Tea arrives before anything else.
In Azerbaijan, chay is not offered as refreshment but as structure.
Locals attribute to anchoring most life events – it precedes conversation, anchors negotiation, softens grief and supports conversations late into the evening and to sit at a table without tea is unusual.
The tea is poured from a slender armudu teapot into its unmistakable pear-shaped glass.
Its narrow waist and rounded base are not decorative but there for practical reasons. The shape keeps the tea hotter for longer, by concentrating the warmth at the bottom while allowing the rim to cool just enough for steady sipping. The glass rests easily between the fingers.
