How to properly brew coffee in a Turk. This question has been bothering people since the coffee maker appeared many centuries ago.
Recipe for coffee in a Turk, how many spoons of coffee to put in a Turk and how long to brew coffee in a Turk. A coffee lover should know clear answers to all these nuances.
The taste of coffee in a cezve differs each time depending on the following factors: the degree of grinding of the beans, the degree of heat and composition of the water, speed and duration, heat of heating, type and material, volume of the cezve used, etc.
Preparing coffee in a Turk should also be accompanied by the pure thoughts of the one who brews it.
The taste of Turkish coffee depends on the choice of coffee.
Typical recipes are based only on the Arabica variety. Because Robusta produces coffee with strong bitterness, does not have an intense aroma, and contains more caffeine.
Grinding
Cup of Joe is beloved for the aroma imparted by the essential oils that fill the voids in the beans and are released during grinding. Therefore, it is recommended to use the ground powder within two to three weeks after grinding. Fresh grinding is not only a requirement for Turkish coffee, but for all methods of brewing coffee. To prevent the smell from weakening during storage, the ground powder should be kept in a tightly closed glass container.
The best option for cezve is medium and fine grinding. Despite the fact that it is more often recommended to use ultra-fine grinding in Turk, in fact, grains in the form of dust in the drink create a suspension that is difficult to settle. Only coffee masters of the highest caliber can handle such grinding correctly.
Concentrated ristretto - miniature dishes
To prepare a ristretto, a coffee machine is required. For every 20 ml of water add 2 tsp. powder. The steam pressure is maintained at 9 bar during cooking. Water passes through the compressed mass of particles in 20-30 seconds.
Ristretto cups traditionally hold 18-20 ml. This is 2-3 sips of an invigorating drink with thick foam. One mini-mug contains a teaspoon of ground Arabica or Robusta. Glass cups without handles are often used.
Expert opinion
Vadim Kudryavtsev
Coffee expert, professional barista and simply in love with this aromatic drink.
barista
Sometimes ristretto is served in 60 ml mugs, filling a third or half of the volume. But an additional glass of water is always served to cleanse your mouth after each sip. Then the taste of the drink will always be the same as the original. This recipe can be used as a basis for preparing other types.
Water
Chlorinated tap water is not at all suitable for brewing coffee. Bottled, well or spring water will do. At worst, you can use water purified by an ozonizer or filter, or settle boiled water before brewing coffee in a Turk.
However, even after these purification procedures, many impurities remain in it, which worsen the taste of coffee.
Water containing a lot of alkali will worsen the taste of coffee, which contains many types of acids. The taste of such coffee will become faded and lose its richness of taste.
For Turkish coffee, the ideal acidity is in the pH range = 6.5 – 7.5.
Too soft water will destabilize the extraction process, and too hard water will lead to loss of flavor nuances. An indicator such as mineralization should be in the range from 75 to 250 mg per liter. If you see mineralization in the range from 120 to 150 mg/l on the bottle label, then this is the best water. Calcium content – 17–85 mg/l, sodium – 30 mg/l.
Step-by-step cooking instructions
Measure out the required amount of cold water. Place the pot of water on the stove and increase the heat to medium-high (until the water is hot).
Add 1-2 heaped teaspoons or 1 tablespoon) coffee per demitasse cup (3 ounces). Don't interfere yet. Just let the coffee float to the surface. If you stir it now, lumps may form.
Add sugar to taste. Don't stir yet, let the water warm up a little. Once the coffee begins to submerge and the liquid is hot enough to dissolve the sugar, stir it a few times and then reduce the heat to low. You have to stir it several times.
When you see a bubble “ring” (when the coffee begins to “bloom”) forming on the surface, reduce the heat slightly or move the cezve away from the heat source. Notice the bubbles that form at this stage. The bubbles should be very small. From now on, watch your coffee carefully. Do not allow the drink to boil under any circumstances.
Many instructions for making Turkish coffee use the term "brew or brew", but this is completely incorrect.
The key idea is to let the coffee form a thick foam, and this happens at about 70°C (that is, much colder than the boiling point of water, which is 100°C. If the water boils, there will be no foam).
Keep it at the “foaming” stage for as long as possible without bringing it to a boil.
At this stage, you can even stir the drink slightly. The more foam, the tastier. Also, the coffee must be fresh, otherwise it will not foam. If the coffee starts to rise too much, remove it or simply reduce the heat.
Repeat this process until the foam “rises” and “cools” a couple of times at most (not 3-4 times as some instructions say. Even once is enough).
Then pour into cups (quickly at first to release the foam, then slowly), making sure there is an equal amount of foam in each cup. If you are serving multiple cups, you may want to add the foam to each cup with a spoon.
These are the basic rules for brewing coffee in a Turkish coffee pot. You can experiment with the initial heat of the water, the degree of roasting and grinding of the beans to achieve your ideal taste.
Useful lifehacks:
To fully reveal the aroma and taste of the drink in the cezve, you can put salt without iodine on the tip of the knife. The taste of salt is negligible to notice;
Some people recommend warming up the ground coffee in the cezve before adding water. This will enhance the aroma of the drink. However, the ground powder must not be allowed to char. It is not advisable to heat ultra-fine grinding;
If you want to make coffee with additives, you need to mix them dry with ground powder before pouring water. Liquid ingredients such as honey and syrup must be dissolved in water in advance;
Do not let the foam spill out, otherwise the drink will completely lose its aromatic and taste properties;
A drink made from cezve, in Turkey it is traditional to serve it along with a glass of water. Taking a sip of water before drinking will bring you full enjoyment of the taste of coffee, cleansing your receptors in advance.
Brewing coffee in a Turk is a kind of ritual, a fascinating process that is carried out by coffee lovers in an ancient vessel that is ideal for this. about which cezve to choose here . Despite the variety of stylish and “modern” devices, many people still prefer the Turk as a coffee maker today.
Overdose symptoms
During sessions or rush jobs at work, when every hour is precious and you have to sacrifice sleep, many people drink coffee even at night every 2-3 hours to avoid falling asleep. Although workaholics do not consume a deadly dose of caffeine, they cause a noticeable blow to the body.
Symptoms of a coffee overdose appear immediately:
- Heart rate increases. A surge of adrenaline causes the heart muscle to work at an accelerated pace.
- Tremors appear in the limbs. Sometimes it becomes difficult to stand on your feet and work with your hands.
- Body temperature rises. Caffeine warms up the body from the inside, causing blood to circulate faster. Cheeks turn red and sweat appears.
- My head is spinning. It can manifest itself in different ways: in the form of spots before the eyes or loss of coordination.
- Be sick. Often this symptom appears in a hungry person.
- I have a stomachache. Caffeine causes colic and cramps in the intestines.
- Urination becomes more frequent. Coffee is a powerful diuretic. Leads to dehydration.
Everyone's sensitivity to caffeine is different. Athletes and people with manual labor can drink coffee in the quantities indicated above without harm. For an organism weakened by stress or illness, the same dose will cause discomfort. Smokers should not drink a lot of coffee: their dose should also be halved due to the high load on the blood vessels.
Coffee should be introduced into the diet gradually: an unaccustomed body may react poorly to large doses, and the consequences of an overdose will appear after 1 cup. And experienced coffee lovers can easily drink 7-8 servings of coffee a day.
How to neutralize the effects of coffee
What to do if a person has too much coffee? First of all, we need to alleviate his condition. It is not necessary to wait for the body to remove toxic substances or go to the hospital.
You can quickly help a coffee lover at home:
- Drink more clean water. Often feeling unwell is the result of dehydration. Water neutralizes the effects of caffeine, so you should always drink espresso with regular drinking water.
- Eat a banana. A tropical fruit rich in potassium acts as an “ambulance” on the heart.
- Ventilate the room. Fresh air is necessary for any ailment.
- Induce vomiting. By getting rid of coffee, the victim will not worsen his condition.
Is it possible to die from a coffee overdose?
Death from caffeine is caused not by the abuse of your favorite drink, but by the careless use of caffeine-containing medications. After all, the lethal dose of caffeine is 200 mg per kilogram of body weight. That is, for a person weighing 60 kg, this is 12 g of caffeine. If you convert that to espresso cups, that's 180 servings. It is extremely unlikely that anyone would be able to drink that much in one day.
This is interesting: The mechanism of action of caffeine on the human body
But fatal accidents are still known. At risk are teenagers, the elderly and people with cardiovascular diseases. They should be especially careful with strong coffee and energy drinks. You can die after combining natural caffeine with drugs based on it.
How long does it take to brew Turkish coffee?
The duration of coffee brewing depends on the material and volume of the cezve, the thickness of the bottom, the power of the heating element, the degree of grinding of the coffee powder, and the composition of the coffee.
If you cook in a copper pot on a gas stove, the cooking process will take about ten minutes. In a ceramic or porcelain cezve, the cooking time is much longer.
On average, a classic 100 ml Turkish drink is brewed for about seven minutes over medium heat.
Cooking should not be too fast or too slow. Moderately slow heating results in intense extraction, giving the drink a rich taste and unrivaled aroma.
Even experienced baristas cannot tell you the exact brewing time.
A standard cezve has one hundred to one hundred and fifty ml of capacity. Fans of regular mugs should buy a mug with a volume of 200 ml.
Table of Turkish volume and quantity of ground beans:
On average, one teaspoon is equal to 7 grams of coffee. And this amount of powder should be placed in 200 ml of water.
When brewing coffee in a Turk, every step is important and you should not skip any steps. For example, many people forget to warm up the cezve and the cup for serving coffee. Even little things like this matter. Only if the correct technology and instructions are followed, the taste of coffee will bring pleasure to both the one who cooks and the one who drinks it.
What nuances affect taste and aroma?
Variety
For Turks, they choose fresh roasted grains, which are ground 5-10 minutes before cooking. This prevents essential oils and acids, which are responsible for the smell and richness of the drink, from evaporating.
The Arabica variety will provide a rich aroma. Lovers of strength will appreciate the mixture of Robusta and Arabica. Find out more in the article “Names and characteristics of coffee varieties.”
Cezve material
Pay attention to the material from which the Turk is made. A practical option is metal utensils with a food-grade tin center.
You will enjoy the rich taste of the drink if you choose a cezve made from baked clay. But you can only cook the selected variety in it once, since with frequent use the clay accumulates aromas.
If you prefer variety, choose a ceramic model. Read more in the article “What should a Turk be made of?”
For lovers of variety
Add flavor notes - experiment with spices, seasonings, toppings.
It is impossible to imagine a Turkish recipe without cardamom, anise, and cinnamon. Sugar will change the taste and create a fluffy foam. In Turkey, serving a drink without foam means disrespect for the guest.
Interesting! How to make cappuccino in Turk
A pinch of salt will soften the bitter aftertaste. Another option is to pour milk into a pre-prepared drink.
Find out how to brew an original drink in the article “What else is added to coffee for taste and aroma.”
Maintain the proportions of coffee and water, which we will discuss further.
What determines the readiness of Turkish coffee?
The readiness of the drink for serving depends on the process of formation and integrity of the foam, on its rise. You need to learn to determine the exact moment to remove the finished coffee from the heat. Turkish coffee exudes a strong aroma and acquires a rich, bright taste if it is brewed according to the rules.
How to properly brew Turkish coffee on a gas stove
Cooking coffee in a Turk on a gas stove differs from other brewing methods only in the need to clearly regulate the strength of the fire. By placing the cezve on an open fire, you heat up the drink much faster. Little time is given for the aroma to develop. First, the Turk should be placed on medium-intensity fire. This corresponds to division 3 out of 5. A fire spreader will come in handy. After the first rise of foam, you must immediately reduce the heat to the minimum level.
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