How to Make Authentic Turkish Coffee: A Beginner’s Guide
The Coffee Collect is reader supported. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission—at no extra cost to you. Your support helps us continue sharing coffee inspiration, tips, and discoveries with this community. Thank you for being a part of our coffee journey!
We’ve made a beginners-friendly guide for making authentic Turkish coffee; one of the world’s oldest and most traditional coffee-brewing methods.
What is Turkish Coffee?
Turkish coffee originated in the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century. Since then, it has since become a cultural staple in many countries, including Turkey, Greece, and throughout the Middle East and Balkans.
Unlike other brewing methods, Turkish coffee uses ultra-finely ground coffee beans, resulting in a powder-like consistency. The coffee is brewed unfiltered in a special pot called a cezve or ibrik and served directly in small cups, allowing the grounds to settle at the bottom. This unfiltered preparation produces a bold, robust flavor that is meant to be intense and gritty. The coffee is often sweetened during brewing and served alongside a glass of water and a sweet treat like Turkish delight.
What You’ll Need
- Cezve / Ibrik: This is the small pot that is key to make authentic Turkish coffee. It has a long handle, wide bottom, and narrow neck, which allows for the coffee to heat up evenly and produce a rich and smooth flavor.
- Coffee Scale: A scale will enable you to get the perfect ratio every time.
- Finely Ground Turkish Coffee: The coffee grounds must have an extra-fine, powder-like consistency–it should be finer than espresso grounds! Freshly grinding your beans is always the best choice for the most flavorful outcome. Make sure your grinder is on the finest setting! However, if you do not have a grinder, there are options to buy pre-ground Turkish coffee.
- Cold Water: The water should be cold to start, and it should be water that actually tastes good on its own.
- Sugar or Spices (Optional): It is not uncommon for sugar to be added during the brewing process for Turkish coffee. Depending on your taste, you can add sugar or other spices, like cinnamon, during the brewing process to achieve a specific flavor. It is also important to note that milk or cream is never added to Turkish coffee.
- Heat Source: You will need a gas burner or stove for this process.
- Small Coffee Cups: This coffee is served in small cups, similar to espresso cups.
Click Here to Read: How to Make Affogato at Home: A Simple Dessert Coffee Recipe
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Pre-heat
- Turn your stove or gas burner on to a low heat.
2. Measure Your Ingredients
Turkish coffee uses a 1:9 ratio, but is usually not precisely measured. Here are some measuring guidelines:
- Use 1 heaping teaspoon of Turkish coffee per serving.
- Measure 60-90 ml of cold water per serving.
3. Add Sugar (Optional)
Turkish coffee is sweetened during brewing, not after. Because of the drink’s natural bitterness, sugar is commonly added, but it is not necessary.
- No sugar: Sade
- Low sugar: Az şekerli (½ teaspoon per cup)
- Medium sugar: Orta şekerli (1 teaspoon per cup)
- Sweet: Şekerli (1½ – 2 teaspoons per cup)
4. Mix the Ingredients
- Combine the cold water, coffee, and sugar (if using) in the cezve. Stir well before heating.
5. Heat Gently
- Place the cezve on low heat. Do not stir while brewing to allow the coffee grounds to settle.
- Watch closely as the coffee starts to foam but avoid letting it boil. Little bubbles are okay, but if it starts to boil, gently pull the cezve and hold it a few inches above the heat source.
6. Catch the Foam
- After a couple minutes, you want to see the foam rising to the top of the cezve. Once the foam reaches the very top, remove the cezve from the heat.
- Spoon the foam into each cup—this is a hallmark of Turkish coffee.
7. Repeat Heating
- Return the cezve to the heat to produce more foam. Remove it before boiling again. Repeat 2-3 times for richer foam.
8. Pour and Serve
- Serve without stirring and pair with a glass of water.
- Carefully pour the coffee into small Turkish coffee cups. Do not filter the grounds out. Let it rest for about two minutes to finish brewing and to allow the grounds to settle.
- Do not add any sweetener at this point; authentic Turkish coffee is sweetened during the brewing phase only.
9. Enjoy
- The small cup of water served with Turkish coffee is meant to be a palate cleanser and should be drank as you wait for the coffee to cool and the grounds to settle.
- As you sip on your coffee, the grounds should remain on the bottom, and you should not drink them.
- To balance its bold flavor, pair the coffee with traditional Turkish delight!
Tag us on Instagram @the.coffee.collect to share your Turkish coffee experience with the coffee community!
Remember, the best way to enjoy coffee is surrounded by friends 🙂
-the coffee collect.
