The name “cezve” is of Turkish origin, although borrowed from Arabic “Jadhwa,” meaning to ember. A cezve is a small pot with a long handle and a pouring lip specially designed to make Turkish coffee. Cevzes, also called ibrik, were traditionally made of brass, copper, gold, or silver. However, with its increasing demand throughout Europe, there are cheaper and more efficient cezves with ceramics, aluminum, and stainless steel construct to suit various heat sources.
What is Turkish coffee?
If a cezve is a device used to make Turkish coffee, what then is Turkish coffee, and how does it differ from the regular coffee?
Well, Turkish coffee, as the name implies, is a traditional beverage originating from Turkey and popular in other parts of Europe and Asia. It is very much distinct from the regular coffee by the grind of the beans and also its method of preparation- using the cezve.
Precisely, Turkish coffee refers to a method of brewing very finely ground coffee with water and usually sugar. The brewing process gets to a frothy foaming stage, just below boiling in the cezve and then served with the ground.
You may be thinking that the brewing this particular coffee may require some unique beans from Turkey as well but that’s not true. Correctly, any coffee type is suitable for Turkish coffee, although Arabica varieties are best. However, if you prefer robusta or blend, it will still produce a toothsome cup.
The ground size for Turkish coffee is finer than the regular coffee. As such, there are cheap, specially crafted grinders for Turkish coffee called the Turkish coffee mill. You can buy the Turkish coffee mill, opt for manual grinding or buy a grinder with Turkish coffee settings. Mind you; even some of the best coffee grinders are not suitable for Turkish coffee.
Health benefits of Turkish coffee
Turkish coffee requires brewing and serving the coffee with the fine grounds in each served cup. That, in turn, results in higher caffeine concentration compared to other methods of brewing coffee. Generally, Turkish coffee comes with the following health benefits
- Increased athletic and mental performance
- A more abundant source of antioxidants and other beneficial compounds than the regular coffee
- It may protect against mental decline
- Turkish coffee, especially with cardamom lowers the risk of chronic diseases, inflammation, and cancer
How to brew coffee with a Cezve
The overall process of making a coffee with cezve divides into three main groups.
- Preparation
- Brewing the coffee
Ingredients
3.2 ounces, 100ml of water
4 teaspoons of finely ground coffee (7 grams)
2 to 8 teaspoons of sugar (10 to 38 grams)
Servings: 2
Preparation
Prep time: 4 mins
Instruction
- Measure the coffee: To make Turkish coffee, measure four teaspoons of finely ground coffee into a bowl. Remember that our procedure is for two servings. So, for one serving, you’d have to use half of all the ingredients. More so, if you have whole beans, still measure the same teaspoons of beans.
You may be thinking that two hefty teaspoons of coffee may be too much for one cup. Well, you aren’t very wrong. However, Turkish coffee is particularly strong. Remember, Arabica coffee is best for Turkish coffee, but you can opt for any coffee type you prefer.
- Grind the beans: Turkish coffee requires very finely ground beans. That’s because you will not filter the grounds out during or after the brew. So, set your grinder to the Turkish coffee setting, if you have one. Alternatively, you can use your Turkish coffee mill or opt for manual grinding. With any grinding method, you choose, ensure that the grinds are extremely fine.
Yet, to save yourself the stress of grinding, you can buy pre-ground Turkish coffee blends.
- Measure the water: For premium taste, we recommend you use cold and freshwater for your Turkish coffee. Meanwhile, for every two cups of Turkish coffee, measure out 100ml of water. However, if you will be using a fincan- a cup designed explicitly for Turkish coffee, the measurement is easier. All you have to do is to measure out one and a half fincan of water for each coffee.
- Measure the sugar or spice: It is common to add sugar or other spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom, or vanilla to Turkish coffee. While this addition is optional, it will significantly alter the taste, aroma, and health benefits for each cup. Yet, for each sugar or spice, the measurement is different. For instance:
Cardamom: 1 to 2 pods of crushed cardamom, depending on your preference (or 1/8 to ¼ teaspoon of ground cardamom)
There are four levels of sweetening Turkish coffee. They include:
- Sade: Unsweetened Turkish coffee
- Az seker: one teaspoon of sugar (mildly sweet)
- Orta: two teaspoons of sugar (sweet)
- Serkerli: up to four teaspoons of sugar (very sweet)
Brewing the coffee
- Mix all ingredients: Pour in your finely ground coffee, water, sugar or spice into the ibrik. Stir the mixture vigorously until you are sure that it will have it is thoroughly combined. It is worth mentioning that if you do not have a cezve, you can still make Turkish coffee. A small pot will work just fine for brewing Turkish coffee, although it will only be easy if you want to brew a large amount of coffee.
- Heat the cezve: Place your ibrik on your gas or electric stove on low heat. For the next minute, stir the ingredients in the cezve continuously. Next, allow the coffee to brew. Brewing Turkish coffee requires the water to be just below the standard boiling point. So, placing your cezve on too high heat will burn the coffee, alter its flavor, and disallow the coffee from building foam.
- Allow the coffee to brew until it starts to foam: Turkish coffee is peculiar for the foam that forms at its top when the brew is almost complete. So, let the coffee brew for three to four more minutes after you stir it until a dark foam starts to build at the top of the ibrik. Remember, whatever you do at this point, do not stir the coffee. Only watch the brewing process until coffee starts to boil. Then, remove the heat and allow the coffee to cool down for 20 seconds.
- Next, pour the foam of the coffee into your cup or fincan then return it to heat for another 15 to 20 seconds. This additional heating is to see if the coffee will build another foam. Well, you can get up to four foam buildings from one cezve. So, you can repeatedly reheat for 20seconds until the foam formation stops.
- Finally, after the third or fourth foam, remove the ibrik from the heat. Pour all its contents into your fincan, serve immediately, and enjoy
Final thoughts
Turkish coffee is a highly-caffeinated beverage that originates from Turkey. Typically, a cezve, also called an ibrik, is used to brew this type of coffee. Yet, it is possible to brew Turkish coffee in a small pot, although it may be harder for small servings.
Because of its high caffeine content, this coffee type provides more health benefits than regular coffee. However, with higher caffeine also come increased risks of sleep disruption, increased blood pressure, and other health risks.
