TURKIYE: Coffee Culture

It seems that in most places we have traveled to, coffee is part of the culture, in some way or another.

In Türkiye, drinking Turkish coffee is a social tradition.

Turkish coffee is different by how it is prepared and served, rather than by the type of coffee bean used.

Turkish coffee is concentrated and served in small cups, similar in size to espresso, but it has a different texture because the coffee isn't filtered.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I am not a coffee drinker, so, I have to rely on what coffee aficionados (i.e. John) tells me.

To start, the coffee beans are ground to a powder, so it is much finer than espresso. 

The grounds are then mixed with water in a small copper pot called a cezve. Unlike espresso, Turkish coffee is not made under pressure.

The traditional way to make Turkish coffee uses sand to heat the water. Fine sand holds heat well and surrounds the small copper pot, heating it evenly from all sides. This provides precise temperature control and helps prevent scorching. The cezve is slowly heated until a rich foam forms. The coffee is never filtered!

The slow cooking process extracts the coffee's rich flavors while minimizing bitterness and gives it a thicker, velvety texture. The coffee is then poured directly into a small cup, with the grounds, where they settle to the bottom. 

Another interesting difference, for those that want sugar, it is added during brewing—not afterward. 

It's traditionally served with a glass of water to cleanse the palate, and often with a piece of Turkish delight or another sweet. 

You don't drink the last sip because it contains the sediment. 

Some things are universal.

Coffee Culture seems to be one of them...

...sometimes finding it in what seems to be unlikely places.