Pat is an espresso machine enthusiast with a passion for perfecting every shot. With years of hands-on experience testing espresso machines, coffee makers and everything in between, Pat provides detailed, no-nonsense reviews to help coffee lovers find the right fit.
Have you had Turkish coffee before? This strong, rich brew is quite different from any other kind of coffee. We love Turkish coffee here at SCG, and it’s extremely important to the history of coffee itself! This style of brewing was one of the first ways to purchase and drink coffee socially, leading to the coffee culture we have today. You can use any coffee you like for Turkish, though most people prefer a darker roast. Let’s jump in to how you brew it!
Grinding
Turkish coffee is an immersion brewing method requiring an extremely fine, powdery grind. That’s right, you need a grind even finer than the finest espresso. To achieve this, you’ll want a special grinder made especially for Turkish. This will also be a hand grinder, so you may need a little extra elbow grease! For our recipe we’re using two heaping tablespoons of ground coffee.
Combining the Coffee and Water
We’ll actually be brewing our Turkish coffee in a special copper pot made just for the occasion. You want to use a copper pot because it will retain the heat better through the brewing process. Add about 6 ounces of cold water to the pot. It’s important to start with cold water. Once you’ve ground your coffee, we’ll use those two heaping tablespoons we mentioned above and dump them into the water. You can also add a little bit of sugar at this point for some extra sweetness (we used about a teaspoon).
Heating
Using whatever heating method you have (hot plate, stove, etc.), set the heat to medium-low and place the pot on the heating element. Next, stir the mixture as it begins to heat, aiming for a chocolate milk like texture. Once you’ve incorporated the coffee and sugar you’ll need to stand and watch the coffee heat. Once it starts to arrive at the right temperature you’ll see some gentle bubbling occur. The coffee will begin to develop foam and rise. Once it nearly reaches the top you can remove the pot from the heat. Note that you do not want the coffee to boil. If it does, the heat is too high.
Serving
After you’ve removed the coffee from the heat, be sure to let it sit for a minute or two to allow the remaining grounds to sink to the bottom. Pour the coffee into small demitasse cups quickly to get a layer of foam on the top. If you really want the authentic experience then you can pair your coffee with a Turkish delight! Sip the coffee slowly to avoid burning your tongue and getting gritty grounds in your teeth. You can leave the last quarter or so of the cup since that’s where the grounds will have ended up.
