Turkish Coffee in a Moka Pot
& the Joy of Java
The day dawned cold, with rain that began in inky midnight darkness and persisted through the morning. It was precisely the type of day that sparked yearning for a steaming cup of sharp, strong coffee. I first met Turkish coffee almost 20 years ago, but had never tried to make it myself. I recently got a Moka Pot1 (this pot was created in the 1930s in Italy, for brewing espresso) and decided to see if it could do the trick.
I purchased espresso roast coffee and set the grinder to Turkish. This grind is finer than an espresso grind, almost the consistency of powder. Traditional Turkish coffee is made in a cezve2, or ibrik, and is not filtered. My Moka Pot uses a metal filter that is part of its design.
True Turkish coffee will have a coffee foam that rises up during brewing, and is used to top the coffee in your cup. The Moka Pot’s filter stops the possibility of this traditional foam forming on the coffee, so it can brew the coffee but stops short of a true Turkish coffee experience.
No problem. It still brews a delectable little power punch. I’m now on the hunt for a traditional cezve and two proper cups for making and sipping this brew.
Here is a video about making traditional Turkish coffee:
If you use a Moka Pot instead of a cezve, you simply put the water in its bottom receptacle, add grounds to the filter section, add a tsp of [brown] sugar to the grounds, screw the parts together, and place the pot on your stove-top on medium heat that is high enough to make it boil, but not hot enough to burn it. When the steam stops, the coffee is done. Pour into your cup of choice.
Traditional Turkish coffee does not use creamer, but I did add a bit of warmed 1/2 and 1/2 to mine (steamed would be great also). I topped with a dollop of whipped cream for an extra special treat.
Inhaling that first steaming aroma of freshly brewed coffee, I could imagine myself traveling to amazing places, fingers curled around the mug, breathing deeply in, and out, in smooth rhythm.
Have you made Turkish coffee? What is your experience? Feel free to share in comments or send me an email.
Turkish coffee sounds amazing - and I am sure the process is a treat, as well. Sometimes slowing down to appreciate these small rituals is a welcome relief in our day.