Tea in Turkey

Tea ( ) is popular throughout Turkey and the Turkish diaspora. Turkish tea culture also extends to Northern Cyprus and some countries in the Balkan Peninsula.Turkey consumes the most tea in the entire world, it is normal to drink even 10 cups a day.
Domestic production.
Most of the tea produced in Turkey is Rize tea, a terroir from Rize Province on the eastern Black Sea coast, which has a mild climate with high precipitation and fertile soil. This tea is usually processed as black tea, though it is known for its rich crimson red color.
In 2004, Turkey produced 205,500 tonnes of tea (6.4% of the world's total tea production), which made it one of the largest tea markets in the world, with 120,000 tons being consumed in Turkey, and the rest being exported. In 2004, Turkey had the highest per capita tea consumption in the world, at 2.5kg per person, followed by the United Kingdom (2.1 kg per person). More recent figures put consumption at 3.5kg per capita, or almost four glasses a day. 
Tea drinking ritual.
Turkish tea is typically prepared using two stacked teapots called "çaydanlık" especially designed for tea preparation. Water is brought to a boil in the larger lower teapot and then some of the water is used to fill the smaller teapot on top and steep (infuse) several spoons of loose tea leaves, producing a very strong tea. When served, the remaining water is used to dilute the tea on an individual basis, giving each consumer the choice between strong (, literally "dark"; or "tavşan kanı," literally “rabbit's blood”) and weak (, literally "light"). 
Tea is drunk from small, tulip-shaped glasses called "ince belli" (literally "slim-waisted"), which allows the tea to be enjoyed hot as well as showing its crimson color. These glasses are usually held by the rim in order to save the drinker's fingertips from being scorched, as the tea is served boiling hot. Traditionally, tea is served with small cubes of beet sugar. It is almost never taken with milk or lemon. Sweet or savory biscuits called kurabiye are usually served with tea during teatime (usually between three and five in the afternoon), though tea-drinking is not limited to these hours.
History.
Tea is an important part of Turkish culture, and is the most commonly consumed hot drink, despite the country's long history of coffee consumption. Offering tea to guests is part of Turkish hospitality. Tea is most often consumed in households, shops, and "kıraathane" – social gatherings of men. Despite its popularity, tea only became the beverage of choice in Turkey in the early 20th century. It was initially encouraged as an alternative to coffee, which had become expensive and, at times, unavailable in the aftermath of World War I and the ensuing dissolution of the Ottoman Empire. Upon the loss of south-eastern territories, where coffee was traditionally cultivated, coffee became an expensive import. At the behest of the founder of the republic, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkish people turned more to tea as it was easily sustainable by domestic sources. With government support, tons of seeds brought from neighboring Georgia were planted on the sloping hills in Rize in 1937, the year when tea cultivation began in earnest. Rize Province soon emerged as Turkey's main tea producing region with tea becoming one of the most important agricultural products in the country. Attesting to its importance, some towns in the Black Sea region changed their names so as to include the word "çay" (tea), such as the towns of Kadahor and Mapavri, which became, respectively, Ҫaykara and Ҫayeli.
Turkish herbal teas.
In Turkey, herbal teas are generally used as herbal medication. They are mostly popular with foreign tourists with apple ('), rose hip ('), and linden flower (') being the most consumed flavors. Sage tea (', literally 'island tea') is most popular in the Mediterranean coastal region. Whereas in English sage usually refers to Salvia officinalis, throughout Turkey various species of the plant genera Salvia, Sideritis and very rarely Stachys are usually known and consumed as sage tea. In Turkey, herbal teas destined for the treatment of most ailments can be found in local herbal shops, called "". Dried herbal leaves, petals, shoots, etc. are sold in loose-leaf according to each customer's need and taste.