Turkish Coffee

Turkish Coffee

The best Turkish coffee is brewed at low temperatures, under 160 degrees Fahrenheit, (70 degrees Celsius). The objective is to maintain the froth that forms at around 150 degrees Fahrenheit. The froth is delicious, and it imparts your coffee a special taste and texture. But make sure you don’t destroy the froth also helps you brew at a low temperature, which prevents aromatic oils to evaporate at higher temperatures. So here my 8 steps brewing guide for Turkish coffee.

• Measure the water for the number of servings you need, and pour it into the brewing pot. I brew an 8 oz mug for myself, and I use an ibrik.
• Place the brewing pot on the stove and turn the knob up to maximum, until the water heats up.
• Add sugar to the hot or cold water.
  I use about one and a half teaspoons for my 8 oz mug, but I have seen people who like it sweeter than that. Do not stir the sugar yet, just let the water warm up.
• When the water starts to warm up, add 2 tablespoons of finely ground coffee to each 8 oz of water.
• Stir in to make all the ground coffee saturate with water.
  This ensures a uniform and complete brew. Also, make sure there are no clumps after you stir.
• When the ground coffee starts to sink turn down the heat to low.
  This means the water is hot enough to dissolve soluble solids in your coffee, and you need to avoid overheating your coffee. If you overheat it, you will over extract. With the heat turned down, stir the grounds a few times, until the brew starts to make the foam.
• When the coffee just starts to rise and forms a dark ring, it means it is mixed with coffee grounds. The brewing temperature should not raise at all at this point. Stir continuously at this point to make all the fine coffee particles sink, and to encourage the foam to form.
  If you use an electric stove, the temperature will still raise, even with the heat turned down. To avoid this, lift the coffee pot just a millimeter off the heating element.
• The foam should be very fine, the aspect is similar to the espresso crema, however, the chemical composition is different. It is very important to keep the heat low and not to allow the coffee to raise too much. A high brewing temperature will destroy the foam, and all the volatile compounds that make coffee delicious will vanish.
• When the foam is thick enough take it off the stove.
• Never boil Turkish coffee, as you will get a bland coffee, very strong, similar to a strong drip. If the foam disappears, your Turkish coffee is not that tasty anymore.