Turkish coffee doesn’t get discussed enough on CoffeeGeek, and that is a shame. It’s an intriguing and special method of making coffee that goes back to the 16th century, predating almost every other currently-used method of brewing a cup of java.

It’s also surprisingly easy to do. Your biggest expense is a good grinder, and guess what: hand mills like the Timemore C3 series actually do a pretty great job at grinding fine enough. Just be prepared to grind for a long, long time. Sadly, most electric grinders in the budget range (Breville Smart Grinder Pro, Fellow Opus, Baratza Encore ESP) cannot grind fine enough for Turkish coffee. But the Timemores can. So can the Knock Aergrind and the Etzinger ETZ-1.

Besides the grinder, you need good quality water, good quality, fresh roasted coffee, a stirring spoon made of metal, and a device called an ibrik also called a cezve. This is the brewer. It is usually made of copper, with a long wooden handle, though sometimes it is made out of steel or other metals. The pot has a wide base and a narrow top, with a spout on one or two sides for pouring. Ibriks can be found in a variety of sizes from 2 cup on up to 6 or 8 cups. Note, a “cup” is the size of a large espresso cup – about 3ounces, or 90mls per serving, or less.

And it’s important to note the “cup size” of the pot is not matched to how much is brewed if full – in fact, there needs to be a good amount of airspace in the pot while brewing. The process involves foaming up the liquid in stages, and if you use a pot that’s too big, too much of the foam sticks to the sides and can contribute to many bitters in the cup.

Oh, and you need a heat source. For our visuals, we’re using a butane powered heating element – very suited for brewing an ibrik, though an electric or gas stove will do fine as well.

When done right, (and it’s not hard to do right), the coffee is very intense, but very pleasing to the tongue. It also breaks one of the cardinal rules we usually have for coffee – don’t boil (and reboil) the brew. But as you’ll see, it’s all good!

This is extremely important advice: never take your eye off the process when brewing Turkish coffee. Things can happen in a blink of the eye – and you’ll create a big mess on your stove if you lose attention. But it is very easy to do.

If you really want to go authentic, or want to tone down the strength and intensity of the brew, adding spices such as cardamom, anise, or a sweetener such as an easily dissolvable sugar can be added. In fact, sugar is almost considered part of the process. The famous old proverb, “Coffee should be as black as hell, as strong as death, and as sweet as love” refers to Turkish coffee, and you’ll note the sweet part.

So, how’s it done? Have a look see!