How to Make Authentic Turkish Coffee in a Cezve: Step-by-Step Recipe

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I’ll designate right away, this recipe is for at home. Turka is heated on an ordinary electric or gas stove, without any quartz sand. Nevertheless, even at home we will try to correctly repeat all the key principles of cooking. And at the same time we will compare the recipe of our grandmothers and the way coffee is brewed in Turkey.

Step 0. What you’ll need: water + ground coffee + sugar to taste

First of all, we need water. It needs 10-20% more than the volume of coffee, this difference will go into the grounds. That is, for each small coffee cup of 80 ml (standard Turkish portion) take 100 ml of water, if you need more – multiply. It is better to use water at room temperature.

Why not cold? Because cold water will take longer to bring to a boil and the total cooking time will increase. Because of this, coffee and water will stay in contact longer → overextraction → coffee is more bitter.

Moreover, modern baristas in Turkey (see STC association recommendations) use 60°C water for sand coffee. But this is relevant for freshly roasted and freshly ground coffee beans. In home conditions, it is optimal to use room temperature water.

Secondly, we need ground coffee in a ratio of 1:10 to water. You need to know: for every 100 ml of water you need to take 10 grams of coffee (a tablespoon without a slide or three teaspoons without a slide). Coffee for the turbine should have the finest grind “in the dust”, which means:

If you’re buying already ground coffee, look at the label – the key words are “for turbo,” “extra fine” and “Turkish.” Proven brands: Jockey, Paulig, Mehmet Efendi (the best choice, the most delicious ground coffee for turbo from the store).
If you have a knife (rotary) coffee grinder, grind the coffee until victorious, to a uniform fine mass. It helps to shake the grinder a few times in between several grinds of the same batch to achieve uniformity faster.
If you have a burr grinder, it probably won’t work for a turbo grinder (see here).

If you plan to add sugar or spices (cinnamon and cardamom work well, for example), all ingredients should already be in ground form. That is, not lumpy refined sugar or cinnamon sticks, but granulated sugar and ground cinnamon, respectively.

Step 1: Pour, pour, stir.

Pour the ground coffee into the turba while it’s still on the fire. If you want to add sugar or spices, do it now. Thoroughly stir the coffee with all the dry additives to a homogeneous mass.

Important to know. Many recipes for Turkish coffee suggest heating or even slightly roasting the ground coffee at the bottom of the empty turba. You should not do this.

Then pour water, try to pour not in one place, and drive in a circle, evenly spilling all the coffee. Ideally, we should fill the turba by 3/4.

After that, we stir it well. In Turkish coffee houses claim that delicious coffee in the turba turns out only if you stir with a special spoon, better – wooden. But for a home recipe, of course, an ordinary one will do. Already at this point on the surface is formed some semblance of foam. This is the coffee – especially if it is freshly ground – releasing carbon dioxide.

Step 2: Put it on the stove: gas or electric

Yes, ideally, coffee in a turba should be prepared by immersing the vessel in red-hot sand. This is done, again, to heat up as evenly and quickly as possible. To shorten the extraction time.

At home, you can use quartz sand (hint – sold in pet stores) and a tall pan or sauté pan. But that’s for the fanatics.

In a normal household we use a gas, induction or glass-ceramic hob. There is no difference between electric and gas burners. In all cases, choose medium heat (again – do not overcook). On an electric stove, you can use a burner slightly larger than the diameter of the bottom of the turba – so that part of the heat gets on the walls of the turba. But more convenient, and a little tastier, on gas – more even heating, without on/off.

How long do we wait: a classic Turkish jug (or even more correctly – ibrik) for one serving is designed for a volume of 100 ml. It comes to the boil in 2-2.5 minutes. 300-ml Turks can be heated up to 5-6 minutes. Refer to these figures and increase the heat if it takes longer.

Do not stir the coffee during cooking and do not move away from the stove, carefully watch the foam. As soon as it starts to rise – remove from the heat. Do not be afraid to do this ahead of time, because at the moment when the coffee foam begins to grow, there is already boiling under it. It is the boiling coffee underneath the foam that raises it. If bubbles from this boiling break through to the surface, they will destroy that beautiful coffee “cap” in no time.

Step 3: Immediately pour or bring to a boil three times.

At this step of the recipe, the cardinal differences between the way of preparation, which is widespread in the CIS, and the way it is prepared in Turkey begin. Moreover, even in Turkey there are several variations of what to do next to get the most flavorful coffee possible.

1.In our “grandmother’s” recipe, it is customary to remove the turbine from the fire, wait for the foam to settle. And then put it back on and wait for the foam to rise again. And so 2-3 times. Neither Turks, nor Bosnians, nor representatives of other peoples of the former Ottoman Empire, I have never done this. Bringing it to a boil three times is again over-extracting the coffee, achieving a flat, ungenerous bitterness.

I tend to think that this method of brewing is forced. It’s only wise to use it if you’re using mediocre quality old ground coffee to extract at least some of the flavors and oils from it. Or if you’re crazy about coffee bitterness. “Hot, strong, sweet” is all it is.

2.The Turks themselves at home can afford to bring to the pre-boil point a maximum of one more time. But before that – importantly – they spoon the foam into a cup. And the second time they heat it without foam. Then they pour the finished drink into the cup where they put the foam. A variation of the same method: transfer the foam to another turba, and then add it on top.

3.But if you use a good grain and fresh grind, there is no need to boil the drink again. Pour immediately into cups and let infuse for a couple minutes. Firstly, the grounds will settle, and secondly, the still hot coffee will continue to brew delicately in the cup.

I do not take an ultimatum that any of these ways of brewing coffee in the turbo is the only true and correct. Apart from the coffee itself, it all depends on your personal tastes. Try different options and their variations to find the one that suits you and your family best.

The three main secrets of making coffee in a coffee pot

Summary – experiment!

But don’t forget the three main secrets of making coffee in the turbo:

Protecting the coffee from overcooking. If you want more bitterness, but with the disclosure of other flavors of the bean (which inevitably disappear when boiling), then try a dark roast or a blend with the addition of Robusta.
Keep the crema intact, don’t let the boiling water destroy it.
We add sugar and spices at the very beginning, and in the proportion of coffee and initial water we focus on the ratio of 1:10.

FAQ:

What is the perfect water to coffee ratio for Turkish coffee?

The ideal ratio is 1:10 – use 10 grams of coffee (one tablespoon without a slide or three teaspoons) for every 100 ml of water. For a standard Turkish portion of 80 ml, use 100 ml of water since about 20% will be absorbed by the grounds.

Should I use cold or room temperature water for brewing Turkish coffee?

Room temperature water is optimal for home brewing. While cold water can be used, it increases brewing time and leads to over-extraction, making coffee more bitter. Professional baristas in Turkey use 60°C water, but this is mainly for freshly roasted and ground beans.

Do I need to boil Turkish coffee three times as many traditional recipes suggest?

No, boiling three times is not necessary and can actually harm the coffee’s taste. This method leads to over-extraction and creates unnecessary bitterness. For the best flavor, especially with quality coffee, bring it to a near-boil only once and pour immediately. If desired, you can do a second boil after preserving the foam, but this is optional.

When should I add sugar and spices to Turkish coffee?

Add sugar and spices (like ground cinnamon or cardamom) at the very beginning, along with the coffee grounds, before adding water. Make sure all ingredients are in ground form – use granulated sugar rather than sugar cubes, and ground spices rather than whole ones.