How to make Turkish Coffee

by Ralph Kratzer

We live in the TRNC – the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, the emphasis is on “Turkish”!

I know all of my British friends and acquaintances over here like Nescafe, instant coffee, more or less tasteless broth!

The Germans prefer filter coffee from the machine which is, from my point of view, much more tastier than instant coffee, but I always get problems with my stomach after having had a cup of it.

I prefer a cup of Turkish Coffee when I sit for example in a bar or restaurant, preferably at the beautiful site of the old Kyrenia Harbour.

But what is coffee and where does it come from?

Wikipedia says:

Coffee is a brewed beverage prepared from the roasted seeds of several species of an evergreen shrub of the genus Coffea. The two most common sources of coffee beans are the highly regarded Coffea arabica, and the “robusta” form of the hardier Coffea canephora. The latter is resistant to the coffee leaf rust (Hemileia vastatrix), but has a more bitter taste. Coffee plants are cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia, Maldives, and Africa. Once ripe, coffee “berries” are picked, processed, and dried to yield the seeds inside. The seeds are then roasted to varying degrees, depending on the desired flavor, before being ground and brewed to create coffee.

Wow!  You would like more information about coffee?

Please click here – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee

But now from theory to practice:

Turkish coffee is famed for the way it is made. It is prepared in an ibrik, a small coffee pot that is heated. Sugar is added during the brewing process, not after, so the need for a serving spoon is eliminated. Cream or milk is never added to Turkish coffee, and sugar is optional. It is always served in demitasse cups.

In some regions, your fortune is told by the placement of the coffee grounds left in the cup!

Ingredients:

1 cup water

1 tablespoon of extra finely ground coffee (powder consistency)

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom, or 1 cardamom pod

sugar (optional)

Preparation:

Bring water and sugar to the boil in the ibrik. If you do not have an ibrik, a small saucepan will work.

Remove from heat and add coffee and cardamom.

Return the saucepan to the heat and allow to come to the boil. Remove from heat when coffee foams.

Again, return to heat, allowing to foam and remove from heat.

Pour into a cup, and allow to sit for a few minutes for the grounds to settle to the bottom of the cup. Cardamom pod may be served in the cup for added flavor.

Turkish Coffee Tips:

Turkish coffee must always be served with foam on top.

If you can’t find finely ground Arabic coffee, you can purchase a bag of coffee at any coffeehouse and ask them to grind it for Turkish coffee. You need to have a powder-like consistency.

Do not stir after pouring into cups; the foam will collapse.

Always use cold water.

Afiyet olsun!