Turkish coffee

[Delmonico]

Turkish Coffee

As many know, I love espressos,  the problem is, they ain’t correct in the 19th Century,  so when I want a good strong cup, I go to an older form, commonly called Turkish Coffee although it is popular all through the Middle East and southern Europe.  In fact this is one of the oldest ways to serve coffee. 

To make this, one needs and ibrik (Know by other names in languages other than Turkish.)  a teaspoon  and demitasse cups.  Also one will need coffee ground as fine as flour, I prefer a real dark roast, but any roast is fine, also some sugar, I prefer brown sugar and if desired cardamom.

The ibrk looks like this and is most often made out of copper with a tin lining:

 

The one I have is a 12 oz, this is important to know, because it needs filled to the neck, so mine will make 3-4 cups.

Add one to two heaping teaspoons of sugar for each 3-4 ozs,  fill just to the neck with clean cold water, add  1-2 heaping teaspoons of the powdered coffee for each cup and a pinch or two of  ground cardamom  if desired., do not stir

Put the ibrik on a heat source and slowly bring it up to a boil, it will foam as it boils.  Remove from heat for a couple minutes, bring to a foamy boil again, remove from heat and do the same a third time.  During the brewing, never stir it.

Pour with foam into demitasse cups and serve.  One does not want to stir in the cup either,what you do is just drink down to the sludge.

[Mogorilla]

Man, I really need a cup of coffee now!   Having to wait for the drip is killing me.   Turks have a saying
"Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and sweet as love"   
I too am a coffee snob, picked up a burr grinder last year, will never go back.   those little tube things that have blades that whirr around are great for spices, but you get an uneven grind, the burr grinder is consistent in sizing the grounds, from plunger setting where you want a very course even grind to turkish where you want powder.   

[Gypsy Bob]

It used to be in eastern europe (and NOT so long ago) that a young womans 'marriage-ability' was determined by her ability to PROPERLY cut up a chicken and make COFFEE... now chickens are bought 'cut-up' and coffee is sold by multi-million $$$ company stores....

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[Reverend P. Babcock Chase]

Howdy Del,

I suspect that Turkish coffee is very much like Greek coffee. If that's the case you left out an important note.

LET THE GROUNDS SETTLE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE CUP AND DON'T STIR THE COFFEE IN THE CUP AND DON'T DRINK THE CUP TO THE BOTTOM.

The first time I had Greek coffee I did not get the warning. I thought the sludge was supposed to dissolve into the coffee so I kept stirring the coffee before each swallow. The waitress was shocked when she saw my cup and then told me about the grounds. My second cup was much better than the first.

Reverend Chase

[Delmonico]

Howdy Del,

I suspect that Turkish coffee is very much like Greek coffee. If that's the case you left out an important note.

LET THE GROUNDS SETTLE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE CUP AND DON'T STIR THE COFFEE IN THE CUP AND DON'T DRINK THE CUP TO THE BOTTOM.

The first time I had Greek coffee I did not get the warning. I thought the sludge was supposed to dissolve into the coffee so I kept stirring the coffee before each swallow. The waitress was shocked when she saw my cup and then told me about the grounds. My second cup was much better than the first.

Reverend Chase

Thanks, I'll go back and edit it, I guess I assumed everyone knew that.

[mestiza letty]

Knew Middle east & southern Europe wuz the oldest history of the bean...however I'm not as "cultured on the varieties" have  not tried quite as many.
I can say I will make more "effort" to try more than just Juan Valdez' brand

[mestiza letty]

Wholly admit I'm a complete edjit

[Duck Creek]

If I'm reading these recipes correctly they sound very much like Cuban Coffee. Traditional Cuban Coffee is made in a stovetop Expresso pot. I don't have a lot of research yet but I do know that coffee was brought to Cuba in the mid 1700's. It wasn't in general  household use until around 1800. Modern day recipes call for using very finely ground Mexican coffees (Cafe Bustelo for example). Real Cuban grown coffees would be very difficult to obtain due to current Cuban/American relations. Will do some further reading and post any additional information I come across.

Duck Creek

[Hangtown Frye]

I was taught to make "proper" coffee by a wonderful gentleman from Bethlehem.  He used basically the same recipe as Delmonico's, but his HAD to include cardamom, it wasn't an option.     But he also insisted that when boiling it, that only one side/bottom of the ibrik would be to the heat, rather than heating from the bottom of the vessel.  I couldn't tell you WHY this was important (my Dad was the Chemist, not me! However, the coffee would then boil against that side, and roil all of the grounds through and dump them on the side away from the heat.)  Fadil seemed to think it was important, and all the Turkish coffee he served was done this way.  Seems to work pretty well, I LOVE the stuff!

Cheers!

Gordon

[Delmonico]

Thanks, I'll try that, it makes sense, I've learned by reading.

[Oregon Bill]

Well now dang it, Del, I'm needing a lamb souvlaki with yogurt and cucumber dressing and a couple of demitasses of syrup-thick Turkish coffee! Where did you find your ibrk?

[El Peludo]

Well now Del, ya; got me "jonesin'" for a cuppa 'spresso or Turkish; even just good regular will do, though, guess I'll go make a pot.

Miz Letty, once ya' grind yer own from fresh roasted beans and find the degree of "strong" and involvement you like, you'll never go back to canned coffee.  From that point, it is simply a matter of x'spertimentin' with all of the possibilities.  A good number of folks even get their beans unroasted and roast them in small batches to their own taste.

[Delmonico]

A funny here, my 15 year old expresso machine bit the dust so I headed to the Middle East store and got some pulverized extra dark Brazilian (Same bean Arbuckles is made from, just roasted darker.) Went out to the camp box and got the ibrik.   Just boiled one up and sat down

[Texas Lawdog]

Del and I usually have Turkish Cawfee after supper around the camp. It makes for a good eye opener before breakfast. I have always enjoyed strong, black Cawfee.  Too many years on the night shift as a cop, along with about 3 packs a day smoke habit. I gave the smokes up over 30 years ago, but I still gotta have my strong Cawfee.

[cpt dan blodgett]

Years ago when I was stationed in Germany my wife was the head nurse of the peds ward in the 97th General Hospital in frankfurt.  Just before we returned to the states, one of the Civilian Doctors from Turkey invited us over for a farewell dinner.  All was fine until it came time for coffee.

His method was to use a rediculously small cup, a heaping teaspoon of grounds (as Del described darn near black flour)/  Put grounds in cup, fill with boiling water (leaving a small amount of room for milk and sugar) swirl the grounds and water around awhile add milk and sugar, let settle momentarily and drink .

Having never experienced coffee made in that manner, I foolishly attempted to drink mine black as I drink regular coffee.  It turns out that is a both a tactical error and self-limiting behavior.  Swallowing my pride was easier than swallowing a second sip, so I quickly added both milk and sugar.

[Tascosa Joe]

My only experience with Turkish coffee was in the Czech Republic.  We did a short TDY as guest instructors at the Czech Military Academy in 97.  They had strange habits, they took vodka breaks instead of coffee breaks.  Anyway on one of the breaks they served us coffee with the bottom of the cup full of grounds and not much water.  Unfortunately, my experience was much like CPT Dan's.  I did not become a fan.

[Gen Lew Wallace]

I have enjoyed coffee all over the world during my twenty years in Uncle Sam's Air Force, and I have to say my favorite was from the camp fire at Fort Concho during the Christmas celebration.  Nothing quite tastes like a coffee with smoke from the fire flavoring it.  Always strong, never weak is my motto.

[Texas Lawdog]

+1 Bro. Lew!

[Delmonico]

I bet the stuff at Fort Hartsuff is just as good.

[Texas Lawdog]

Del, It gets the GAF seal of approval.