The Art of Turkish Coffee Distinctively thick, rich and strong, Turkish coffee is made by combining finely ground coffee, sugar and water in a brass or copper pot, called a cezve or ibrik, and boiling the mixture three times. The final drink—topped with foam and served in a demitasse with a glass of water alongside—is traditionally sipped slowly and accompanied by conversation. After you finish a cup, your fortune will be revealed in the remaining coffee grounds. The prospects are hopeful: It is said that drinking coffee with someone in Turkey will ensure 40 years of friendship. Today, Turkish coffee is a symbol of hospitality and friendship, and the rituals associated with the drink are protected on the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. 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 Arabica beans, it really doesnt 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: A. 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. B. Grind it at your local grocery store! Yes, thats 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. C. Buy it ready made from Turkish Coffee World. We sell it in our store but you can also 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 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 drink water first to cleanse 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.
Posted on: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 12:03:12 +0000
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