Istanbul’s Tea Men Keep a Centuries-Old Tradition Alive
Imbibe Magazine | 02.03.2026 22:50
A steady drizzle pelts the cobblestone streets outside Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar as the iron gates creak open for business. Inside, the air is thick with the tang of tobacco and damp wool. Fluorescent lights illuminate a maze of stalls stacked with hand-woven textiles, copper lamps, and painted ceramics, but it’s the men darting through the narrow aisles, silver trays balanced high with hourglass-shaped glasses of steaming crimson liquid, who catch the eye.
