Turkish Coffee: It’s Not Just Coffee, It’s A Way Of Life!
In Turkey, you don’t just ‘wake up and smell the coffee as the rest of the world does. Oh no! To the Turks, coffee is not a brew that they just gulp down to get an instant boost of energy. Turkish coffee is an institution unto itself with a whole culture surrounding it. There is a whole set of guidelines and rituals for preparing and serving the brew and another set of rules for when and how to drink it.
How to make Turkish Coffee
The absolutely traditional way to prepare Turkish coffee is to brew it slowly over charcoal embers, taking the pot away from the fire frequently to prevent overheating. Today, charcoal has been replaced by gas stoves and electric cookers but the principle and the techniques remain the same.
In addition to Turkish coffee beans, you will need a Cezve or a Turkish coffee pot and fincan or Turkish coffee cups.
Cezve: The Cezve is long handled pot that is specially designed for brewing Turkish coffee. Choosing the right size is important and that depends on how many servings you intend to brew at a time. It should neither be too small nor too big as that has an adverse effect on the coffee. Most Turkish households have several different sizes, which they use on different occasions.
Fincan: Fincans are tiny, elegant cups about the size of espresso cups but with narrower bottoms. Unlike the modern versions that have handles, the older versions had no handles and were served in very elaborately jeweled or filigree holders that were placed on specially designed trays that were suspended from arched handles.
For an absolutely authentic experience, you should grind the beans in a Kahve Degirmeni, which is a Turkish coffee grinder. This device grinds the beans much finer than other conventional grinders.
Now that you’ve got everything handy, you’re all ready to start.
Pour as much cold water as you need in the Cezve and to this add ground Turkish coffee powder and stir well. The ratio is 1 teaspoon ground coffee to 1 cup coffee. Turkish coffee is always prepared using cold water.
If you like your brew sweet, now is the time to add the sugar.
Let the pot heat slowly. The slower the heat, the better the coffee will taste as the slow heating allows the flavors to develop nicely.
When the coffee starts boiling and forms froth on top, pour it equally between the cups filling each cup only about 1/4th or 1/3rd of the way. With Turkish coffee, the best part is the foam that forms on top. By pouring it equally, everybody gets a fair share.
Time to sit back and enjoy!
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