How To Prepare Turkish Coffee At Home

As a popular type of drink, Turkish coffee is thicker than many other types of regular coffee.

It is brewed in a cezve by using boiling water and due to the better extraction of several useful compounds may offer more health benefits.

Conventionally, for preparing Turkish coffee, you need seeds of Arabica and boiling water.

To brew this drink, you need finely ground powders to put in a special pot named cezve and then add the water.

The pot has to heat up and boil to provide a perfect condition for diffusion and better coffee extraction in higher temperatures.

Due to the high temperature of the boiling water and by increasing the efficiency of extracting less water soluble coffee compounds, this brewing method gives a more intense and chocolaty flavor.

In this brewing method, even after you stop the heating and boiling of the coffee pot, the grounds will be in touch with the hot water and the coffee compound extraction continues.

Therefore, in this method, the final drink can be more bitter than common coffee types. Especially, when boiling happens several times.

Turkish coffee recipe

As a recipe, many Turkish people serve coffee that is brewed by cezve with water. Also, you can have some chocolate or candy to enhance the taste of your drink.

Using a sweet additive is common and especially due to the bitter taste of Turkish coffee, to increase your enjoyment, having a sweet and small chocolate in recommended.

Turkish coffee how to drink

After Turkish coffee is brewed, there is no difference between drinking Turkish coffee and different types of coffee. Even though, there are differences between traditional Turkish coffee serving. For example, you need to wait until the hot coffee gets cold enough. Then, you can drink the flavors and leave the sediments at the bottom of your cup.

It is worth mentioning that drinking Turkish coffee has its own importance in the culture of people in turkey.

There is a saying about this drink. It states that having a cup of Turkish coffee is enough to remember it for forty years.

Turkish coffee health benefits

Coffee is a mysterious drink that takes away your tiredness. It can stimulate the heart and mind. Therefore, it is a good beverage for strengthening your body.

It is worth mentioning that several studies have shown that bioactive compounds in coffee, like caffeine which is one of the most well-known compounds in coffee beans, are effective in decreasing the risk of obesity and chronic diseases like diabetes.

By having chlorogenic acids and several other useful compounds, Turkish coffee also can reduce the risk of some cancers. These compounds are among antioxidants and therefore can prevent several other chronic diseases as well.

Do the other coffee types have the same benefits?

Yes, especially organic coffee beans that contain no artificial additives or coloring have similar useful compounds. but, the rate of useful compound extraction in Turkish coffee can be more than in regular coffees.

History of Turkish coffee

Historically, nearly five hundred years ago, when Arabica beans were introduced to the ottoman empire, people in Istanbul began to use it for brewing their own type of coffee drinks.

The seeds were obtained from Yemen and as the ottoman empire had great power, people in the capital could bring Arabica seeds from farmlands that were more than thousands of kilometers away.

Therefore, the origin of the coffee seeds is not in modern-day turkey. But, the brewing method by using special pots named cezve was developed in Istanbul.

Turkish coffee in the modern era

Even in the modern day, Turkish coffee has its own place in the diet of Turkish people and according to the reports, a steady increase in coffee consumption in turkey from 2012 to 2016 is evident.

The data shows that the average coffee consumption in turkey in 2012 was around 600 g per person. While, in 2016, the average coffee consumption increased to more than 900 g per person.

Turkish coffee sand

The biggest difference between coffee in the sand is that it cooks more slowly than other methods of making Turkish coffee. Because it is slow-brewed, the coffee and water are perfectly interwoven and cooked. Because of this, a tastier coffee is obtained. Things you need to make sand coffee at home. An old pan and aquarium sand is natural silica. It can also be used in sand coffee machines.

How to make sand coffee at home?

Place a sheet pan full of sand on the stove and turn on the stove. When the sand reaches enough heat, add coffee, water and sugar to the copper coffee pot and mix and place the coffee pot inside the sand in the middle of the plate. Your coffee will slowly start to brew and froth. After the coffee is well frothed, it may overflow.

FAQ

Why do Turkish people serve water with coffee?

To clear your palate before drinking coffee, you can drink a sip of water and then after clearing your palate, it is time to enjoy your fresh drink.

In fact, water can help you to enjoy the fresh flavor your beverage.

Is Turkish coffee stronger than regular coffee?

Usually, we consider the amount of caffeine as criterion to introduce the strongest coffees.

To give you a quantitative view, it is important to mention that a shot of espresso may have something between 30 to 50 mg of caffeine. Therefore, a double espresso which is two shots of espresso, and usually is served in many coffee shops, has something between 60 to 100 mg of caffeine.

Two ounces of Turkish coffee, which is equal to a serving cup of this type of coffee, usually can have around 60 to 70 mg of caffeine. This means that a double espresso is stronger than Turkish coffee.

It is worth mentioning that different sources may give different numbers for the amount of caffeine in espresso or other types of coffee. The main reason for the changes in the caffeine can be the difference between type of bean or its roasting and brewing differences.

Why do Turkish girls put salt in coffee?

Coffee is very important for Turkish people and they have different customs in their culture for serving it. But, the interesting point is that in turkey, when families want to first meet for marriage, they ask for the girl’s hand to serve Turkish coffee.

In this occasion, Turkish girls who want to marry in near future may pour some salt in the coffee to see the groom’s reaction.

Some people believe that the custom means life or marriage is not always sweet. Others may that this custom is a good way to test the groom’s reaction and can have other interpretations.

Perhaps, the meaning of the famous proverb in turkey that says “the taste of a cup of coffee may last for forty years” is reflecting the importance of the coffee that a Turkish girls prepare and give it to the groom.

Because the salty taste of this cup may last for years and the groom will remember it forever.

Therefore, this tradition can be considered as a symbol of delicacy and friendship. It also can be a kind of entertainment.

Do you drink the dregs in Turkish coffee?

Remember that preparation of Turkish coffee by using cezve and fine powders will give you a fresh drink that contains sediments.

You usually drink flavors, not the dregs or sediments. Therefore, the dregs will remain at the bottom of your cup. It is worth mentioning that Turkish people call them as “telve”.

But, even they are not expected to be eaten, nothing can prevent you from eating them after you finish your drink.

Does all Turkish coffee contain dregs?

Remember that brewing method by cezve makes your coffee very hot. Therefore, you have to wait for a while until the coffee settles and gets cold enough.

Therefore, dregs or telve is a typical part of your drink that you may leave them or eat them after drinking your coffee.

What are the best brands of Turkish coffee?

Remember due to the high per capita consumption of coffee in turkey, many brands are active in offering high-quality beans to the customers.

Mehmet Effendi is a famous brand in turkey that is among the well-known brands. It has more than one hundred years of experience in giving its services to the Turkish people.

But, there are many other famous brands that are active in selling coffee and as we mentioned above, people in turkey may prefer to have their coffee from one of them.

Elite Turkish coffee is another brand that offers finely ground roast that is suitable for brewing traditional Turkish coffee.

Café Najjar is also a famous brand that is offering Arabica coffee beans.

You can add Nuri Tolbar, Mandabatmaz, and several other brands to this list.

Can you make Turkish coffee in a coffee maker?

There are different types of coffee maker in the market. You can purchase Turkish coffee ground to make a drink by using them. But, the final taste of your drink may be different with the taste of the drink that you brew by using a cezve.

Therefore, while you can use different devices to brew finely ground powders. The resulting coffee may taste different than traditional Turkish coffee.

Is Turkish coffee stronger than espresso?

Turkish coffee is considered as a rather strong coffee with efficient compound extraction and some dregs in the cup. But, in terms of caffeine, a double espresso can be stronger.

How to prepare Turkish coffee to get a better aroma or flavor?

An important note is that a strong aroma from Turkish coffee can come out of a medium-roasted coffee bean that is finely grounded.

But, the amount of water or coffee powders that you use in the cezve (Ibrik) can have a great impact on the flavor and the coffee extraction in the brewing process.

Is the Armenian coffee the same as the Turkish coffee?

You may have heard about Armenian or Greek coffee and think it is the same as Turkish coffee. Türk Kahvesi or Turkish coffee is made from freshly roasted beans. Its difference with Armenian is in the way of brewing it. Turkish and Armenian coffee have many similarities from beans to caffeine content. Armenian coffee, or “Soorj” as it’s called in our native tongue, is like nothing you’ve ever tasted before. Armenian coffee is usually made with sugar, while Turkish coffee is not.

Is the Turkish coffee the same as the Arabic coffee?

Arabic and Turkish coffee are very similar to each other. Both are prepared from finely ground coffee and its grounds are served with coffee. Arabic coffee is called “Gahwa”. Lebanese coffee is slightly different in terms of beans, roasts and grinds. Another difference between Turkish coffee and Arabic coffee is the addition of cardamom. Some cardamom is added to Arabic coffee. This spice gives a good taste and aroma to coffee.

Why is Turkish coffee so bitter?

Oxidizing fatty acids in coffee beans results in Turkish coffee having no foam and an intolerable bitter taste.

Which countries drink Turkish coffee?

• Bulgaria
• Slovenia
• Hungary
• United States
• Belarus
• Netherlands
• Russia
• Romania
• Iran
• Armenia
• Israel

Turkish Arabica or Robusta coffee?

Turkish coffee is prepared from the best Arabica species and freshly roasted. 100% of Turkish coffee beans are Arabica. Turkish coffee and Arabica coffee are both made mainly with Arabica coffee beans.

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