The Turkish coffee maker, the traditional coffee pot

The turka and Turkish coffee: how to prepare traditional Turkish coffee?

It is difficult to find a country where people enjoy coffee as much as in Turkey, or perhaps even more than in Italy. Turks drink extremely strong coffee – and perhaps this is where the expression “strong as a Turk” comes from… Even the etymology of the Turkish word “Kahvaltı”, which means “breakfast”, is originally linked to coffee, as it means “before coffee”. You may also have recognized the origin of the word “kawa”, which we use informally in French to refer to coffee, in this Turkish word?

A coffee presentation, served with a glass of water to enhance the flavor

Turkish coffee is prepared in a specific container called a turka. Turkas are generally made of copper or terracotta. This method of preparing coffee has spread widely, from Greece to Uzbekistan, via the Caucasus, Russia, and Ukraine. The turkas we offer on our website come from these last two countries, where they are found in almost every household.

To achieve the full aroma of the coffee, the turka must be filled with water up to the neck. Purists use freshly roasted coffee ground just before preparation. The grind for Turkish coffee must be as fine as possible, equivalent to bread flour.

The ideal proportion for making perfect Turkish coffee is one teaspoon of fine grind per person. The water should be cold and drawn just before use, and if possible, have a low calcium content. The coffee should be added to the water, then the turka is placed over low heat. For an absolutely perfect coffee, it is recommended to stir the water and coffee during brewing, always over low heat. In the past, to ensure even cooking, the turka was buried in fine sand, which was itself heated over the fire. Nowadays, only a few enthusiasts still use this traditional method.

Traditional method for preparing coffee in the sand

(photo credit: www.pixabay.com)

When the foam begins to rise, the turka must be removed from the heat to allow the foam to settle. Then, it is placed back on the heat until the water simmers again. The larger the turka, the more often this operation must be repeated. The golden rule: never let the coffee boil, to preserve its aroma and flavor. Boiled coffee becomes bitter and insipid.

The sign of a good coffee? Its foam, which should remain firm and not spread on a spoon dipped into the turka.

 The foam should be firm and thick, a sign of a successful coffee

Naturally, there are a considerable number of variations for preparing your Turkish coffee, whatever your taste. The best-known consists of adding sugar (before heating the coffee, never when it is ready !), but you can also add cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, or any other spice.

So, enjoy the Turkish coffee experience ! And don't hesitate to share your recipes with us!

Discover our selection of turkas here