The Turkish Coffee Maker, called 'cezve,' 'jezve,' 'briki,' 'mbiki,' 'toorka' or 'ibrik,' has a wide bottom, a narrow neck, and a long handle. The traditional copper or brass design is preferred, however stainless steel is fast becoming popular. It works best to use a pot to its full capacity, so you may want to own several sizes.
The Turkish Coffee Cup, called 'fincan,' is very small, similar to espresso cups, with a serving size of about 2 liquid ounces.
The Turkish Coffee Grinder, called 'kahve degirmeni,' has a long, tubular design, with burrs that grind the coffee to a powder. (This grinder was also adapted and popularized by Jeff Smith - The Frugal Gourmet - as a very effective high-output pepper mill.)
How to make Turkish Coffee
Coffee: Start with a coffee of good quality, medium roast. Our customers prefer our Private Estate Blend and French Mara Roast.
Coffee Grind: Grind to a powder. Some burr-type coffee grinders will grind coffee this fine, or use a traditional Turkish Coffee Grinder. Otherwise, ask your coffee purveyor for 'Turkish Grind.'
Ingredients: Start by adding to the ibrik 1 tsp of powder-grind coffee and 1 tsp of sugar (traditional but optional) to every 2 oz of water (assuming you will be using 2 oz servings). Add an extra oz of water to the mixture. The combined ingredients should fit just below the neck of the pot.
Brewing: Traditionally, and for the best taste, expect the brewing process to take 15-20 minutes. Slowly bring the mixture to a frothing boil on the stovetop. As the froth gets close to the top, just before it boils over, remove the ibrik from the heat, allow the froth to go down (you can do this by stirring), then replace it on the heat. After the third frothing boil, serve the froth in equal portions into each cup, replace it on the heat for a fourth frothing boil, then serve. (Although it has become commonplace to make Turkish coffee with only 3, 2 or just a single frothing boil, it generally tastes best with the traditional 4.)
Serving: Fill each cup a bit at a time repeatedly, so that all cups have an even amount. Advise your guests to allow about a minute for the coffee grounds to settle to the bottom of the cup before gently sipping. Avoid bitterness by not stirring up or drinking the grounds. The result can be a magnificent beverage.
