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Turkish Coffee (Cezve / Ibrik)
Turkish coffee is brewed by heating powder-fine coffee and water together in a small pot called a cezve or ibrik, then pouring it unfiltered into a small cup. The grounds settle to the bottom and you drink the coffee above them. It's thick, strong and topped with a foam called köpük. The method is centuries old and is used across Turkey, the Middle East, the Balkans and North Africa, often with sugar or cardamom.
9 gCoffee
70 gWater
1:8Ratio
room temp (heated slowly, never boiled)Temp
2:00-2:30Time
extra-fine powder, like flour or icing sugarGrind
Steps
- PrepWeigh 70 g of cold, filtered water into the cezve
- PrepAdd 9 g of powder-fine coffee, plus sugar now if you want itSugar has to go in before heating. You can't stir it in later without ruining the foam
- PrepStir until there are no dry clumps
- 0:00Put the cezve on medium heat and stop stirring
- 1:30Watch closely as a foam ring forms and starts to rise
- 2:15Pull it off the heat as the foam climbs toward the rim, before it boilsOnce it boils the foam collapses and the coffee turns bitter
- 2:20Pour slowly into the cup, tilting it to keep the foam
- 3:30Let it sit 1-2 minutes so the grounds settle, then sip and leave the sludge
Variations
Specialty Turkish CoffeeTurgay Yildizli (2013 World Cezve/Ibrik Champion), via European Coffee Trip
A specialty-coffee take: light to medium roast, a 1:10 ratio, warm 60 °C water, one good stir up front, then no agitation while it heats.
7 g · 70 g water · 60 °C · very fine, between Turkish powder and espresso
- PrepWeigh 7 g of light to medium roast and grind very fine
- PrepPut the grounds in the cezve and slowly pour in 70 g of water at 60 °C
- PrepStir well with a wooden paddle to remove clumps
- 0:00Place on the heat and don't stir againAdjust the heat so the whole brew takes 2:00-2:30
- 2:15As the foam rises toward the rim, and before it boils, take it off the heat
- 2:20Tilt the cup and pour slowly to keep the foam
- 3:30Let it settle 1-2 minutes before drinking
Sweet & Spiced (3 servings)Peace Coffee
A larger, sweetened batch for a 16 oz cezve. 1:12 ratio, cane sugar and a pinch of spice per serving (cardamom, cinnamon or allspice), and a short rest before the final heat.
30 g · 350 g water · heated, then brought up to a boil on medium-low · very fine, like powdered sugar
- PrepHeat 350 ml of filtered water in the cezve
- PrepAdd 30 g of very fine coffee and stir the surface gently until there are no clumps
- PrepStir in 3 tsp cane sugar (about 1 tsp per serving)
- PrepAdd spices, about 1/4 tsp per serving, and stir the whole mix, scraping the sides
- 0:00Rest for 3 minutes
- 3:00Back on medium-low heat until it comes up to temperature
- 5:00As the edges simmer, gently stir the surface to stop a crust formingApproximate time. Watch it, boil-overs happen fast
- 6:00When the whole surface boils and is clear of sediment, take it off the heatApproximate time
- 7:00Let the grounds settle, then pour slowly holding the cezve at a 45° angle
Fix your cup
| Taste | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Bitter, burnt | Coffee boiled, or heat too high | Pull it off as the foam rises, before the boil; lower the heat |
| No foam | Grind too coarse, stirred during heating, or boiled | Grind finer, stir only at the start, watch for the rise |
| Thin, weak | Too little coffee or grind too coarse | Use about 1:8 to 1:10 and a true powder grind |
| Gritty mouthful | Drank too soon or poured too fast | Let it settle 1-2 minutes, pour slowly, leave the last sip |
| Flat, stale flavour | Old pre-ground coffee | Grind fresh, use beans roasted in the last few weeks |
| Boiled over | Heat too high or cezve too full | Lower heat, use a bigger cezve, stay at the stove |
Tips
- The grind has to be powder, finer than espresso. Most home burr grinders can't get there, so a Turkish hand mill or a shop that grinds for cezve is often the answer.
- Use a cezve that's about the right size for your batch. If the water fills only a small part of it, you won't get a good foam.
- Decide on sugar before you start. Traditional orders are sade (none), az şekerli (a little), orta (medium) and şekerli (sweet).
- Low, gentle heat gives more time for foam to build. Rushing it on high heat makes a thin cup.
- Stir once at the start, then leave it alone. Stirring while heating breaks up the foam.
- Serve with a glass of water on the side, which is the custom.
- Lighter roasts work well if you follow the specialty approach. Very dark, stale pre-ground coffee is where the "bitter Turkish coffee" reputation comes from.
Common mistakes
- Letting it boil. Boiling kills the foam and pulls out harsh flavours.
- Walking away from the stove. The foam rises and spills in seconds.
- Adding sugar after brewing. It has to dissolve during heating.
- Using an espresso grind. It's too coarse for this method and the cup turns out thin and muddy.
- Stirring the cup once it's poured. That brings the grounds back up.
- Drinking the last mouthful. That's the sludge.
What you need
- Cezve / ibrik (small long-handled pot, copper or steel)
- Turkish coffee grinder or a burr grinder that goes finer than espresso
- Scale
- Small spoon or wooden stirrer
- Low, adjustable heat source
- Demitasse or Turkish coffee cup