Have you ever had a cup of Turkish coffee? If not, you should definitely do something about it! This drink is in fact known for its pleasantly intense and spicy taste, characterised by aromatic shades that will make you experience an authentic nirvana. All this, of course, provided you know how to make Turkish coffee.
To prepare it properly, you should in fact equip yourself with a cezve: a special oriental coffee maker specifically designed for the preparation of this coffee. In case you don’t have one, however, don’t worry! Since we know about coffee, we can tell you how to make delicious Turkish coffee… with or without a cezve!
How Turkish coffee is made
The traditional preparation of Turkish coffee involves, as we have already explained, the use of the cezve. This beautiful coffee pot looks like a pyramid-shaped copper pot with an elegant long handle.
If you are lucky enough to own it, or intend to obtain it for personal pleasure, we can safely say that half is done and you will simply have to collect the remaining ingredients, namely:
- 1 teaspoon fine coffee powder;
- 50 ml water;
- sugar and flavourings to taste.
First, you have to pour the water into the cezve and put it to boil on the fire. Once the flame is off, add the sugar and flavourings, depending on how you prefer to taste the Turkish coffee. Once this is done, put the coffee back on the cooker and, after giving it a good stir, wait for it to increase in volume and foam.
For a truly optimal result, the coffee should be boiled twice consecutively, taking care to remove the cezve from the heat between boiling. At your choice, you can decide whether to keep the foam or remove it.
Finally, the last step is to add a tablespoon of cold water to accelerate the deposition of the powder on the bottom, and then pour it directly into the cup without filtering it.
As you can guess, therefore, it is not a matter of preparing a simple coffee, but rather of performing a kind of ritual, complete with a ‘holy grail’. Nevertheless, if you would prefer to enjoy your Turkish coffee without performing all these ceremonies and, above all, without having to use the cezve, know that there is a way.
How to make Turkish coffee without cezve
As an alternative to the cezve, it is possible to prepare Turkish coffee with the help of a simple cooking pot.
In principle, any model will do, as long as it does not have a rounded structure (which would prevent even heat distribution) and is equipped with a lid. The ideal would then be to use low-mineral or demineralised water instead of tap water which, containing chlorine, would risk altering the taste of your Turkish coffee.
Preparation with the saucepan is not particularly different from preparation with the cezve, as the basic rules are always the same. Here as well, you have to boil the water on the stove and then add the sugar and any spices. When the sugar has completely dissolved, add the coffee powder while keeping the heat low and wait until you see the usual foam appear.
Once you take the pot off the heat, cover it with the lid and leave the Turkish coffee to steep for about 1 minute, after which it will finally be ready to be served.
Turkish Coffee World Cultural Heritage
Even when prepared with a simple saucepan, Turkish coffee still retains an unaltered charm. After all, we are talking about the iconic drink of Turkey, where it is usually drunk inside a small cup without a handle: a tradition, the latter, that can also be found in Greece and much of the Arab world.
A particularly striking feature of this coffee is the belief that its grounds have divinatory powers, although it should be noted that these properties have also been recognised in our coffee. The real difference, rather, is the fact that Turkish coffee has been elected an intangible heritage of mankind by UNESCO, to the point of even boasting a museum in Istanbul entirely dedicated to this beverage.
If you are fascinated by Turkish coffee and its mysterious history, which has its roots in ancient Turkey, you absolutely must visit the museum! Here you will discover all the secrets involved in the preparation of this divine coffee, with the possibility of trying it yourself. Alternatively, if all this sounds uninteresting to you, don’t worry: no one is forcing you to betray the excellent Italian coffee, all the more so if it is also prepared properly.
Conclusion
If you are an incurable creature of habit, chances are that you have no desire to keep up with all the rules of making Turkish coffee, even if it is made with a simple cooking pot. And why should you, after all, when you can enjoy your classic espresso prepared with a machine?
It goes without saying, of course, that if you want to drink good coffee, you should do it with the right machine and certainly not settle for just any machine. Even if you tend to be lazy and want to get things done easily, you will agree that drinking coffee should be a moment of pure pleasure. The problem is that you will never reach this nirvana if you settle for mediocre coffee.
This is why we, who know about coffee, have decided to specialise in lever machines that, unlike traditional ones, retain all the nutrients of this beverage, bringing out its aroma to the fullest. So what are you waiting for? Browse through our catalogue and discover the right coffee machine for you but, above all, a coffee with a taste so intense that it rivals even Turkish coffee!