Turkish Coffee (Türk Kahvesi)
ترکی کافی (تُرک قہوہ سی)
Turkish coffee is listed by UNESCO as part of Turkey's cultural heritage, and making it is a small ritual. Coffee ground as fine as flour is stirred into cold water with sugar in a , then heated very slowly until a thick, velvety foam rises to the top. It's poured unfiltered into small cups, the grounds settle to the bottom, and you sip the coffee from above them. It's always served with a glass of water and often a piece of lokum (Turkish delight).
- ⏱ Total: 7 min
- Prep: 2 min
- Cook: 5 min
- Medium
- Serves 2
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Measure the cold water using the cups you'll serve in and pour it into a or the smallest saucepan you have. Add the coffee, sugar and cardamom if using.
Stir well, just until the coffee is mixed in and no dry powder floats on top. Don't stir again after this.
Heat over the lowest heat for 3–4 minutes. As it warms, a dark foam will form and start to rise. Just before it boils, when the foam climbs towards the rim, take it off the heat.
Spoon some foam into each cup. Return the cezve to the heat for a few seconds until it rises again, then pour slowly into the cups, keeping the foam on top.
Let it rest for a minute so the grounds settle, then serve with a glass of water and a small sweet. Don't drink the thick grounds at the bottom.
Kitchen notes
The coffee must be ground extra-fine, like flour. Ordinary coffee or instant coffee won't work. Look for packets labelled 'Turkish coffee' in larger supermarkets.
Low heat is the key to good foam. If it boils hard, the foam collapses and the coffee tastes burnt.
Decide on sugar before you start. It's cooked in, not added after.
A coffee with five centuries of history
Coffee reached Istanbul in the 1500s, and the city’s coffee houses became places for conversation, chess and news. The method has hardly changed since: very fine coffee, cold water, a small long-handled pot and patience.
The foam is everything
A good Turkish coffee has a thick, unbroken layer of foam (köpük) on top. To get it:
- Start with cold water. It gives the coffee time to release its flavour before it heats up.
- Stir only at the start. Stirring later breaks the foam.
- Use the lowest heat. The foam rises slowly. Take it off just before it boils.
Pakistani notes
You’ll need coffee labelled “Turkish coffee”; it’s ground to a powder. A is ideal, but the smallest saucepan or a milk pan works. Use the same cups for measuring water as for serving. A crushed cardamom pod, common in Arab-style coffee, is a pleasant optional addition.
Serving
Serve with a glass of cold water (drink it first to clear the palate) and a small sweet: lokum, a square of baklava or a date.
Questions people ask
Can I add milk?
Traditionally no. Turkish coffee is always black. A milk version (sütlü) exists but is uncommon.
How do I order sugar in Turkey?
Sade (no sugar), az şekerli (a little), orta (medium) or şekerli (sweet).
What is coffee fortune telling?
A traditional pastime: after drinking, the cup is turned upside down on the saucer and the patterns left by the grounds are 'read' for fun among friends.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 25
- Protein
- 0 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
