If you like bold, strong coffee and haven’t tried Turkish coffee, you are missing out. Turkish coffee has a unique brewing style that gives it a rich texture and deep flavor impossible to achieve with any other method. Unfortunately, traditional Turkish coffee is made with a copper pot called an ibrik which most people don’t have in their kitchen.
In this article, we’ll teach you how to make delicious, authentic Turkish coffee without an ibrik. All you need to make Turkish coffee at home is a grinder, a small pot, and a craving for strong coffee. Let’s get started.
Preliminaries
Before you can start brewing, you need to grind your coffee. You can use any origin and roast you like, but the grind size for Turkish coffee must be extremely fine. Turkish coffee is actually ground finer than espresso, and most home grinders will struggle to reach the necessary fineness.
We strongly recommend using a commercial-grade grinder if you have access to one in a nearby grocery store or coffee shop. Otherwise, set your grinder as fine as it can go. Your results will still be good, even if they won’t technically be 100% genuine Turkish coffee.
How to Make Turkish Coffee With an Ibrik:
- Grind your coffee in the finest possible setting. Turkish coffee grounds have a flour-like consistency. We don’t think it’s possible to grind coffee too fine for Turkish coffee, so don’t hold back. Aim to use 2-3 tablespoons per cup of water.
- Add 16 ounces of water to a small saucepan or pot. This recipe makes enough coffee for two cups.
- Add the coffee to the water and stir. We recommend starting with 2 tablespoons, but some people prefer 3. Turkish coffee is quite strong, so you might want to start on the lower end.
- Bring the coffee close to a boil over medium heat. As the coffee nears boiling, it will start to foam. Remove the coffee from heat as soon as you see foam forming and wait for the foam to recede. You want to remove the coffee from the heat before it boils.
- Once the foam has settled, repeat the process, heating over medium heat until you see foam starting to form. If you’re concerned about making the coffee bitter, you can skip this step and only perform one heating step.
- Serve the coffee. Traditionally, Turkish coffee is served in small espresso-style mugs, but you can use a full-sized cup instead. Wait a few minutes for the coffee grounds to settle in the cup before taking your first sip, unless you want to chew your coffee.
Recipe Variations
The recipe we presented here is rather barebones and can be spruced up and changed in several ways. We recommend starting with the basic recipe before exploring these options, so you get the chance to experience plain, simple Turkish coffee.
Number of Boils
We mentioned that you could boil the coffee a second time in the recipe, but it’s not required. In general, the more boils you do, the stronger your coffee will be. The drawback to successive boilings is that the coffee can quickly become harsh and bitter. Most Turkish coffee recipes stick to between one and three boils.
Sugar and Milk
Many people add milk and sugar to their coffee, and there’s no rule against adding milk or sugar to Turkish coffee. Authentic Turkish coffee typically is served without either, but feel free to add some if you find the taste too strong. We recommend trying your coffee first without milk or sugar and only adding some if you need to.
Spice it Up
Many Turkish coffee recipes include cardamom seeds or ground cardamom to add an extra kick. Cardamom adds a new dimension to Turkish coffee and makes it even more unique and flavorful. If you want to try it, add one cardamom pod to your coffee before you boil it. If you only have ground cardamom, use ⅛ teaspoon.
How to Make Turkish Coffee Without an Ibrik
Equipment
- Small saucepan or pot
- Wooden spoon
- 2 espresso cups (or coffee mugs)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons coffee beans
- 16 ounces water
Instructions
- Grind your coffee on the finest possible setting. Turkish coffee grounds have a flour-like consistency. We don't think it's possible to grind coffee too fine for Turkish coffee, so don't hold back. Aim to use 2-3 tablespoons per cup of water.
- Add 16 ounces of water to a small saucepan or pot. This recipe makes enough coffee for two cups.
- Add the coffee to the water and stir. We recommend starting with 2 tablespoons, but some people prefer 3. Turkish coffee is quite strong, so you might want to start on the lower end.
- Bring the coffee close to a boil over medium heat. As the coffee nears boiling, it will start to foam. Remove the coffee from heat as soon as you see foam forming and wait for the foam to recede. You want to remove the coffee from heat before it boils.
- Once the foam has settled, repeat the process, heating over medium heat until you see foam starting to form. If you're concerned about making the coffee bitter, you can skip this step and only perform one heating step.
- Serve the coffee. Traditionally, Turkish coffee is served in small espresso-style mugs, but you can use a full-sized cup instead. Wait a few minutes for the coffee grounds to settle in the cup before taking your first sip, unless you want to chew your coffee.
Nutrition
Conclusion
Turkish coffee is a unique way to make coffee that produces a powerful, delicious brew. Traditionally, Turkish coffee is made in an ibrik, but you can make yourself a Turkish coffee without an ibrik if you don’t have one at home. All you need is a small saucepan, some coffee, and a watchful eye – to prevent coffee from boiling over and making a tremendous mess in your kitchen.
We hope you enjoyed this recipe and that you’ll give it a shot! It’s not hard to make and has several tweaking and tuning options that will help you get your coffee tasting just the way you like it.
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- How To Make Vietnamese Coffee at Home
Featured Image Credit By: YUCAR FotoGrafik, Unsplash
