Home Brew

1. Boil water in a kettle. Soft, chalk- and chloride-free water gives the cleanest brew, so use bottled water if local tap water is unsuitable.

2. Sluice the teapot, whether metal or porcelain, with boiling water and rinse it out, to warm the pot and avoid sapping heat from the water unnecessarily.

3. Add a teaspoonful of loose leaf black Rize tea per person to the warm pot. Slowly pour in the boiling water. Use just enough water to soak the leaves and release the color and flavors. Allow the tea to steep for 15 minutes.

4. Pour the tea through a strainer into a cup or heat-resistant glass. For a full-strength brew, fill the cup to just below the rim. For a light, refreshing tea, fill the cup half- or quarter-way and top up with hot water from the kettle.

5. Add sugar only, no milk. Some Turkish producers flavor their tea with bergamot, and some drinkers add a slice of lemon, but otherwise the natural flavor of the tea is the focal point.

Authentic Tea

1. Brew Turkish tea in the authentic Black Sea style by using a double-stacked kettle, which has a large pot underneath for brewing the tea, and a smaller pot above for adding water.

2. Pour boiling water over the leaves into the lower kettle and fill the smaller pot with boiling water only. The small kettle has its own lid, and fits into the opening of the one below to seal in the steam and aromas. Leave the tea to steep for 15 minutes.

3. Pour the brewed tea through a strainer into a Turkish tea glass, a tulip-shaped glass with no handle. Leave enough space to hold the glass around the rim without scalding the fingers. Add sugar according to taste.