Never Drink Alone: A Guide to Turkish Coffee

Of all Caféinés ritualsThe Turkish coffee takes the (coffee) cake. Indeed, according to some experts, Turkish coffee is not a type of coffee – it is a kitchen method. Commonly visible through the cultures of the Middle East, the drink looks and acts similar to the espresso, served in a small cup and very rich but very different tasting.

Turkish coffee is made with coffee finer ground that the espresso (the ideal Turkish coffee grinding has a consistency of flour) and a brewing process which involves boiling three times. It is a non -filtered drink, so the coffee grounds ends up setting up at the bottom of the cup. Lands make a thick drink, but they also play an important role in the ritual of good auspicious fortune, a practice that has finally inspired my love for beverage.

My introduction to the Turkish coffee was with the Iranian family of my sister (we have different fathers. His father, Ali, is from Iran). By visiting them to celebrate the Persian New Year, the aunt of my sister made Turkish coffee after dinner one evening and a family friend “read” the coffee grounds and tells us our fortune (I plunge into the details of this process more below). Although I cannot join the validity of fortune, I will say that the family’s friend predicted that I would have a son. It was over 10 years ago. At the end of 2024, I gave birth to my first child, a healthy little boy.

But you don’t have to tell your fortune to taste a Turkish coffee. You also don’t have to look for too far and through coffee forums to find strong opinions on strong coffee and how it should be done. It was perhaps my biggest setback in research, because there are those who suggest starting the infusion with hot water, while others suggest cold water. Some suggest sugar, others without. Some suggest high heat, other bass. You may have even seen Turkish coffee be prepared in the sand. (The owner of my local Palestinian charcuterie tells me that it is above all a tourist gadget.)

So, for coffee lords, anal and meticulous, if you hope for a “good” way of making Turkish coffee, I hate you disappointing you. Those who make Turkish coffee in their house regularly measure and brew with their hearts, and each household has a similar method but almost always slightly different. It is your preferences that will ultimately guide the ins and outs of your brewing.

Table of contents

What is Turkish coffee?

Turkish coffee is often served in a cup that generally does not exceed 2 ounces. It can look like the espresso, but although the espresso is stirred under high pressure, the Turkish coffee is brewed by finely ground boiling (even thinner than Espresso) in a cafe in a coffee maker. A CEZVE (called launcher In other countries like Palestine) is a small pot with a long handle, generally holding about 10 to 15 ounces and copper.

Generally, Turkish coffee is boiled in the Cezve in three parts. After each boil, a small amount is poured into the cup of coffee. The CEZVE is returned to the stove after each versa until you have filled your cups. The process of boiling multiple coffee creates a thick and sparkling coffee which is very strong and very aromatic.

Ideally, Turkish coffee is ground with a traditional Turkish coffee mill like that. Because Turkish coffee is crushed for a finesse that most commercial coffee crushes Impossible to make, your best bet is to buy it before the land (I suggested some brands below). I almost considered using my Sana grain mill (8/10, recommend wire) To see if I could make the grind, but I didn’t want to risk the flavor of coffee in my homemade flour.

The process

Traditionally, finely ground Turkish coffee is mixed with water in a CEZVE, as well as sugar, according to your preferences. You will boil the coffee over low / medium heat on an open flame, generally in three parts. The first boiling will develop a foam (think of Crema, as seen in other coffee drinks). This foam is essential to the Turkish coffee, because the frothy thickness of the drink brings it out of the others. Some recipes suggest using a spoon to pick up the initial foam in your prepared cups. Otherwise, you will use the CEZVE to pour it into your coffee cups prepared a little at a time. Return the CEZVE to the stove to boil and repeat this process twice more until you have filled your coffee cups on the rim.

As I mentioned earlier, it is important to note that, unlike other coffee styles in which technicality is priority with scales and thermometers, you will not see any of these aspects is at stake during the preparation of Turkish coffee. With roots that date back to the 16th century in the Ottoman Empire, Turkish coffee is an integrated drink born from a culture. So, think of the Turkish coffee like your grandmother’s cuisine – a recipe acts as a guide, but it is ultimately a process that is taken with the heart.

The tradition of fortune tells

You may not place a lot of stock in a good omen practices, and I do not blame you. But in case you are curious, there are traditions to respect.

The fortune division process begins once you have finished your drink. You will place your cup of coffee upside down on its saucer. The terrains will flow and disperse, and this is what the fortune dite will analyze to determine your fortune.

Just as my family friend read my coffee grounds on this fateful day 10 years ago, the practice of fortune telling by the Turkish coffee should be made by Someone who is experienced in the profession. It is strongly suggested not to try to read your own fortune.

This makeshift act also indicates something important with regard to Turkish coffee: it is a social activity – something that must be appreciated in company. It is not a science. An excellent example of this is my local Palestinian charcuterie using hot water to make its Turkish coffee. Starting with hot water can go against what some coffee lovers recommend (starting with cold water is generally ideal for any brewing process to obtain optimal flavor and extraction), but many places selling Turkish coffee do it to speed up the process and serve their customers more quickly. When you make the recipe below, do not focus on being too technical.

Turkish coffee recipe

Gives 2 cups of Turkish coffee of 2 ounces

Equipment

• 1 cezve
• 2 small coffee cups (2 oz)

Ingredients

• 2 TBSP TBSP Turkish coffee
• 6 ounces of water
• 1 teaspoon of sugar (optional)

Instructions

Mix the Turkish coffee, sugar and water in your Cezve. Stir until it is combined. Put Cezve on a flame of low / medium gas stove and slowly bring to a boil over a few minutes (if it boils too quickly, it is more difficult to develop the initial foam). Once boiling at the top, quickly remove the cezve from the stove and pour a small amount into your prepared cups (about half a half).

Return the CEZVE to the open flame and bring to a boil. Repeat steps 3 to 4 twice more until you have filled your cups to the brim. Serve immediately.