How to make Turkish Coffee
32Thursday 30 October, 2014 by Uncle Spike
Hands up, how many of you have been to Turkey?
Ok, so not many. All right, how many have had Turkish Coffee in a restaurant over the years?
Hmm… well for those who have had the pleasure, let me ask this. How many tried back home to knock up a brew, and then almost died from the experience coz you just didn’t know how to make it?
Well, I was one of those who tried, failed, and didn’t touch the stuff for years, lol. So if you are one of the few who do fancy trying the genuine stuff, here’s how.
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Step one
To make Turkish coffee, you don’t need anything special, but what I’ve used here are traditional, albeit modern utensils.
> Turkish coffee, or Greek or Arabic. Most ethnic foods sections at city supermarkets stock it, either in cans like this, or a small sachet of say 100 grams, or 3.5 oz.
> Small cooking pan; something like a small milk pan might do if making for two people.
> Small coffee cup/saucer – gotta taste better from the real thing’ I reckon.
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Step two
Pour into the pot 80ml, or 1/3rds of a ‘cup’, or 2.7 fl oz, of cold water PER PERSON.
If you are using Turkish coffee cups it’s even easier; just add one cup full of water PER PERSON.
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Step three
Add one heaped small teaspoon of Turkish coffee to the water PER PERSON.
IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT STIR.
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Step four
Add sugar to taste using this guide. Remembering if making for TWO, both will have to have the same, or make separately:
BITTER – This means no sugar, easy.
SLIGHTLY SWEET – add ONE cube/teaspoon PER PERSON.
MEDIUM SWEET – add ONE+HALF cubes/teaspoons PER PERSON.
SWEET – add TWO-THREE cubes/teaspoons PER PERSON.
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Step five
Turn on a very low heat.
IMPORTANT NOTE: DO NOT STIR.
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Step six
Leave the heat on for maybe a couple of minutes.
The coffee will gradually sink.
If the coffee doesn’t seem to be sinking, you may stir once (no more).
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Step seven
Keep at a low heat until the water looks like it might be ready to boil, but DO NOT LET IT BOIL.
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Step eight
Pour and ‘slop’ some froth into each cup, until half full.
Return to the same low heat for another 5 seconds; again do not let it boil.
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Step nine
Gently pour more into each cup, filling to almost the top.
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Step ten
Serve immediately to your guests.
Provide them with an accompanying glass of cool water.
(water is sipped before, and after drinking the coffee)
To really impress, serve with 2 small pieces of genuine Turkish Delight.
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TOP TIP
Never provide a spoon to your guests !!
Turkish coffee should never be stirred. When drinking, STOP just before you hit the sludge. That’s how you can spot a tourist – they stir and swill the coffee around, drink the lot… and almost choke on the grout 🙂
ENJOY !
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* FLASH NEWS *
As you may recall, I’m pretty well caffeine intolerant these days. Take one small coffee and my heart races like a steam train for 2 hours. BUT… even here in Turkey, we can now buy decaf Turkish coffee (from specialist shops, not normal stores or café’s yet), and take it from me, it still tastes the same. So after 5 years with not being able to join Aunty Spike for a Sunday morning coffee, I’m now happily sorted 🙂
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This post is dedicated to Sue, from the excellent blog: Travel Tales of Life. Now that she now has some genuine Turkish Coffee (I know, we sent it over to Canada), I guess we’ll hear in due course how the experiment went 🙂
SPIKE
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[…] had pots and pots of the juice, all ready for the cooking stage to begin. And yes, that’s our Turkish Coffee pot being used again – rather handy little implement around our […]
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[…] Last week I opened the mailbox to find small package from Turkey waiting patiently for me. Uncle Spike had sent two packages of Turkish coffee to us as a gift! He then went on to post a guide as to how to make traditional Turkish coffee on his blog which you can find here. […]
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You know of course that we shared the tradition here and Greeks consumes huge amounts of this coffee….Right?
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Very much so, and you guys are worse than us…. coffee ice-creams, cold coffee every 3 minutes 🙂
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NOT ONLY every 3 minutes,all day long and everywhere!
🙂
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But I was so pleased this year to see that decaf is now quite widely available, unlike here in Turkey 🙂
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Hey!
This is my favorite coffee!
I m a specialist,hahaha!
Do you “read” it? 🙂
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I’m useless at that – leave that to my neighbours here in the village…
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I have tried Turkish coffee once and I find the taste a bit strange….like an earthy coffee-mud taste /˚,˚\, and the Balinese coffee has the similar taste.
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Was it stirred when prepared? It certainly has a more earthy texture and taste, especially if overheated. There are also, like anything, many different brands and qualities.
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Yeah, probably stirred. Now I know – Do not stir and Do not let it boil when making Turkish coffee. Thanks for the tips
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Reblogged this on The Daily Pause.
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Thank you, thank you, thank you. Bought the cups, bought the coffee, translating the turkish directions…well, let’s just say the illustrated directions are so much easier to follow!!! cheers, Tiare
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Hey no worries… every does things differently,i but we know this method tastes good, and even our senior granny (94) approves, so must be correct, lol. Let us know how you get on.
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Will do!
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Interesting. I’ll try it.
Thank you for the recipe.
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I’ll be interested to hear if it’s ok 🙂
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Uncle Spike , thank you for the recipe, but you should also tell us how to read our future then. This is the magic of Turkish coffee, isn’t jt? 🙂
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Not a clue… my neighbour comes round and does that as a matter of fact. I think she drinks too much of it personally 🙂
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Decaf eh – and there was me thinking I had finally stumbled on the secret of all your energy!
I only allow myself one cup of filter coffee in the morning otherwise I am awake in the night. Thank goodness for decaf.
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No caffeine, no alcohol, no sugar. Life is a buzz anyway to be honest 🙂
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Uncle Spike if I could jump through the screen and give you a hug I would! It was with a squeal of delight that your package was received in our mailbox. We have not found a decent Turkish coffee since our wonderful time in Turkey. Now armed with the proper ingredients we will follow your directions on the weekend and give it a try. I will report back!
Thank you again for your generous gift. Here’s hoping one day we can share a Turkish coffee together!
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Looking forward to your update then…
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Reblogged this on MadeleineMaya.
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Love you uncle spike and your Turkish coffee 🙂 did you send me on my address 🙂
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Haha, afraid not 🙂
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can i wait your parcel
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🙂
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I was thinking that Spike hasn’t posted for a while then I find that WP gremlins have struck again and you are off my follow list. Got some catching up to do now!
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It’s the most annoying of bugs they have…
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Wow, I’ll have to see if I can find some Turkish coffee in a supermarket….I loved the coffee when I was in Turkey in May! And,no, I did not stir it! Glad you’ve given these instructions, most informative 🙂
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Reblogged this on coffeeinthiscity.
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