In my “How the World Drinks Black Tea” episode, it was no surprise that I received some Turkish submissions. Turkey consumes the most tea out of every other country, so I decided to include a classic Turkish black tea recipe called çay. It is not sweet, but it is simple and pairs well with sweet things, which is sometimes exactly what you need to balance out a treat.

This çay recipe comes from Ahmet, who is from Istanbul, Turkey. As Ahmet emphasizes, tea is an important part of Turkish cuisine. He shares that the average Turk can drink about ten cups of tea throughout one day! In Turkey, tea is enjoyed at breakfast, dinner, and before bed. In addition, Turkish tea is sourced from the Black Sea region, meaning it is mostly black tea.

Çay has one ingredient: black tea. It can’t get simpler than that! Çay pairs with baklava, which I bought fresh at a local market. Together, the bitterness of the black tea works well in balance with the immense sweetness of baklava. It is a simple yet beautiful combination. I’ve been to Turkey many times, so I’ve had my fair share of sweet teas in this wonderful country. It was so interesting to try a new one!

I also really enjoyed tackling some simpler recipes for this episode—especially çay. It really made me think about the intriguing methods by which we vary certain recipes within extremely narrow scopes, yet these subtle variations still make notable differences from recipe to recipe. Trying similar yet different recipes is a joyful learning experience.

This recipe could not be easier to make, so if you’re looking for something simple, look no further! Take ten minutes to brew and cool some çay and let me know what you think.