
  • Tea beverage contains a chemical substance that resists oral viruses and tooth decay
  • Tea, especially green, protects against heart attacks resulting from fats deposition.
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Features of Turkish Tea

  • One of the finest ever tea types because it grows far off the equator
  • Turkish tea, as a plant, is the only one in the world that grows during snow falling.
  • It does not contain any chemical substances
  • During the process of cultivation and production, no pesticides are used
  • It has got high aroma because it stays under the snow during the whole winter.


Turkish Tea Pot 

ابريق الشاي التركي

A two-pieces Turkish tea pot is called “Çaydanlık” while the one-piece pot is called “Demlik”.

Turkish Tea Making

Ingredients

  • Original Turkish tea
  • Special Çaydanlık/ Demlik to prepare the Turkish tea
  • Special cups for drinking Turkish tea
  • Water
  • Sugar as per desire
  • Fresh mint (optional)


Way of Preparation:

  • Pour water in the lower part of the Çaydanlık, put it on fire until boils
  • Put a sufficient quantity of Turkish tea in the upper part of the Çaydanlık, add boiling water on them
  • Leave the Çaydanlık on a low fire for about 15 minutes until tea is brewed in the upper part due to vapor rising from the bottom.
  • Pour tea in special serving cups
  • Add sugar as per desire
  • Add fresh mint leaves (optional)
  • Tea intake is usually much better with a piece of Luxurious Turkish Delights or Baklava


How to Buy Turkish Tea from Turkey

If you’re fond of the original Turkish tea, you can have your preferred product easily from: Sweet Saray Store, specialized in Turkish sweets. All you have to do is to choose your item online and the your basket will be at your doorstep from its origin as if you are in Turkey. All with a competitive price and short time of no more than 4 working days.