How-To: Turkish Coffee 

Bring home a bit of Turkish Flavor

Turkish coffee is a method of preparation from a long-standing tradition. Officially developed during the Ottoman Empire, Turkish coffee is associated with an exceptionally rich taste and aroma. It’s a strong coffee that can be found almost everywhere in Turkey. Some say it’s their version of espresso and it’s easy to prepare at home.

 

 

Necessities:

To make Turkish style coffee at home, you’ll need:

> Very finely ground Turkish coffee or 100% Arabica bean coffee.

> Small, espresso-style cups

> Stovetop coffee pot or cezve

> Water

 

Optional items include:

> Ibrik

> Sugar

> Turkish fruit

 

Preparation

  • Pour cold water into a cevze which is a special Turkish pot developed for this style of coffee making. If you don’t have one, any coffee pot you can put on the stove will work just as well.

  • > > The amount of water you use depends on the number of cups of Turkish coffee you want to brew. An authentic way of measuring water is to use an ibrik which is a copper or bronze jug. It has a long handle and a narrow neck. A simple measuring cup works just as well or you can guesstimate but remember, 1 cup of water equals 1 cup of coffee.

  • Add a teaspoon of Turkish coffee to the water. It is important to add the coffee while the water is still cold. Use the finest grind you can so that the grains look close to powdered sugar. If that’s not possible, using 100% Arabica beans ground as fine as you can is okay.

  • If you’re going to add sugar, do it right after the coffee while the water is still cold. This allows the sugar to dissolve completely and to infuse the coffee completely.

  • Stir the coffee through the cold water turn on the heat. Keep the heat low so that the coffee heats as slowly as possible. The slower you can heat the coffee, the more flavorful it becomes.

  • > > It’s important to only stir before the heat is on. Stirring while the coffee brews will ruin the foam layer.

  • Monitor your Turkish coffee while it heats. If it boils over, it will taste very bitter. You’re looking for a mild foam to bubble up. Once you see it, remove the cevze or coffee pot from the heat immediately.

  • With a smooth motion, pour the coffee into your cup(s). Make sure that the foam layer comes with the coffee into each cup. To do this, fill the cup about a quarter to a third of the way full to ensure that everyone gets a fair share of the foam which is where a lot of the delicious taste of Turkish coffee comes from.

  • Reheat the rest of the coffee until it boils. This shouldn’t take long as the coffee should still be quite hot.

  • Take your pot off the stove and divide the rest of the Turkish coffee between your serving cups. Let the coffee stand so that any grounds can sink to the bottom

  • Now you’re ready to serve. The traditional manner is with a small cup of water and Turkish fruit.

  • > > Enjoy the traditional way by taking a small sip of the water to clean your palate and then drink the coffee. Do not drink the grounds at the bottom of the cup if there are any.

 

Ready to make Turkish coffee at home? KoffiePiraat can help. Here are some coffee selections to make a great cup of Turkish coffee for yourself:

 

- Lucaffé Mr. Exclusive ground coffee

- Kimbo Espresso Napoletano ground coffee