Turkish Style Brewing

Post Reply
thommes
Posts: 170
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 12:11 pm
Location: Central Ohio

Fri Jan 17, 2020 6:13 am

Just curious if any of you do turkish style brewing? I've heard two different ways that turkish style is done. Basically a concentrated tea is made and then boiling water is added to it. I can understand doing this at a restaurant to reduce brewing time, but from what I've read it's also done to make a pot of tea. Not sure the reasoning behind it. At the restaurant, add the concentrated tea to a cup, add the boiling water and you have a cup ready for the customer. Not sure what the benefit of making a pot of tea for regular drinking would be.

I was just thinking about it as I have sort of switched over to more of a gong fu style brewing process. When I'm at work, I sometimes will get forget about the tea and it will get oversteeped. Not that it really matters as I like strong tea, but I go back and add some hot water because I know I'll get fewer infusions. Just reminded me of the turkish style of brewing tea.
User avatar
There is no self
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2018 5:16 am
Location: I think you say, convenience store?

Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:40 am

As far as I know it's done so every guest can choose how strong they want their tea. Not much point in doing it if you're drinking alone - unless, as you said, you oversteep and need to dilute the tea a bit.
I don't know if it's done at restaurants as well, though if everyone at the table is having tea it makes sense to bring the two teapots instead of single cups.
thommes
Posts: 170
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 12:11 pm
Location: Central Ohio

Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:46 am

There is no self wrote:
Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:40 am
As far as I know it's done so every guest can choose how strong they want their tea. Not much point in doing it if you're drinking alone - unless, as you said, you oversteep and need to dilute the tea a bit.
I don't know if it's done at restaurants as well, though if everyone at the table is having tea it makes sense to bring the two teapots instead of single cups.
You have great points, and a great way of thinking about tea service with multiple people. However, from what I've read, that's not how the Turkish style is done. Two pots aren't brought to the table. When I've gone to Turkish restaurants, I'm always served a tea in a cup, not pot is provided. When making tea for a group, the tea is supposedly mixed with the hot water all at once. I really like your way of doing it though. Super potent brew and then add as much hot water as to meet your preference in strength.
rdl
Posts: 135
Joined: Tue Jan 02, 2018 3:43 am

Fri Jan 17, 2020 9:03 am

My understanding is that like the Russian samovar, serving tea is a social obligation and to have a pot of concentrated tea and hot water ready shows that a guest is always welcomed by this obligation. One needn't ask if a guest cares for a glass, it's just ready to be served. Think of the pitcher of water that fills a glass just as you sit down to a restaurant table. That's how tea is done in homes too.
User avatar
Bok
Vendor
Posts: 5782
Joined: Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:55 am
Location: Taiwan

Fri Jan 17, 2020 9:09 am

Don’t forget a bit of cardamom in the brew, that is the mission element for Turkish tea (Turkish Mokka as well).
User avatar
There is no self
Posts: 112
Joined: Sun Apr 08, 2018 5:16 am
Location: I think you say, convenience store?

Fri Jan 17, 2020 9:13 am

thommes wrote:
Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:46 am
There is no self wrote:
Fri Jan 17, 2020 8:40 am
As far as I know it's done so every guest can choose how strong they want their tea. Not much point in doing it if you're drinking alone - unless, as you said, you oversteep and need to dilute the tea a bit.
I don't know if it's done at restaurants as well, though if everyone at the table is having tea it makes sense to bring the two teapots instead of single cups.
You have great points, and a great way of thinking about tea service with multiple people. However, from what I've read, that's not how the Turkish style is done. Two pots aren't brought to the table. When I've gone to Turkish restaurants, I'm always served a tea in a cup, not pot is provided. When making tea for a group, the tea is supposedly mixed with the hot water all at once. I really like your way of doing it though. Super potent brew and then add as much hot water as to meet your preference in strength.
Ah, I don't really do it, that's just what I read about Turkish tea. Two pots (or rather, kettles), a large one for boiling water, and a smaller one for brewing tea. They're stacked on top of each other and placed on a low flame, so that the tea receives heat without actually boiling, Then, depending on the guests' preferences, the concentrated brew and boiling water are mixed in individual cups.


EDIT:
rdl wrote:
Fri Jan 17, 2020 9:03 am
My understanding is that like the Russian samovar, serving tea is a social obligation and to have a pot of concentrated tea and hot water ready shows that a guest is always welcomed by this obligation. One needn't ask if a guest cares for a glass, it's just ready to be served. Think of the pitcher of water that fills a glass just as you sit down to a restaurant table. That's how tea is done in homes too.
Basically, yes. Russia, Turkey, and Iran all have a tradition of serving tea this way. I believe there are Iranian samovars as well.
polezaivsani
Posts: 191
Joined: Sun Oct 06, 2019 4:43 pm
Location: Kaliningrad, RU

Sat Jan 18, 2020 1:02 pm

Yep, that kind of serving tea is still practiced at home by Russians still, while tea bags are making quite a dent in that ritual. To me the resulting soup always felt as if tea and water didn't mix up properly and i could almost feel the two apart.
LuckyMe
Posts: 110
Joined: Thu May 02, 2019 3:17 pm
Location: Chicago
Contact:

Wed Jan 22, 2020 1:04 pm

As others have mentioned, you need a special two-chamber teapot for preparing this kind of tea. The larger bottom part is filled with water and placed directly on the fire to boil. The tea leaves simmer gently in hot water inside the smaller top part which is heated by steam from the bottom pot. Theoretically, you could put together a similar contraption by stacking a teapot on a kettle. To serve, your pour out tea from the top part and dilute to strength with the boiling water from the bottom.

I've had this kind of tea in Turkish and Kurdish restaurants. While good, I think it benefits from adding a little sweetener to it.
Post Reply