To make Turkish coffee, put one heaped teaspoon of extra-fine coffee (about 7 g), sugar to taste and one small cup of cold water (about 60 to 70 ml) in a kanaka, heat it slowly, and take it off as the foam rises, before it boils. Coffee & Cream stocks the extra-fine Turkish coffee and the pots this recipe uses, and the steps below are the Egyptian home method.
What you need
- Coffee: Extra-fine Turkish grind. A medium or dark roast gives a fuller body. Look through Turkish ground coffee for Mehmet Efendi, Al Ameed (Kuwaiti and Jordanian) and Segafredo Zanetti. Al Ameed and Segafredo Zanetti also come with cardamom.
- Water: Cold, about 60 to 70 ml per small cup (a standard Turkish finjan).
- Pot: A kanaka on the stove, such as the KGA handcrafted copper kanaka. If you would rather use a machine, see the Arzum section below.
- Sugar: Added with the coffee, before heat, so it dissolves as the cup cooks.
Sugar levels, the Egyptian way
- Sada (plain): No sugar.
- Ala el reeha (a little): About half a teaspoon per cup. You mostly smell the sweetness.
- Mazboot (medium): About one teaspoon per cup, the same as the coffee. This is the everyday cup.
- Ziyada (sweet): About two teaspoons per cup.
Cardamom coffee (mahawag) is the same recipe with a blend that already includes cardamom, such as Al Ameed Kuwaiti Light with cardamom, Al Ameed Jordanian Light or Medium with cardamom, or Segafredo Zanetti with cardamom. Let the cardamom come from the bag. Extra pods in the pot on top of a cardamom blend make a very strong cup.
How to make Turkish coffee on the stove
This is one cup. For two or three, multiply coffee, water and sugar and use a kanaka that holds the full volume with room for the foam to rise.
- Put 60 to 70 ml of cold water in the kanaka.
- Add one heaped teaspoon of Turkish coffee (about 7 g) and the sugar for the level you want. Stir until the grounds are wet and there are no dry clumps. This is the only stir.
- Set the kanaka on low heat. Leave it. A rolling boil knocks the foam flat and makes the cup bitter.
- Watch the edge. A dark ring forms, then a thick foam (the wesh) climbs toward the rim. That climb takes a few minutes on a low flame. Take the kanaka off as the foam rises, before the surface breaks into a boil.
- If you want a thicker foam, return the kanaka to the lowest heat for a few seconds so a second foam lifts, then take it off again. Still no boil.
- Rest the kanaka for 20 to 30 seconds so the grounds start to drop. Pour slowly into a small cup, foam first, and let the cup sit a minute. The grounds settle at the bottom. Sip, and leave that layer in the cup.
How to get a thick foam
The foam comes from extra-fine grounds, cold water, one stir at the start, and low heat. Fresh coffee foams more easily than an old open bag. A wide rolling boil, or stirring once the pot is hot, collapses it. Warm the cup with a splash of hot water and tip it out before you pour, so the foam does not die on a cold ceramic wall.
Turkish coffee for one, and with milk
For one person, use one finjan of cold water, one heaped teaspoon of coffee and one sugar level. Turkish coffee is a short cup, so for more coffee brew a second finjan instead of stretching one spoon over a mug of water.
Turkish coffee with milk is softer and heavier than the classic cup. If you like it that way, use cold milk in place of part of the water, and keep the same coffee dose and the same slow rise. The foam will be paler, and milk rises faster than water, so stay by the pot.
On a Turkish coffee machine
An Arzum machine (the automatic Okka OK001, Okka OK008 and Okka Elit, or the OK002, Okka Rich Pro and Okka Minio Duo) uses the same extra-fine coffee and the same sugar levels. Measure the water and coffee the way that model's manual says, then start it. See the Turkish coffee machines if you want a machine to do the heating, or stay with a KGA kanaka on the stove.
How to drink it
Wait about a minute for the grounds to settle, then sip from the top. Stop when you reach the thick layer at the bottom and leave it in the cup.
FAQ
How many spoons of Turkish coffee per cup?
One heaped teaspoon, about 7 g, for each small cup of 60 to 70 ml. A second spoon makes the cup sludgy and harsh. For three cups, use three spoons and three measures of water in one kanaka.
How do you make great Turkish coffee?
Cold water, coffee and sugar in the kanaka together, one stir, then low heat until the foam climbs. Take it off before it boils, rest it half a minute, and pour foam first. Boiling it, or stirring once it is hot, flattens the foam.
What is Turkish coffee made of?
Finely ground roasted coffee and water, plus sugar if you want it. Cardamom is the usual extra in Egypt, already in the bag on mahawag blends from Al Ameed and Segafredo Zanetti. There is no filter, and the grounds stay in the cup.
What is the best blend for Turkish coffee?
Use a medium or dark roast ground extra fine. Many Egyptian blends include robusta for body and a thicker foam. A lighter roast still works if you want a softer cup. Al Ameed comes in light and medium, with or without cardamom, and in dark without cardamom. Mehmet Efendi and Segafredo Zanetti Turkish coffees are ground for this pot. Read arabica vs robusta for the difference in the cup. Product titles do not list the arabica and robusta share, so pick by roast and by whether you want cardamom.
What makes Turkish coffee different?
It is unfiltered, ground extra fine, and taken off the heat just before it boils. The grounds settle in the cup instead of being held back by paper or metal. That gives it a thick texture and leaves a layer of grounds at the bottom of the cup. The ground coffee guide compares the Turkish grind with espresso, moka and filter grinds.
What is the pot for Turkish coffee called?
In Egypt it is called a kanaka. The same small, wide-based pot is called a cezve or an ibrik in other countries. A KGA copper kanaka on the stove, or an Arzum Okka machine, both brew this recipe.
Coffee for this recipe
Pick a bag from Turkish ground coffee: Mehmet Efendi, Al Ameed Kuwaiti or Jordanian, or Segafredo Zanetti. For cardamom, pick Al Ameed or Segafredo Zanetti. To compare roasts and pack sizes, see how to choose Turkish coffee in Egypt, and for what cardamom changes, see Turkish coffee with or without cardamom. Brew it in a KGA kanaka or an Arzum Okka from Turkish coffee machines. Orders reach Cairo and Giza in 1 to 2 business days and other governorates in 2 to 4 business days. You can pay cash on delivery or by card. Delivery fees are on the shipping policy.