Learn how to make Turkish coffee

Detailed instructions on making Turkish coffee

HOW TO MAKE TURKISH COFFEE

You will need to have a Turkish coffee pot, a spoon, sugar and coffee that has been ground to a fine powder. You can get the Turkish coffee in several different ways:

A. Purchase a Turkish Grinder (regular electric grinders with blades spinning at a high speed will NOT do the job) and grind the coffee yourself. We do have these available at our store if you are interested.

B. Do it at at your local grocery store! Yes, that's right. You may not have noticed but the most grinders (99.9%) at your local grocery store in the U.S. have a Turkish coffee setting! Just select the "Turkish Coffee" when you grind your beans.

C. Buy it ready made. We sell it in our store but you can also find it at most Mediterranean stores if you live in a big city.

Preparation

  1. Measure the amount of cold water you will need.
  2. Place your pot of water on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high (just until the water heats up).
  3. Add about 1-2 heaping tea spoons of coffee per demitasse cup. Do not stir it yet. Just let the coffee "float" on the surface because if you stir it now you will cause it to clump up.
  4. Add sugar to taste. Do not stir it yet, because the water needs to be warm before it can dissolve.
  5. When the coffee starts to sinks into the water and the temperature is warm enough to dissolve your sugar, stir it several times and then turn down the heat to low. You should stir it several times, up until it your brew starts to foam. The more you mix it better it will foam ( you can also vigorously move your spoon side to side to encourage foaming action).
  6. When you see the bubble "ring" forming on the surface, turn down the heat a little bit more or move your pot away from the heat source. Pay attention to the bubbles. Smaller the size the better for the foam.
  7. From this point on watch your coffee carefully. The slower you cook it, the better. Do not let the temperature get hot enough to start boiling. (NEVER LET IT BOIL - many instructions on how to make Turkish coffee use the term "boiling" but this is totally inaccurate) Idea here is to let the coffee build a thick froth and that occurs approximately around 158 F or 70 C (i.e., much cooler than the boiling point of water which is 212 F or 100 C at standard pressure).
  8. Keep it at the "foaming" stage as long as you can without letting it come to a boil. You might even gently stir you brew a little bit at this stage. The more froth, the better it will taste. If it gets too hot and starts to "rise" too much then move it away from the heat or just turn it down. Repeat this process until your foam has "raised" and "cooled" at the most couple of times (not 3-4 times like some instructions. Even once is enough). Then pour in to your cups while making sure that each cup has equal amount of foam! If you are serving several cups then you might be better off spooning the foam into each cup.
Drinking
  1. Turkish coffee is always served with a glass of water. You need to drink the water first to clean out your pallet!
  2. Wait about half a minute or so to let the grinds settle to the bottom .
  3. Find a comfortable spot and enjoy your coffee! Make sure to drink it slowly sip by sip.

Monday, April 21, 2008

What's So Special About Turkish Coffee?


By Stephen Haworth

Caffeine is a drug, yes, but a very sweet one at that. It enhances the senses and uplifts the spirits. Coffee is, without a doubt, a culture unto itself. Used as a means to gather, laugh and debate. Coffee is a social beverage. Its roots are as storied and full as the roasts you may drink.

Within the borders of Turkey coffee has become an institution. It has its own culture complete with ritual and house of worship (coffeehouses). Turkish coffee, in particular may, without a doubt in most coffee lovers' minds be the be all and end all of coffee. It was introduced to Turkey in the early to mid 1500's, finding the first coffeehouse opening soon after.

Coffee came at a rather interesting time in Turkish history as it was geared more toward decadence than business. This gave way to many rituals. One of which was to brew the beans slowly over fifteen to twenty minutes in a copper coffee pot nestled among the embers of smoldering charcoal. The pot was removed frequently to prevent overheating. You can certainly tell the difference, if you are a coffee connoisseur, between Turkish coffee and your run of the mill modern day restaurant coffee.

The Turks believed in delicate brewing and all that was needed was a copper pot that came to a point, a teaspoon and something to heat it with. Water was always cold and the coffee fresh ground right before brewing. One thing that makes Turkish coffee so good, rich and special as that many would add cardamom and or sugar to the ground prior to brewing. Also unique is that the ingredients were added to the water instead of the water added to the ingredients. After all of the ingredients are added, they are stirred, spoon removed and pot placed on the heating source. No more stirring occurs and the pot is removed periodically to prevent the overheating mentioned earlier.

Identifying well prepared Turkish coffee is easy. It's not too hot and has a thick foam resting comfortably on top and is free of any dark particles. In some circumstances, the coffee is brought to a boil and just before boiling over is removed the heat then replaced to do it all over again. This process is done two or three times and concentrates the coffee down. Cold water is served and drank before the coffee to cleanse the palette. Traditionally, the pastry known as Turkish Delight was served alongside the coffee and afterward you're treated to mint liqueur.

Turkish coffee is special. Not because it tastes good, but because of the care and love that is put into the preparation and consumption of it. Coffee has a very special meaning to the Turkish people and to the culture of their land and that should be respected. The whole premise and life of coffee in Turkey gave way to all of the coffeehouses and coffee business that we partake in to this day from our Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts to your mom and pop Beatnik Coffee Dens. Without Turkish coffee, we would have no coffee at all.

Steve is a regular contributor to Coffee Maker Review an informational website for Coffee Maker ratings and reviews on the top brands including Bunn Coffee Makers and Senseo Coffee Makers

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