Why a two-pot çaydanlık?

Turkish tea is not a bag dunked into hot water. It is a concentrate — boiled in the upper teapot — diluted at the glass with fresh hot water from the lower pot. This gives every drinker control over strength, and lets the same brew serve a room for an hour.

What you need

• A double teapot (çaydanlık) — any stacked kettle with a smaller top pot works
• Loose-leaf black tea — Lipton Dökme Çay is a reliable start
• A tulip-shaped tea glass
• Sugar cubes (optional, on the side)

The brew

1. Fill the lower pot with cold water and bring to a boil.
2. Put 3 heaping teaspoons of loose tea in the empty upper pot. Pour about a cup of the boiling water over the leaves, enough to cover them.
3. Refill the bottom pot and place the upper pot back on top. Lower the heat. Let it steam-steep for 12–15 minutes. Do not boil the upper pot directly.
4. To serve: pour the strong concentrate first (koyu = dark) or less (açık = light), then top up from the lower pot.

Common mistakes

• Boiling the upper pot. Tea should steep, not simmer. It turns bitter fast.
• Under-dosing the leaves. Turkish tea is strong. Be generous with the tea, not the heat.
• A mug instead of a glass. The tulip shape keeps the top hot while the base stays cool enough to hold. It's engineering.