Turkish Coffee is a strong, rich and flavourful waker-upper when made properly. You can put cinnamon and cardamom in the recipe to make it extra-Turkish and even more alluring!
Start with a clean moka-pot. You can find these at T.J. Maxx, or your favouret gourmet coffee house.
Grind 2 to 3 TBSP fresh coffee beans as finely as possible until it is a fine powder.
Around three tbsp blue mtn coffee beans.
fine powder grind
Add sugar to the pot first. My snobbery permits me only to use cane sugar, but you can use plain (although I can almost taste the bleach in plain sugar and I think it takes away from the flavour of my coffee & tea) .. if you like, honey is perfect for this too. A couple of tea-spoons of either cane sugar or honey will do, but modify to your taste.
about 3 tsp Damara cane sugar
Pour in some cool, decent-tasting filtered water, bottled or spring will do just fine. My moka-pot holds around 10 oz. So thats what I put in.
Spoon the ground coffee on top - Do Not Stir- stirring will come later!
Heat on medium-low, so the flame is just under the pot. This way the heat does not flow up and around the pot, but is directed where it is needed.
Watch carefully as little bubbles form on top. The coffee sits on top and seals in oxygen in the water, but as it heats, tiny air-bubbles will appear.
You are watching because all of a sudden they will multiply, get excited, and the brew will overflow everywhere. Then you will have to pour it out and start again, after cleaning the stove top!
After the bubbles have become foam, quickly take the pot off the heat and stir it down. You don't want it to boil or overflow, that will ruin it!
Move off the heat!
Stir!
After stirring, put it back on the flame and watch again. You may add spices at this point if you like.
I add cinnamon to mine... just a tsp or so.
Take it off the flame and stir when it starts to froth again, you can repeat this a couple times, but don't push it. Four times is plenty enough.
It looks more orange after the cinnamon.
At this point I know you're probably desperately hot and tired and I sympathise! This is a grueling recipe for a cup of coffee- but so worth it!!
Turn off the heat- finally! Let it sit for 30 seconds so that the grounds settle at the bottom, and to cool a bit, so you don't burn yourself on the pot.
Carefully pour it into your mug or thermose of choice. It will be extremely hot.
Carefully!
There will be a sludge of grounds at the bottom so don't pour too quickly, this way you can keep most of the sludge in the pot.
There will also be a little crema on top if you didn't boil it away or pour it into the cup sloppily. That is the coffee's flavour oils, etc. The fragrance of whatever spices you added will come wafting up as the steam dances on top of the crema.
Crema and steam
If you like, you may add anything from milk to heavy whipping cream and slowly stir, let it rest before sipping though, so the grounds are at the bottom of the mug.
Because this makes very thick, fragrant coffee I like to keep out the milk and enjoy it like it is. It stays hotter for longer, so it will take a while to cool down enough to drink without milk added of course. When you pour in the milk it will take on a grayish colour because of how thick and dark the brew will be.
Enjoy your cup of Turkish! It will send you flying!
Turkish Coffee is a strong, rich and flavourful waker-upper when made properly. You can put cinnamon and cardamom in the recipe to make it extra-Turkish and even more alluring!
Start with a clean moka-pot. You can find these at T.J. Maxx, or your favouret gourmet coffee house.
Grind 2 to 3 TBSP fresh coffee beans as finely as possible until it is a fine powder.
Around three tbsp blue mtn coffee beans.
fine powder grind
Add sugar to the pot first. My snobbery permits me only to use cane sugar, but you can use plain (although I can almost taste the bleach in plain sugar and I think it takes away from the flavour of my coffee & tea) .. if you like, honey is perfect for this too. A couple of tea-spoons of either cane sugar or honey will do, but modify to your taste.
about 3 tsp Damara cane sugar
Pour in some cool, decent-tasting filtered water, bottled or spring will do just fine. My moka-pot holds around 10 oz. So thats what I put in.
Spoon the ground coffee on top - Do Not Stir- stirring will come later!
Heat on medium-low, so the flame is just under the pot. This way the heat does not flow up and around the pot, but is directed where it is needed.
Watch carefully as little bubbles form on top. The coffee sits on top and seals in oxygen in the water, but as it heats, tiny air-bubbles will appear.
You are watching because all of a sudden they will multiply, get excited, and the brew will overflow everywhere. Then you will have to pour it out and start again, after cleaning the stove top!
After the bubbles have become foam, quickly take the pot off the heat and stir it down. You don't want it to boil or overflow, that will ruin it!
Move off the heat!
Stir!
After stirring, put it back on the flame and watch again. You may add spices at this point if you like.
I add cinnamon to mine... just a tsp or so.
Take it off the flame and stir when it starts to froth again, you can repeat this a couple times, but don't push it. Four times is plenty enough.
It looks more orange after the cinnamon.
At this point I know you're probably desperately hot and tired and I sympathise! This is a grueling recipe for a cup of coffee- but so worth it!!
Turn off the heat- finally! Let it sit for 30 seconds so that the grounds settle at the bottom, and to cool a bit, so you don't burn yourself on the pot.
Carefully pour it into your mug or thermose of choice. It will be extremely hot.
Carefully!
There will be a sludge of grounds at the bottom so don't pour too quickly, this way you can keep most of the sludge in the pot.
There will also be a little crema on top if you didn't boil it away or pour it into the cup sloppily. That is the coffee's flavour oils, etc. The fragrance of whatever spices you added will come wafting up as the steam dances on top of the crema.
Crema and steam
If you like, you may add anything from milk to heavy whipping cream and slowly stir, let it rest before sipping though, so the grounds are at the bottom of the mug.
Because this makes very thick, fragrant coffee I like to keep out the milk and enjoy it like it is. It stays hotter for longer, so it will take a while to cool down enough to drink without milk added of course. When you pour in the milk it will take on a grayish colour because of how thick and dark the brew will be.
Enjoy your cup of Turkish! It will send you flying!
