How to Make Turkish Coffee (Cezve): Simple 5-Step Recipe

Turkish coffee is made in a beautiful cezve, coffee pot. It is known for being very strong coffee. Here’s how to make Turkish coffee at home. You’ll use very fine coffee grounds and a low coffee to water ratio.

This guide is part of our How to Make Coffee series.

How to Make Turkish Coffee With a Cezve

• Time to first sip: 3 to 4 minutes
• Type of Coffee: Thick, strong, and aromatic black coffee
• Coffee grind: Powdery fine
• Gear required: Turkish coffee pot (cezve), Turkish grinder, thermometer
• Difficulty: Easy after practicing a few times

Turkish Coffee Tips: You can use a regular saucepan if you don’t mind not having the foam.

Turkish coffee has been around for a long time. In fact, it’s listed by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in Turkey.

Made in a Turkish coffee pot called a cezve, this traditional coffee is known for its strong, black, aromatic brew. It’s distinctively topped with a thick, frothy foam that’s created by boiling water through powdery-fine grounds.

What You’ll Need

To make Turkish coffee, you’ll need a cezve pot and a coffee grinder that grinds the coffee beans really fine.

Water is not measured the same way for this brewing method as for others. It’s usually measured with the cups you will be serving it in which can range from an ounce up to a cup.

Because of this variance, the amount of ground coffee you’ll use may depend on your serving size. The general rule is to use a rounded tablespoon for each serving. But you may want to adjust this if your serving size is small (an ounce) and it tastes too strong for you.

Turkish coffee is made with a medium roast, powdery fine ground coffee.

There are unique traditional ways of making Turkish coffee and the amount of water, grounds, and times the coffee is put to boil can differ. The following recipe is just a guide to get you started.

Turkish Coffee Recipe

Here’s how to make Turkish coffee at home.

1. Mix ingredients together: cold water, Turkish coffee grounds, and sugar (if desired) in the Turkish coffee pot with a small spoon. It’s recommended that you use a cup to a cup and a half (referring to the cups you will be serving the coffee in) of water and a tablespoon of coffee grounds per each cup you are making.
2. Place the cezve on the heat source and allow the coffee mixture to slowly reach a boil over medium heat. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes, so you’ll need to watch it closely.
3. As the brew heats up, you’ll see a dark foam forming. Resist the urge to stir because it will break the foam. Just before it reaches a boil, spoon some of the foam into each of your Turkish coffee cups.
4. Once the coffee comes to a boil, gently pour enough to fill your cups up halfway, being careful to not disturb the foam.
5. Let the remaining coffee boil for about 15 to 20 seconds and then pour it into the cups to the brim.

If you really want to immerse yourself in Turkish coffee culture, you should know that this traditional coffee is often served with sweet treats such as candy, chocolate or Turkish delights and a cup of water on the side.

Like most types of coffee, you can make Turkish coffee on the stovetop or open fire.

Common Turkish Coffee Terms

Also, you should know some of the Turkish terms that are used for sugar amounts:

• “Sade” (No sugar, or plain)
• “Az şekerli” ( A little sugar, or a half to one teaspoon)
• “Orta şekerli” (Medium sugar, or one to two teaspoons)
• “Çok şekerli (A lot of sugar, or two to three teaspoons)

How to Make Turkish Coffee (Video)

The following video will show you how to make Turkish coffee at home.

You’ll notice that the water is measured in the cup the coffee will be served in. The cups are basically espresso cups which usually hold around one ounce.

So with this method, you would use one heaping teaspoon of finely ground coffee for each ounce of water.

Learn more: The Strongest Coffee in the World

Your Turn

How did it go for you? Did you enjoy the Turkish coffee you made? I would love to hear how it went for you.