Coffee beans for Turkish coffee

What is Turkish coffee?

Turkish coffee is not a type of bean or a roast but a way of brewing. Very finely ground coffee is heated with cold water, and sugar if you like, in a cezve: a small pot with a long handle and a narrow neck, traditionally made of copper or brass. The coffee is not filtered, so the grounds settle at the bottom of the cup. You get a small, strong cup with a layer of foam on top. It is usually served with a glass of water, and sometimes spiced with cardamom.

Which beans to buy for Turkish coffee

The coffees on this page are our fresh roasted beans, so for Turkish coffee you grind them yourself. Turkish coffee is traditionally made from Arabica with a light to medium roast. A single origin such as Brazil gives a round, mild cup that takes sugar well; Colombia is a little brighter; Ethiopia suits you if you like a fruity, floral cup. If you drink Turkish coffee late in the evening, there is also a decaf.

Turkish grind: it makes or breaks the cup

Turkish coffee needs the finest grind there is: finer than espresso, close to flour or icing sugar. If the coffee is too coarse, no foam forms and the cup tastes thin and watery. Many electric grinders, including most espresso grinders, cannot go this fine. A traditional Turkish hand mill, or a grinder with a setting made for Turkish coffee, is the way to go. Grind just before brewing: powder-fine coffee loses its aroma within hours.

How to make Turkish coffee

You need

• A cezve
• Very finely ground coffee
• Cold water
• Small cups
• Sugar and ground cardamom, if you like

1. Pour one small cup of cold water per person into the cezve.
2. Add one heaped teaspoon of coffee per cup, plus the sugar if you take it. Sugar goes in now: stirring it in later spoils the foam.
3. Stir once to mix everything, then put the cezve on a low heat. Do not stir again.
4. Heat slowly. After a few minutes a foam rises up the neck of the pot. Take the cezve off the heat just before it boils over.
5. Spoon some foam into each cup first, then pour the rest in slowly.
6. Let the cup stand for a minute so the grounds settle, and stop drinking when you reach them.

Tips

• Low heat gives more foam. High heat makes the coffee boil over and taste bitter.
• No cezve? A small saucepan works, but the narrow neck of a cezve helps the foam hold.
• A gas hob works well. Traditionally the cezve is heated in a tray of hot sand.
• For cardamom, add a pinch of finely ground seeds together with the coffee.
• Serve a glass of water on the side, to drink before the coffee.

How sweet?

In Turkey you order your coffee by sweetness: sade is without sugar, az şekerli has a little, orta şekerli is medium and şekerli is sweet. Roughly, that means no sugar, half a teaspoon, one teaspoon or two teaspoons per cup, stirred in before heating.