How to make oriental coffee correctly

One of my vivid childhood memories is a black, bitter, very viscous, but at the same time aromatic drink from a strangely shaped metal ladle. My mother often prepared it in the morning and drank it with a pleasure I didn’t understand. After trying this liquid, I didn’t want to drink anything like it for a long time. I didn't like the drink at all. As I got older, I learned that coffee can be different and delicious, including the one made in Turkish coffee . It turned out that the most common home method of making coffee is not so simple; there are a lot of preparation nuances in it.

Let's figure it out in order.

History of appearance

Making Turkish coffee has been known since the 16th century. This is the oldest method of making coffee with a huge history and cultural characteristics. Most people consider preparing coffee in a cezve to be a home method, but it confidently occupies a place in specialty coffee culture. Nowadays they even hold international championships in Turkish coffee making.

African peoples were the first to appreciate the wonderful taste of the drink, but they prepared it in a large pot. When brewing in it, coffee often splashed out when the “coffee foam” was raised and poured over the coals. To avoid this, they began to make smaller pots, but with a wide bottom, so that heating would proceed faster. The Arabs improved this design and made the neck narrow so that the foam did not have time to “escape”, and they attached a long handle so as not to burn their hands in the fire. Traditional espresso began to be prepared only in the 20th century; before that, coffee was brewed in an ibrik - this was the main method of brewing coffee in coffee shops. Traditionally, they are prepared in copper cezves, with an internal coating of silver or special tin, which do not emit harmful substances when heated.

Why is “Turka” called that, although in the rest of the world it is called Ibrik or Cezva? This is because coffee was first brought to Russia from Turkey - this contributed to the appearance of the name coffee in Turkish.

Ingredients for cooking

Just two main ingredients are needed to make classic oriental coffee: water and coffee .

To prepare any coffee, it is very important to choose the “right” water, since it makes up the majority of the drink. For preparation, you must use clean, transparent, odorless and tasteless water - this is the basic rule for preparing any coffee. We cannot use water whose quality we doubt.

Tap water is often enriched with chlorine, so it is also not recommended. To achieve a good result, I recommend using water with a total mineralization of 75 to 155 mg/l (mineralization is the amount of minerals contained in water). Where can I get it? You can install certain water filters , or you can buy ready-made bottled water. To begin with, you can experiment with store-bought water: buy several bottles of drinking water from different manufacturers and brew your favorite coffee with it. Experimenting with different waters may surprise you.

The second important ingredient is coffee. There is no such thing as tasty or not tasty coffee, there is such a thing: what you like best in taste. Its flavor profile depends on many factors. What should you look for when choosing coffee?

First, the minimum information that manufacturers indicate on their packages is the type of coffee . If you like coffee with a noble acidity, then it is better to choose Arabica coffee, if with bitterness, then Arabica with the addition of Robusta . If you buy coffee in professional coffee shops, the manufacturer usually indicates more information about their coffee: region of growth, altitude, how the grain is processed. All these indicators greatly affect the taste. Manufacturers can also indicate on the package or in the description on the website the flavor profile of the coffee - for the first acquaintance with new varieties - this is the most necessary information.

The second thing you need to pay attention to when choosing coffee is its production date . The fresher the grain in the packet, the richer the drink will be in the cup. I recommend using grain no older than six months, and preferably up to 3 months from the date of production.

Third - for grinding grain . If you buy coffee beans, you will need a professional coffee grinder to prepare real oriental coffee, since household grinders cannot cope with the difficult task of grinding coffee into “flour”. One of the main mistakes when cooking this way is incorrectsupposedly grain. Coffee should be ground to a “flour” state, how can you tell by looking?

The coffee should clump slightly when squeezed between your fingers. Some manufacturers immediately package ground coffee for brewing in a Turk.

Fourth - buy coffee for a short period and in small packs . Coffee very quickly begins to lose its taste after opening the sealed packaging. Calculate how much coffee you need to prepare during the week - this will be the required weight of your pack of coffee.

Another ingredient or several can be spices, sugar, juices, milk, fruits and much more. Don't stop experimenting with the taste of your drink.

Calories and nutritional value

Oriental coffee can be considered a dietary product if it is prepared from only two ingredients: coffee and water. Its calorie content is no more than 5 kcal per 150 ml of the finished drink . As soon as additional ingredients are added to the drink, the calorie content of the drink immediately increases, but the exact amount can be found by calculating the sum of calories of all ingredients included in the drink.

Oriental coffee recipes

We choose coffee. We grind it, preferably immediately before cooking. The classic calculation of the required amount of coffee for a drink is: 1 gram of coffee per 10 ml of water. If your Turk has a volume of 140 ml (up to the narrow part), then you need to take 14 grams of coffee for preparation.

Classic oriental coffee recipe

(recipe is for 160 ml Turk)

1. Pour 14 grams of ground coffee into the cezve. Add 140 ml of water at room temperature until the vessel narrows;
2. Mix coffee and water intensively;
3. Cook over medium heat for 2.5-3 minutes, until the coffee “cap” first rises to the edges of the Turk;
4. Remove the Turk from the heat and immediately pour the drink into a cup;
5. We give time for the coffee suspension to settle;
6. Enjoy the finished drink.

Oriental coffee with spices

(recipe is for 160 ml Turk)

A popular type of oriental coffee is coffee with spices.

1. Place ground cinnamon on the tip of a knife, the same amount of ground nutmeg and 2 pieces of whole cardamom;
2. Add 20 grams of sugar;
3. Pour 14 grams of ground coffee into the cezve. Add 140 ml of water at room temperature until the vessel narrows;
4. Mix coffee and water intensively;
5. Cook over medium heat for 2.5-3 minutes, until the coffee “cap” first rises to the edges of the Turk;
6. Remove the Turk from the heat and immediately pour the drink into a cup;
7. We give time for the coffee suspension to settle;
8. Enjoy the finished drink.

Oriental coffee with milk

(recipe is for 160 ml Turk)

For lovers of dairy drinks, coffee prepared in a cezve will also be relevant. The peculiarity of the preparation is that we take milk as a basis, not water, and determine the fat content according to our taste preferences.

1. Place ground cinnamon on the tip of a knife and 1 star anise;
2. Pour 14 grams of ground coffee into the cezve. Add 140 ml of milk at room temperature until the vessel narrows;
3. Add 20 grams of buckwheat honey;
4. Mix coffee and milk intensively;
5. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the coffee “cap” first rises to the edges of the Turk;
6. Remove the Turk from the heat and immediately pour the drink into a cup through a strainer;
7. Enjoy the finished drink.

Oriental coffee with juice

(recipe is for 160 ml Turk)

One of my favorite cezve coffee recipes is based on grape juice. The finished drink is real coffee mulled wine.

1. Place ground cinnamon on the tip of a knife, 1 star anise, 3 grams of raisins and 20 grams of orange zest;
2. Pour 14 grams of ground coffee into the cezve. Add 140 ml of grape juice at room temperature until the vessel narrows;
3. Mix coffee and juice intensively;
4. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until the coffee “cap” first rises to the edges of the Turk;
5. Remove the Turk from the heat, let it cool a little and allow a fine suspension of spices and coffee to settle;
6. Pour the drink into a wine glass;
7. Enjoy the finished drink.

How to make oriental coffee at home

All of the above recipes are easy to prepare at home. The main thing is to correctly observe all proportions. It is also important to choose a Turk that will be suitable for making coffee at home. Large volume Turks from 380 to 600 ml are popular in Russia; unfortunately, it is very difficult to prepare a dense drink in them. For the Turksin 600 ml you need to use 60 grams of coffee, and this is a lot - the drink will turn out with a dominant bitterness, and at the same time watery. I recommend using 1-2 cup Turks with a volume of 80 to 380 ml.

The material of the Turk can be different: copper with tin coating (ideal) or ceramic; the main thing is that it is not aluminum!

When heated, aluminum releases substances that are hazardous to health.

You may also have an electric Turk at home; the drink in it is also worthy of your attention.

How to beautifully serve coffee in oriental style

As you know, eastern countries are famous for their bright colors; there are always a variety of bright candied fruits on the table. The simplest and most beautiful way to serve beautiful oriental coffee is to serve a cup of aromatic drink with a bowl of various candied fruits. To create an atmosphere of festive coffee drinking, you can serve aromatic coffee with sugar in crystals or multi-colored sugar, which is prepared with the addition of fruit juice.

If you prefer to drink “pure” coffee, then be sure to purchase a beautiful metal tray for oriental coffee, on which your brewed Turk and a small beautiful cup for the drink will elegantly stand when served. After pouring the coffee into a cup, leave the Turk on the tray so that the aroma of coffee from it envelops the whole room.

Coffee does not require rush, enjoy every moment with a cup of delicious, invigorating drink.