What Is Turkish Coffee

Turkish coffee is among the oldest continuously practiced brewing methods on earth. It predates the filter, the percolator, the espresso machine, and every other piece of coffee technology by centuries. It is coffee reduced to its most elemental: ground to powder, simmered in water, poured into a cup, grounds and all.

The method emerged in the Ottoman Empire in the 15th century and spread across the Middle East, North Africa, the Balkans, and the Caucasus. UNESCO recognized Turkish coffee culture as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013. Not the drink. The culture. The ritual of preparation, the hospitality of serving, the conversation that surrounds the cup.

How It Is Made

The coffee is ground to an almost talcum-fine powder, far finer than espresso. It is combined with cold water and sugar (if desired) in a cezve, a small long-handled pot usually made of copper or brass. The mixture is heated slowly over low flame. As it approaches a boil, a thick foam rises to the surface. The cezve is removed from heat just before the foam breaks. The coffee is then poured directly into small cups, foam first. The grounds settle to the bottom. You drink the liquid above and leave the sludge.

How It Tastes

Turkish coffee is thick, intense, and full bodied. The unfiltered preparation means oils and fine particles remain in the cup. The flavor is deep, earthy, and bittersweet. Sugar is added during brewing, not after. You specify your sweetness when you order: sade (no sugar), az şekerli (a little), orta (medium), or çok şekerli (very sweet). Once brewed, the sugar is integrated. You cannot adjust it at the table.

In specialty coffee circles, Turkish coffee has earned renewed respect. It produces flavors that pressure-based and gravity-based methods cannot access. A copper pot from the 15th century can still produce something extraordinary. Explore coffee culture around the world and you find the same truth everywhere: the oldest methods often know something the new ones do not.

Keep reading: How the World Drinks Coffee, What Is Vietnamese Coffee, What Is Espresso.