Turkish tea is brewed in the upper pot, warmed by steam from the boiling water in the lower pot; the leaves steep without boiling. To serve, pour brewed tea into the glass first, then add boiling water from the lower pot to adjust its strength. The ideal deep ruby-red color is clear in the glass; if it turns dark and cloudy, the tea has steeped too long.
Fill the lower pot with 2 liters of water and bring it to a boil. Pour a little boiling water into the upper pot, swirl to warm it, and discard the water; a cold upper pot will slow the steeping at first.
Add the tea to the warmed upper pot and pour in 750 ml boiling water. For a home teapot, the amount ranges from 1 heaping 4 ml measure (about 2.5 g) to one 15 ml measure (about 6 g) per 250 ml of water; 20 g for 750 ml makes a medium-strength brew. Set the upper pot on the lower pot and turn the heat to its lowest setting.
Keep the upper pot over low heat; the tea inside should not boil, only warm from the steam. The leaves will float at first, then sink. The tea is ready when all the leaves have settled. Avoid opening the lid often, as heat will escape.
Pour the brewed tea into a narrow-waisted glass first: fill it halfway for a strong, deep ruby-red tea, or one-third full for a lighter cup. Top it up with boiling water from the lower pot, leaving a finger-width gap at the top. Hold the glass up to the light: if the tea is clear and brick red, and you can make out the spoon handle behind it, it is the ideal deep ruby red. If it is nearly black and cloudy, it has steeped too long; shorten the steep next time.
Steep for 12–15 minutes; this waiting time is not included in the preparation time. During steeping, keep the upper pot over the steam from the lower pot; do not boil it directly on the burner. Do not top up the tea leaves in the pot with water to refresh the brew; the leaves will over-steep and release tannins, making a second infusion astringent and bitter. Boil the water once; repeated boiling dulls its flavor.
Demliği ısıtmadan çay koymak demin açılmasını geciktiriyor, bu adımı ciddiye alın.
Demi on dakikadan fazla dinlendirince tadı kekremsi oluyor, bizim evde on beş dakika sınırı var. Asıl mesele demliği ateşin üstünde unutmamak, çünkü alttan gelen ısı yaprakları pişirmeye devam ediyor ve o sürenin sonunda geri dönüşü olmayan bir acılık başlıyor.
Bardakta açarken demi az koyup suyu çok koydum, rengi doğru ama tadı zayıftı. Oranı bulmak birkaç bardak sürdü. Bizim evde bardağın üçte biri dem, gerisi su; koyu içenler için yarı yarıya gidiyoruz.
Renk ve tat her zaman birlikte gelmiyor; dem yeterince açılmadıysa koyu görünüp zayıf kalıyor. Demlenme süresini uzatın, dem oranını değil.
Dökme çayı bir tepeleme kaşık fazla koydum, tavşan kanı yirmi dakikada geldi.
Alttaki suyu fokur fokur kaynatmayın, üst demlik yanıyor ve çay acılaşıyor. Su kaynadıktan sonra ateşi en kısığa alıp demliği öyle bıraktım, çaydanlığın sesi kesilince demin açıldığını anlıyorsunuz.
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