The Turkish Coffee Experience - How To Make It, How To Drink It

Have you ever tried Turkish coffee (Türk Kahvesi)? For many, it's an acquired taste.

Unlike filter or instant coffee, Türk Kahvesi is unfiltered; grounds and all stay in the cup.

As a result of that, a thick, muddy residue will rest on the bottom of the cup.

Deeply unpleasant for those that are not in the know as they drink back their coffee.

Seasoned drinkers sip Türk Kahvesi slowly, allowing the thick foam and grounds to settle before finishing the cup.

And those grounds do not go to waste.

For Turkish coffee grounds are said to hold mystical properties (see below)...

This unique drink is revered in Turkey. And is also appreciated throughout the Middle East.

Served both in the home as well as in Turkish coffee shops and houses around the country, it is much loved and appreciated. By both young and old alike.

We have never heard a Turkish person say they don't like Türk Kahvesi. It is part of the fabric of Turkish society.

It is no accident, then, that it was recognised by UNESCO in 2013 and added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Turkish Coffee - The (Apparent) Beginning

We say 'apparent' because there are differing theories as to the origins of Türk Kahvesi.

One of the most common is that Turkish coffee came from Yemen.

It was introduced to Istanbul in the early 1500s by the Governor of Yemen Özdemir Pasha during the reign of Süleyman The Magnificent.

From here, the popularity of Türk Kahvesi grew and coffee houses started to open.

This was a significant development in the society of the Ottoman Empire as 'socialising' was disapproved of.

In coffee houses, people from all backgrounds could come together, share ideas, talk politics over a perfect cup of Turkish Coffee.

Prohibition

People sharing ideas.

That was a cause for concern for the powers that be.

So much so that Turkish coffee houses were eventually prohibited for 7 years in the 1630s.

Sultan Murad knew what was good for the economy, however.

So Turkish coffee houses made a reappearance in 1640.

Turkish Coffee Today

Today, Türk Kahvesi is a symbol of hospitality and friendship. It holds a prominent place in Turkish culture.

"The memory of a cup of Turkish coffee lasts for 40 years." - Turkish saying

It's about sitting with a friend over a long chat.

Türk Kahvesi is not about grabbing a plastic cup of coffee on the go and sipping as you dash to work.

It's about forming bonds and sharing the latest news and latest gossip.

Ask for the bill in a Turkish restaurant, and more often than not, you’ll be treated to a complimentary Türk Kahvesi or çay. All just part of the warm hospitality.

Accept the offer of Türk Kahvesi and you will be asked if you would like sade (plain), orta (medium) or şekerli (sweet).

This is down to the amount of sugar you would like in your drink.

We usually go for 'orta.'

Just For Display

In the UK, our grandparents always had a display cabinet in the 'best room' with the fine bone china tea set that was purely for display.

The 'everyday' tea cups were used for their actual purpose.

In Turkey, many households will have the same set up for authentic Turkish coffee.

Expensive, elaborately decorated Turkish coffee cups, sometimes in silver cup holder; tray and matching cezve.

Not forgetting the completion of the set - a small pot for the accompanying sweet treat of lokum (Turkish Delight).

They'll sit in their glass display. But there'll be a perfectly respectable 'everyday' Turkish coffee set that is used for the house and for when guests visit.

The Turkish Coffee Experience

Wherever you are in Turkey, ask any person what type of Turkish coffee you should buy and they will immediately recommend their favourite 'kurukahveci.'

This is the person who roasts and grinds the Arabica beans - or other beans such as Robusta or a blend.

All towns and cities have their little kiosks tucked away where Turkish people will queue to buy their bag of Türk Kahvesi.

Our favourite one in Fethiye sits just on the edge of the fish market.

You can eat lokum from the box on the counter while you wait for your bag to filled from the grinder.

And what better strong aroma than that of freshly ground Arabic coffee beans?

Turkey's most famous kurukahveci is Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi.

You can buy packs of Turkish coffee from this company in supermarkets around the country and online, too.

But, if you're in Istanbul, be sure to join the queue to buy some fresh Turkish coffee from their little kiosk and historic headquarters.

Dibek Kahvesi

There are still the kurukahveci out there in Turkey who proclaim to sell the traditional and famous 'dibek' Turkish coffee.

Dibek translates as mortar or stone. This is how Türk Kahvesi used to be ground before the machines were invented.

We first came across dibek kahvesi when we were completely lost, wandering around Kemeraltı in Izmir.

We were looking for Kızlarağası Hanı. And, at that particular moment in time, we were failing miserably to find it.

But we did keep passing small coffee stalls advertising their dibek kahvesi.

There was always a display of a smooth metal pole with flat circular stone going up the pole. And then back down to land on top another stone.

This was all just for demonstration purposes. But we soon worked out that these stalls were selling stone-ground Turkish coffee.

If you ever come across dibek Turkish coffee, do buy some.

Specialist coffee houses who advertise the fact that they serve dibek coffee are usually great places to go and drink.

The stone ground coffee produces a thicker, richer coffee (see top photo in this article).

Drinking Turkish Coffee Around The Country

Turkish coffee has never been a fashion.

Like we said, it's part of the fabric of society.

But, within that fabric, certain trends and regional traditions weave themselves through the threads.

Közde Fincanda Türk Kahvesi

When you're in Izmir, an absolute must is the 'közde fincanda pişen Türk Kahvesi.

'Fincanda pişen Türk kahvesi' means Turkish coffee heated in the cup.

When you go to one of these coffee places, electric Türk Kahvesi pots - and even the traditional Turkish coffee pot, the cezve - are nowhere to be seen.

The coffee is prepared in the cup, as you would with the cezve in our Turkish coffee recipe above.

And then the cup is placed directly into hot coals.

Once the coffee is ready, after slowly warming over a medium to low heat, it is served as above. Always with a small glass of water.

And if you're thinking that cup must be really hot - yes, it is.

Sipping a Türk Kahvesi in a coffee house is a moment to linger over, not something to hurry through.

Chat, sip your water, nibble on your lokum, sip your coffee...when it's safe to touch.

Kumda Türk Kahvesi - Turkish Coffee In Sand

Yes, Turkish coffee in sand.

If anything, this is where the trend comes in.

Even if it's a traditional method, we'd never seen sand used as the heat source for Türk Kahvesi until a few years ago.

And now, it's seen everywhere.

Go to the Fethiye Tuesday market in summer and you'll see the little Ottoman-style stand doing the Türk Kahvesi in sand.

Much as we love the market and Türk Kahvesi in sand, it's not really the optimum atmosphere.

The setting needs to feel right.

On one of our road trips, after reacquainting with the ruins of ancient Ephesus, we stayed overnight in Selçuk and decided to take a trip up to the village of Şirince.

Şirince is famous for its local fruity wines.

Note, we were there at a time when tourism in Turkey was at a real low.

More Coffee Houses

Coffee houses had replaced some of the wine stores. And all of them were specialising in Türk Kahvesi, heated in sand.

Locals and domestic tourists sat around sipping coffee and watching their drinks being prepared in the hot sand.

We decided to join the party.

Some places will place the cup directly in the sand. But, on this occasion, our Türk Kahvesi was prepared in the cezve as in our recipe below.

We didn't touch the sand.

But we were dubious as to whether it could be hot enough to boil our coffee.

We didn't need to worry.

Within minutes, our coffee was poured and served to us along with a small plate of sweet powdery lokum.

Pretty hillside village setting, watching your coffee being prepared in the sand...

It was always going to taste the part, wasn't it?

Türk Kahvesi With Milk

Wherever you go to drink Türk Kahvesi, it is served black...

Except when we were travelling around East Turkey. When we were in the city of Van.

We'd just got back from a trip to the island of Akdamar on Lake Van and had some time to kill before our flight to Antalya.

Finding somewhere to sit for a çay or a coffee, however, was proving difficult.

Until we looked up!

We realised that Van was a city of games salons. The clacking sound of tavla (backgammon) counters emanating onto the streets below via the open windows.

We climbed the steps and entered one of the salons.

Van city centre obviously doesn't see too many foreign tourists judging by the welcome we got.

I ordered a Fanta.

"Nooooo," said our waiter. "Please, you must try a Van Turkish coffee. It's made with milk."

Oh, go on then.

Refusing offers had become tiresome, anyway. And the milk sounded interesting.

So, Van Turkish coffee is boiled in the same way. But milk is also added as it first boils.

And the result?

A Great Starter

Well, we'd say this is a great starter for the novices. It really suited my taste buds.

A couple of teaspoons of sugar combined with the milk took away the intensity of the coffee flavour.

I loved it.

Which was lucky, because, as with our Doğubeyazıt Köftesi experience, the waiter came over to collect our cups.

His expectant face was clearly expecting much praise.

We happily obliged.

Soğuk Türk Kahvesi - Cold (Iced) Turkish Coffee

Another way to enjoy Turkish coffee, especially nice in the hot summer months, is to try a Soğuk Türk Kahvesi.

That's cold or Iced Turkish Coffee, which you can find in coffee chains like Kahve Dünyası.

Mystical Properties

At the beginning of this article, we said the grounds that are left behind in the cup after drinking your coffee hold mystical properties.

Often, when you see groups of friends drinking Turkish coffee, you will notice upturned cups, resting on the saucer.

After a few minutes, the cup will be picked up by another person.

They will then use patterns in the grounds around the edge of the cup to tell the drinker's fortune.

This is not a rare activity. It's part of the Turkish coffee experience.

And, if everyone in the group happens to be 'mystically-challenged,' that's not a problem.

We are no longer in the 17th Century. This is the 21st Century.

There's even an app to do it for you!

We had lived in Turkey for many years before my taste buds adapted themselves to the love of Turkish coffee.

It is now, however, a fixture in the routine of our life here.

How To Make Turkish Coffee At Home

Before you can make your own Turkish coffee, you need to get yourself some Turkish coffee cups (the same size as espresso cups or Demitasse cups).

You'll also need a cezve; the tiny, long handle copper pot used to boil the coffee.

But you can easily make Turkish coffee without an ibrik.

These days, you can buy practical stainless steel coffee pots but we're all for a bit of tradition.

You can buy cezve in different sizes (you can usually find them online if you're not in Turkey) but our Turkish coffee pot is perfect for 2 small cups.

As well as the three normal rings, gas hobs in Turkey usually come with one much smaller ring.

A little bracket to bridge the gap over the flame so that the cezve can sit on top of it.

Obviously, this isn't necessary for electric and halogen hobs.

So, let's find out how to use our cezve to make a Turkish coffee...

When you make Turkish coffee, it is different because all of your ingredients, including the sugar, are added before you bring it to the boil.

How Sweet

That's why, when you are offered Türk Kahvesi, they will ask you how you would like it: sade, orta or şekerli.

If you have friends over and you are making Turkish coffee for them, you can accompany it with a glass of cold water and lokum.

Even more impressive if you have a matching tray.

If it's just the two of us, the accompaniments are not necessary.

Making Turkish coffee in our house is Barry's department and our cups and cezve are very well used.

In many Turkish households, these days, a more convenient electric coffee maker is used.

However, all is not lost. Rather than let these traditional methods of preparing Turkish coffee disappear, the Cezve/Ibrik World Championships were created.

These take place annually where young people from around the world compete to make the best coffee.

It keeps traditions in place and also keeps coffee, in its original, unfiltered form, on the map...

Turkish Coffee Recipe

This recipe makes 2 cups.

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