Well, I definitely struck a chord with some people last week regarding etiquette – and that’s totally cool with me. We can’t all agree on everything, that would be too easy.

Anyway, lets continue to broaden our horizons and hookah culture!

My birth place is Izmir, Turkey. For this reason, my hookah knowledge and culture comes from Turkish and/or Ottoman origin. One unique aspect of my heritage is that, the entire nation has a need -to serve and drink red tea. Please take a few moments and watch the following video of an American author’s perspective (Katharine Branning) of what red tea means to Turkey.

WARNING- The audio in this clip starts off unnecessarily loud. Please adjust your volume slightly before clicking play.

Growing up in the United States since the age of 7, I cannot say I have great nationalism towards Turkey, but this video gives me goosebumps each time. So? What do you say?

Want to try this tea?

Here is a rundown of the thing’s you will need :

Two Tier Teapot

Sweetener of your choice – traditionally white cubes of sugar are used.

Red Tea

Water – but seriously.

I imagine many of you do not have a two tier tea-pot. These can be found at many of the Arab or Persian markets that you may already be visiting to buy tobacco. If you are seriously interested, and cannot find any near you, please contact me!

I found this great preparation guide by another blogger. He really hit the nail right in the head.

…The preparation is intriguing. Fill the bottom pot with water. Add two tablespoons of tea to the top pot, and just moisten the tea with a little water. Put the top pot on top of the bottom pot, then put them both on the stove. The water in the bottom pot will boil, gently heating the tea in the top pot, steaming the leaves open. …When the water in the bottom pot has boiled, take the pots of the heat and wait for 60 seconds. Fill the top pot with the hot water from the bottom pot, refill the bottom pot with cold, fresh water and put back on the flame – but make sure to keep the flame low to avoid boiling the tea.After 10 to 15 minutes the tea leaves in the top pot will have sunk to the bottom, indicating that the tea is ready to be drunk. Dilute to taste with hot water, add sugar to taste, and enjoy. — http://duess.com/how-to-make-turkish-tea/

I got used to this tea for some time when we had family friends staying with us. One of our friends would take on the brewmaster role each night, and prepare a batch of tea with mint ,chamomile or any other ingredient he felt like throwing in. Meanwhile I cleaned and packed three to four pipes.

They argued that it was a necessity, that everyone at hookah cafes in Turkey had red tea with their pipes. I happily followed suit.

Maybe, this is too much for you. That’s okay. Get any kind of tea you would like, brew it and sip your tea during your session.

Finally, share your thoughts with me!