Hi there, coffee lover! š
As this is my very first issue, first I would like to say THANK YOU for subscribing to Uncoffee. I hope you will enjoy this simple words over such a great topic as coffee.
I originally come from Macedonia, a landlocked country on the turbulent Balkans. When I moved out, besides my luggage I also took a few other habits in the bag of identity with me. The one that took most place? The hedonistic rituals around food and taste. We like to eat, drink and sing. We are like hobbits.Ā
Macedonia has been a transitional country ever since the Ottomans left. And not just by its political processes but also by its geo location. Many people have passed, many events happened and so, few of the worldās salads are called Macedonia for a reason. Simply because they are a mixture of fruits or vegetables, just as the cultures and people that live there mix or collide. Every time somebody asks me what Macedonian cuisine is like?, itās very difficult to find a proper answer. What makes it difficult is that each house has its own recipe and a way of cooking a particular dish. Yet there is one component that seems to be universal and constant the whole time, and that all homes haveĀ - the Turkish coffee. As a matter of fact, Macedonia is one of the few countries down there where the Turkish Mokka is called Turkish Coffee. Greeks call it Greek, Bosnians - Bosnian and Bulgarians - well, Bulgarian coffee. While in its roots itās really Ottoman.Ā
Turkish coffee is not just a drink, itās a story. And stories are told over a small cup with your relatives, friends, neighbours. People in Bosnia have this cultural habit of cooking an extra cup of coffee in case an unexpected guest shows up. Why risk the shame of having a coffee just for yourself before your respected visitor?
My wifeās grandfather used to tell me that offering a sweet Turkish coffee to your guests is an ultimate sign of respect towards them. The reasons come from back in the days (after the WW2), when Macedonian tradesmen when visited in their homes, would cook a really sweet coffee for their guests as a sign of big respect. At some point in history, the prices of the sugar were sky high, so they used that as an opportunity to show that there is nothing more expensive than a real friendship. How sweet?Ā
It could be that because of all this cultural mortgage, I consider the coffee nothing but a meditative ritual that one should really get into in a focused and mindful way. Along with so many obligations and daily duties, most people drink coffee out of habit or addiction. This is the element that I want to influence long-term and inspire you to simply sit down, give yourself some well deserved time off to breath and enjoy a taste and some trivia about it.Ā
āļø Letās get to it
Turkish Mokka is an unfiltered brew that has the finest grind you can think of. If you think about fine coffee in terms of Espresso, then think of Turkish as extra fine. When observed, itās powder. With the grinder I have, I cannot go that fine. That makes Turkish coffee really difficult to brew, if you go very technical about it. Another reason is that there is a big chance that the beans you have at home or are commercially available (both specialty and generic blends) are not a good fit for you to brew Turkish coffee. Even if you can grind it that fine, good Turkish Mokka blends, normally advertised as 100% Arabica, are actually a clever (or coincidentally good) combination of Arabica and Robusta. For example, my favorite pre-ground Turkish Mokka is 40% Robusta, 60% Arabica (I trust the package!). I would suggest you to buy a bag of pre-ground Turkish Coffee available online or at your favorite Turkish-food store nearby. Even though pre-ground, if kept properly it will preserve the acidity for some time. So try to remember the first hit of the smell of a freshly opened bag. Buy smaller bags and keep the rest tightly closed. You care for your coffee right and it will make your mornings.Ā
The typical way of preparation says that you have to have a traditional cezve - a small metal pot in which you bring the coffee together with the water to a high temperature. I say high temperature as, similar to other brews, boiling will destroy the batch. But contrary to other brews, Turkish coffee is very characteristic by having or preserving the foam during brewing. The bigger and bloomier the foam, the better the cup. Nowadays you can freely go unconventional. You donāt need traditional pots or pans and you can brew it in (coffee) foam pots or anything thatās not very wide and gives time to the rise of temperature steadily.Ā
By this point you have a bag of pre-ground coffee and the pot in which you will brew it. The water is on me.Ā
My ratio is 1:10. And the ideal amount is 160 ml of water with 16gr of coffee. If anything, please do not measure this precisely. Do it a couple of times and then try to feel it. See what works for you and then follow your instinct. I got to know the ratio that I use for the purpose of this article. I was amazed by the values, but that shows that feeling and emotion are always dominant as elements of quality when it comes to coffee.
Just take an overfilled teaspoon of coffee and mix it with ā cup of water. Add sugar as wished. Now before going all religious about this step - my stand on sugar and milk in coffee is that itās really as individual as underwear. In my personal taste itās ruining the taste of the coffee to some extent, but often I add sugar myself. So please, personal note, avoid judging people drinking coffee with sugar or milk. French drink beer with water, Germans drink wine with water, everything is possible.
A good hint about brewing good Turkish coffee: after mixing the water and the coffee leave the mixture there for 4-5 minutes.
Just let it be. Observe it, smell it and see what is happening to it. Then still intact, put it on the stove. Cook until you hear the very first sounds of the heated water. Then mix with a spoon until the mixture changes its color from muddy-brown to chocolate-brown (well, lighter). Then leave it in peace again. Once you hear a stronger sound of a more upset hot water, do the mixing again and then take out the spoon out of the pan. This is crucial as at this point the foam should already be formed. Do not touch it anymore, but stay there, present.
Once the sound of the coffee starts to resemble boiling, remove it completely from the stove. Critical point is not to let it boil. At all. If you brew more than one cup of coffee, serve it in two goās, so that the foam gets equal in both cups. Leave it there for a few minutes to settle.Ā
All good. Smell the coffee and sip. Now you have some excuse for you to sit, think, talk to your significant other, time all for yourself.
Until the next time, thanks for reading!
Have you had Turkish coffee for the very first time? My DMs are always open for your thoughts on the experience.Ā