Rize Tea

Rize tea or Çay is a form of black tea. Produced in Rize Province on the eastern Black Sea coast of Turkey which has a mild climate with high precipitation and fertile soil, it is crystal clear and mahogany in color. Prepared in a samovar, it is drunk everywhere, anytime. It is served in Turkish cafés by a çayci (tea-waiter), in small, gold-rimmed, narrow-waisted glasses. It can be taken strong ("koyu" dark) or weak ("açik" open), and is accompanied by two or three lumps of beetroot sugar.

When the Ottoman Empire collapsed in 1923, the Turks lost Mocha in Yemen, and coffee became an expensive import. They turned to tea. In Muslim countries, tea replaces alcohol as the social drink.