How To Make A Traditional Turkish Coffee?

Turkish coffee, also known as Oriental coffee, is a popular beverage that is enjoyed throughout the Middle East. It is made in a long-handled pot which is mostly made of copper or brass and is called cezve or ibrik. Ibrik or cezve is usually a long-handled pot that comes with a narrow neck and a wider bottom. One rule of thumb for making this exotic drink is to ensure that your coffee is finely grounded – they cannot be coarse.

Turkish people mostly use a brass grinder to grind the coffee beans which is expected to be as fine as caster sugar. This coffee is typically drunk from small cups, which is called Finjan. The coffee making process is only complete when the powder has fully settled at the bottom of the cup. A lot of people prefer using Arabica beans while brewing Turkish coffee but the choice of coffee beans is not really a matter of concern as long as it is medium roast since you have to roast it again through the process of brewing the coffee.

Let us guide you through the process of making exotic Turkish coffee…

Items Required In Making Turkish Coffee

Without these six essential items you cannot prepare Turkish coffee in the right way:

• Ibrik or Cezve: Aforementioned, this is the pot that will be used to brew coffee in it. It has a long handle, a wide bottom and a narrow neck.
• Heat Source: The source of heat could be any – a stove, an induction, or an earthen fireplace.
• Fresh coffee beans: The choice of coffee beans is completely personal – it does not matter if you use Arabica or not but make sure it is the medium roast.
• Grinder: The coffee beans that you will use to make Turkish coffee has to be finely grinded in the same way as caster sugar.
• Sugar: There is no obligation to how much sugar you sue in preparing Turkish coffee. It is entirely on the preference of the drinker.
• Metal spoon: When you stir the coffee while brewing, make sure that it is a metal spoon which should also not be too big.

The Process Of Making Turkish Coffee: Technique

If you do not know the techniques right, you could make a great mess out of your Turkish coffee. Here are the basic steps that you need to know to brew a cup of traditional Turkish coffee:

1. Coffee Beans

As mentioned above, make sure that the coffee beans you use are medium roasted because they will be roasted again. Once you roast them, ground them finely to make sure that the smell and taste of the coffee beans is locked well. If you want to make an authentic Turkish coffee, the coffee beans being grounded well is the most important thing.

2. Brewing

Fill up the ibrik or cezve with water up to the neck of the coffee brewing pot. Once you have done that, you can start with the process of brewing it. After a while, add sugar to it as per your preference but ensure that you do not stir it or mix it well. Let the sugar dissolve in the water. You can now add coffee to it and again, do not stir – let the coffee float on the top of the water.

3. Sugar

Did you know what sugar is called in the Turkish language? Sade. The level of sugar in your coffee will be as per your requirement. There is no limit to adding sugar – however, of course, you don’t make it way too sweet to even taste!

4. Start Heating The Ibrik/ Cezve

Once all the above steps are completed in a satisfactory way, you can now start heating the coffee brewing pot. Before you start stirring, wait for a while to let the sugar in it caramelize so as to make the coffee sweet. Once you notice after some time that the water has boiled, take the ibrik out of the stove and let it be for 10-15 seconds after which add four full spoons of finely grounded coffee to it. This time you can stir the coffee – out of the stove!

Once you have stirred the coffee well, out of the stove, put the pot back to the stove and turn on the heat. After some minutes you will notice that the mixture will dissolve further well in the water and the water will start boiling more and reach to the top of the ibrik. This is when you have to slow down the heat and allow the mixture to again settle well. Take the pot out of the stove and take a teaspoon and stir the drink only on the top, don’t go too deep to make sure that you let the bubbles out of the drink.

Put the pot back to the stove and repeat this step twice.

5. Remove The Froth From The Drink

Once the fifth step has been repeated twice, your Turkish coffee will almost be ready to serve. Wait for a while before you pour the drink in the cup and delicately remove the layer of froth formed on the top of the drink.

Now your delicious Turkish coffee is ready to be poured in the cup.

Three Things About Turkish Coffee That You Absolutely Need To Know! 

1. On UNESCO Cultural Heritage List

You might be surprised to know that Turkish coffee is so popular that it was included in the Cultural Heritage List of UNESCO in the year 2013. For the Turkish people it also symbolises friendship and welcoming gesture. The unique way of preparing Turkish coffee and the way it is served is so authentic that it was obvious for UNESCO to include it in their Heritage List. This beverage is popularly served in all kinds of social gatherings.

2. The Turkish Marriage Custom

There is a marriage custom among the Turkish people that a potential groom would judge their would-be-wife on the basis of how good they can make Turkish coffee. Whenever a groom’s family visits the girl’s home to ask for their hand in marriage, Turkish coffee is expected to be made by the girl and served to the bride-to-be’s family.

3. Fortune Telling

There is a unique way of fortune telling by the reading the cup of Turkish coffee in which you have finished your drink, and it is extremely popular in Turkey. The kind of shape that will be left behind by the coffee grounds that settle at the bottom of the cup will be a representation of your past and future. Once you have finished your drink, close the cup with a plate or anything to cover with and make a wish. Now turn the cup over. Once the settlements at the bottom of the cup have cooled, the shape that will be left behind could be read by a fortune teller to read the past and future of the drinker.

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