Turkish coffee
Turkish coffee is made by gently heating powder-fine coffee with water (and sugar, if you like) in a small long-handled pot called a cezve 🏺. It's never filtered: you pour it into a small cup, let the grounds settle, and sip the rich, velvety coffee on top. The thick foam is the pride of every host. It's quick, cozy and full of tradition.
Grind: Extra fine, like flour
Pick your kind
- Turkish coffee in a cezveCold water, flour-fine coffee, low heat, and take it off just as the foam rises.6 min · a little practice
- Turkish coffee with an electric machine or hot sandLet a machine or a bed of hot sand do the slow heating while you watch the foam.5 min · easy
Words you'll hear
- Cezve
- A small pot with a long handle and a narrow neck, traditionally copper or brass. Also called an ibrik.
- Foam
- The thick, creamy layer that rises to the top as the coffee heats. Plenty of foam is the sign of a well-made cup.
- Turkish grind
- The finest grind there is, like flour or cocoa powder. Many grinders can't go that fine; pre-ground Turkish coffee works well.
- Grounds
- The sludge that settles at the bottom of the cup. Let it settle and leave it there.
- Ratio
- Water weight divided by coffee weight. 1:10 means 7 g of coffee to 70 g of water, one small cup.
- Demitasse
- A small cup, about 60–90 ml, used for Turkish coffee and espresso.