Turkish Coffee??

[scatt]

I've been experimenting at-home, with the cheapest materials possible (french press, stovetop espresso,) and have been fairly satisfied with results (ok, a bit disappointed,) but rather than plunking down mucho dinero for a home-based variety I use short term funds for multiple coffee shop excursions...
but I digress...
I'm interested in conducting experiments of the Turkish variety. I'm very excited about the spices (including cardomom) that flavor Turkish/Arabic styles. I'm a bit clueless as to where I begin:
What's the best kind of Roast?
The best grind? (think cheap blade...)
The best pots?
The process of foaming?
The various flavoring (sugar, spices, etc)
Any overall advice?

 

[topher]

Scatt..it is simple and inexpensive to make Turkish coffee...I used to do it table side at a restaurant I roasted for. First you need an Ibrik. I am sorry to say that a blade grinder will not grind the coffee fine enough..you need a burr grinder(you can have your neighborhood barista grind small amounts for you). Turkish coffee is the finest of grind...it is as fine as baby powder. Then all you need is some water and a heating source. You put the coffee in the Ibrik with the water...no filtering...you then bring the water to a boil (but bring it to a boil slowly) and remove the Ibrik.... once the coffee and water has settled from the first boil repeat 2 more times..after the third boil pour(slowly)into a demi cup...sip very slowly and most of the grounds(more like sludge) will sit at the bottom of the demi. The coffee is so fine that it makes the drink sort of chalky. As to the blend I used a 3/4 costa rican and 1/4 sumatra blend and a wee bit of cardomon and sugar. Well hope this helped.

Topher

 

[Alun_evans]

A very similar type of drink is Kopi Tubruk, the national drink of Indonesia. This coffee is available everywhere...$5 from the Hilton....down to $.10 if you buy it from a road side warung or kaki-lima. To prepare this drink you first have to grind the coffee as fine as possible. Although the hotels have decent burr grinders, the roadside guys often use grinders with 2 millstones inside...man they produce a super fine grind! Anyway, then take a tall glass and heap in one or two spoons of the powder....add boiling water and stir. Then put a top on the glass and wait for the grinds to settle to the bottom. Its an acquired taste...anyone who has been to Bali would have tried this in the form of Bali coffee. As the coffee is mostly robusta, you get a bit of a kick from the stuff. Its a good way to kick of the morning...or prepare for a long night ahead :grin: