Turkish Coffee

Come on and have a cup of Turkish coffee with us!

Most people in the world have heard of "Turkish Coffee” but few have ever tasted it. Yet, it’s the oldest, the easiest and the most economical way to make a wonderful cup of coffee! Above all, according to many people around the world, it is simply the most delicious way to have your coffee.

What Makes drinking Turkish coffee so special?

It forces you to stop and rest. This is simply because you have to sit down first before you can even take a sip. Otherwise it will spill on you due to the tiny cups. Another words it is not the kind of a beverage you just grab and run or drive with!

Teaches patience. You have to cook it slowly for the best results. The process requires about 5-10minutes of preparation time (depending on the quantity). It can not be rushed, but “wow” is it worth the wait! (We support the “slow food” movement).

Makes you relax. When you are ready to sit down to have your brew, you will generally be pretty calm due to anticipating a period of rest and relaxation…in a perfect mind-set to enjoy a delicious cup of foamy coffee, sip by sip!

Encourages conversation. In the Turkish coffee drinking tradition, freshly brewed coffee is typically shared with someone you care about like family, friends, business acquaintances etc. The idea is to sit down together, savoring the flavors and the friendship while you converse!

Turkish coffee is really all about socializing and relaxing. It also makes a fantastic after meal drink (because it is known to help in the digestion process) and is an anti carcinogen!

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. Although most people use the Arabic beans, it really doesn't matter what kind of coffee you use. However, it should be a medium roast, because you will actually roast it again while making it. You can get the Turkish coffee in several different ways:

• Purchase a special 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.
• Grind it at your local grocery store! Yes, that's right. You may not have noticed, but most grinders (99.9%) at your local grocery store in the U.S. have a Turkish coffee setting! Just select the "Turkish Coffee" setting and grind your beans.
• Buy it ready made from Turkish Coffee stores.You can find it at most Mediterranean stores if you live in a big city.
  

Preparation:

• Measure the amount of cold water you will need.
• Place your pot of water on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high (just until the water heats up).
• Add about 1-2 heaping tea spoons (or 1 tablespoon) of coffee per demitasse cup (3 oz). Do not stir it yet. Just let the coffee "float" on the surface because if you stir it now you might cause it to clump up.
• Add sugar to taste. Do not stir it yet, Let the water warm up little bit as above.
• When the coffee starts to sink into the water and the water 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 (you can also vigorously move your spoon side to side to encourage to start the foaming).
• 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 that are forming at this stage. Bubbles should be very small in size.
• From this point on watch your coffee carefully. 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) The key 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. If your brew comes to a boil, you will not have any foam because it will simply evaporate!).
• Keep it at the "foaming" stage as long as you can without letting it come to a boil. You might even gently stir your brew a little bit at this stage. The more froth, the better it will taste. Also your coffee must be fresh or it will not foam as well. If your brew gets too hot and begins to "rise", then move it away from the heat or just turn it down. You are almost done. 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 (quickly at first to get out the foam, then slowly) 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:

• Turkish coffee is always served with a glass of water. You need to drink the water first to clean your pallet!
• Wait about half a minute or so to let the grinds settle to the bottom of your cup.
• Find a comfortable spot in which to savor your delicious coffee and remember, drink this Turkish treat...sip by sip.

Make the perfect cup of Turkish Coffee...