Turkish Coffee - Legal Drama.

[Mister Moo]

Drama is now forbidden in some parts of the country, but no such rule in Turkish Coffee zones. The stuff is just to die for, easy to make and... jeepers, it's good.

If you do not have a killer grinder then you have to go to a coffeeshop and buy some freshroasted anything and ask them to grind it for turkish. It oughta have a fineness like talcum powder. If you're not already a turkish coffee lover then you soon will be but, be safe - just have 1/4 pound ground this way for a trial run. No point in having a sawbucks worth of coffee ground fine and discover turkish isn't for you or, worse, it sits around and goes stale between brews.

Ibrik (or cerve) is nice but not essential - any smallish pot will do.

Add a demitasse of water (3 ounces, maybe) and a teaspoon of sugar to the pot for each cup you want to make. Boil the water and sugar.

Remove from heat and add one teaspoon of coffee for each cup. Some cardamon, 1/8t per cup (a pinch) of the ground stuff from the spice cabinet is, is an option. To my taste cardamon makes the coffee "turkish" and I prefer "with". Stir it all up.

Reboil slowly - allow at least five minutes but don't be scared to slow-heat for 10-15 minutes. As the mess boils it will foam up (quickly!) so watch it to prevent a fullish pot from bubbling over. Remove from heat as it foams and let the mess settle down; some reboil quickly to make foam again and some don't. Whatever. Either way, add some foam to each cup with a spoon (the foam is the reason for making turkish coffee according to the passionate) and then top up with the brew. Grounds will settle in the cups after a few minutes. Sip to almost the bottom. The sludge will warn you when it's time to quit but it isn't hardly yuckkie if you get a mouthful (which is hard to do with a demitasse).

Flavor is really spectacular - the stuff is a treat but it's easy - no trick - to brew. Order it after shish-kebob along with your baklava at any middle-eastern restaurant or brew your own. Prepackaged turkish grind from specialty stores is good to use; some of it comes pre-cardomon'ed, too.

[muziq]

Sounds real nice, Dan, and the times I've had coffee prepared this way in Mediterranean joints it's always been a treat. Got any good sources for nice pots?

[ghostrider]

I too enjoy this on occassion. I'm not a big fan of the cardamom, but that may be due to using a BIG pinch. I purchased my ibrik from Sweet Marias. Here's the link.

[gvarsity]

Love the Turkish coffee as an occasional treat. One of my old neighbors was from Turkey and used to make it for me on a regular basis. Need to make some up again soon.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by gvarsity

Love the Turkish coffee as an occasional treat. One of my old neighbors was from Turkey and used to make it for me on a regular basis. Need to make some up again soon.

It would be nice to have a Turk next door.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by muziq

Sounds real nice, Dan, and the times I've had coffee prepared this way in Mediterranean joints it's always been a treat. Got any good sources for nice pots?

I can't say this is the deal of deals but, if you want the heavier brass (instead of tinned copper), see http://www.natashascafe.com/html/turkish.html. Copper heats up faster - brass is more durable. There are some vague claims here and there about brass being safer to use than copper.

Natasha offers reasonably priced gift sets (coffee, ibrik and demitasse cups), brass ibriks in all sizes and, at a discount, scratched or dented ibriks not suitable for gift sets. I have a couple on the way; I let you know if they are the real deal or not.

[muziq]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

I can't say this is the deal of deals but, if you want the heavier brass (instead of tinned copper), see http://www.natashascafe.com/html/turkish.html. Copper heats up faster - brass is more durable. There are some vague claims here and there about brass being safer to use than copper.

Natasha offers reasonably priced gift sets (coffee, ibrik and demitasse cups), brass ibriks in all sizes and, at a discount, scratched or dented ibriks not suitable for gift sets. I have a couple on the way; I let you know if they are the real deal or not.

Sounds good; I'm going to go with the nice copper ones at Sweet Maria: http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.brewers.ibrik.shtml Something about copper appeals to me. We'll have to do a threat-down on copper vs. brass

So, in looking at the Zass turkish mills, I'm thinking having one of those around might be a nice way to get the fresh cardamon into the mix without fouling my Rocky. The turkish Zass mills at both SM and Natashas are *not* cheap...I may have a go around here for something less expensive.

Pretty soon, I may have more coffee gadgetry than cigar gadgetry

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by muziq

So, in looking at the Zass turkish mills, I'm thinking having one of those around might be a nice way to get the fresh cardamon into the mix without fouling my Rocky.

A mortar and pestle is a lot cheaper to grind cardamon...

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

A mortar and pestle is a lot cheaper to grind cardamon...

Got that right - unless the boy just wants a Zass (which is not a bad thing). Zass. Mortar/pestle. Or ground spice from a McCormick jar.

[muziq]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

A mortar and pestle is a lot cheaper to grind cardamon...

Good suggestion! A Zass would be fun, but cheap is what I'm aiming for here until I know this is something I want to prepare at regular intervals at home. Some of those Zass mills are triple the price of even nice copper ibriks

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by muziq

/prod.brewers.ibrik.shtml[/url] Something about copper appeals to me. We'll have to do a threat-down on copper vs. brass

If you're going all-in on turkish I feel an ibrik exchange (or maybe even an ibrik pass) coming on.

[muziq]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

If you're going all-in on turkish I feel an ibrik exchange (or maybe even an ibrik pass) coming on.

That is a distinct possibility, Moo

[replicant_argent]

I have never tried Turkish coffee. Which is remarkable for my caffeinated state of affairs.
I've heard about it, read about it a bit, but never pulled the trigger. We boiled coffee in a large enamelware "camp pot" as a kid, with coffee ground in the hand grinder, but the grind was nowhere near as fine as a real Turkish. My impression must have been until now that it would be "gritty."

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Abdul Hassan Moka ben-Moo

I never got around to posting details until today for reasons* which are, as yet, unrevealed.

For the moment I'll leave it at this - if you decide to buy an ibrik (or ibrik substitute) don't get one made from stainless steel. I suspect they may be problematic in the production of foam. Maybe. Maybe not. The jury is out for a while.

[replicant_argent]

you amuse me, Moo.
In a quirky, somewhat demented, caffeinated, hallucinogenic, twisted way.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by replicant_argent

... We boiled coffee in a large enamelware "camp pot" as a kid, with coffee ground in the hand grinder, but the grind was nowhere near as fine as a real Turkish. My impression must have been until now that it would be "gritty."

I think the powdered sludge concept always scared me away from turkish style coffee. A BOTL sent me an ibrik and some cardamon-seasoned beans last year, however, so I made the jump to try it out. Fact is, I never got around to posting details until today for reasons* which are, as yet, unrevealed.

Depending on your grinder the sludge in french press brew will likely be more bothersome than that in turkish coffee. The powdered turkish grind is so fine (and softened by the long boiling soak) that it is practically unnoticeable if/when you sip it. In fact, you'll need more visual cue than tongue/tactile cue to know when you've finally sipped some grounds. The effect of sipping some grounds is that the coffee gradually went from rich to syrupy - not gritty at all. Our arab and oriental brothers all but invented coffee so they had something to drink with their baklava. They wouldn't be drinking it this way for centuries if it was nasty. It is nectar not to be forgotten.

So, lets get busy and start working on your middle-east enculturation process, people. It's a big coffee world out there and we need to be visiting all the different coffee playgrounds. Heh heh. Get it? Play "grounds"? Heh heh heh.

* reason(s) two posts above. weird, isn't it?

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by replicant_argent

you amuse me, Moo.
In a quirky, somewhat demented, caffeinated, hallucinogenic, twisted way.

While your amusement remains paramount with me, I am rarely over-caffeinated. In spite of the crude, conventional veneer I am, in fact, quirky. I lack dementia except what I've caught from mom (96 years young and still laffing) since she moved in with us last December. I am neither twisted nor, in small doses, hallucinogenic. Mrs. Moo says I am twisted but she is wrong.

Besides - it's not about me. It's about the coffee. Have you ordered a traditional wooden handled non-stainless ibrik yet?

[replicant_argent]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

While your amusement remains paramount with me, I am rarely over-caffeinated. In spite of the crude, conventional veneer I am, in fact, quirky. I lack dementia. I am neither twisted nor, in small doses, hallucinogenic.

I was referring to my own state of mind.


My own amusement concerns me greatly. Now... off to roast a few pounds of intercontinental smoke producers. I promise to pull it before third crack.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by replicant_argent

I was referring to my own state of mind.

I KNEW that! I KNEW that!!

Go get you an ibrik.

[mosesbotbol]

Sorry if this has been mentioned, but most will put sugar in with the ground coffee before brewing. One green cardamon pod per person is good enough for novice drinkers. Lightly crush pod and take out seeds. Seeds should be nearly black with some sheen on the surface.

Most places that specialize in this coffee will grind in the cardamon along with the beans. I would shy off from doing this unless you go through a lot of coffee to absord the residual cardamon taste in the grinder.