Training: Turkish Coffee

Turkish coffee is a very flavourful, strong coffee that is prepared using a traditional Ibrik coffeepot. It is the most traditional process of making coffee, dating back hundreds of years; traditionally the Ibrik was placed in the hot sands of the Mediterranean to provide heat, but a stove has the same effect! In Western countries this method has been superseded by more advanced methods of coffee preparation which remove the grounds from the beverage; however this method produces a very distinctive cup and is well worth  trying.

The coffee blend can be of any roast, but it is traditional to use a dark, full-flavoured roast, such as the Coffex Turkish blend. The grind must be as fine as possible, almost a powder.

  1. To prepare the coffee, first place the sugar in the Ibrik; the amount of sugar is dependent on personal preference, but as a rough guide, 2 teaspoons for an 8oz Ibrik is sufficient. At this point you can add a few crushed cardamom seeds in with the sugar; this produces a lively and invigorating flavour in the brew.
  2. Next fill your Ibrik with water up to the level where the Ibrik's neck begins; the water should not come into the neck.
  3. Next add the finely ground coffee to the Ibrick, allowing it to float on the surface so that it forms a seal between the water and the air; for an 8oz Ibrik use approximately 2 heaped teaspoons of coffee.
  4. Now place the Ibrik on a medium heat source and stay close by! After a few minutes, the coffee should start to foam, growing from around the water level and rising up the neck; just before the foam reaches the top of the Ibrik, remove it form the heat.
  5. Now, carefully stir the foam until it subsides and place back on the heat source. Opinion varies on how many times this process of boiling and settling should be repeated, but 3-4 times is probably sufficient. On the last cycle do not stir the foam back into the coffee; some people profess to love the foam and at this point they would scoop it out into a cup, others detest it and throw it away.
  6. Now let the Ibrik settle for about 30 seconds and then pour the liquid into the cups; be careful not too pour out the sludge at the bottom. Now you can sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labour, which goes particularly well with Baklava; but be careful not to drink the grounds which settle at the bottom of the cup.