Turkish Coffee: How It's Made, How to Drink It & Where to Try It
Turkish coffee is very finely ground coffee simmered — never boiled hard — with water and optional sugar in a small long-handled pot called a cezve, then poured unfiltered into a demitasse so the grounds settle at the bottom. It is served with water and usually a piece of lokum, sipped slowly, and never stirred once poured. UNESCO inscribed Turkish coffee culture on its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2013.
Quick facts
| Turkish name | Türk kahvesi |
|---|---|
| Brewing pot | Cezve (also called ibrik) |
| Grind size | Powder-fine, finer than espresso |
| Filtered? | No — grounds stay in the cup |
| Serving size | 60–90 ml demitasse (fincan) |
| Sweetness levels | Sade, az şekerli, orta, şekerli |
| Traditional accompaniment | Water first, then lokum |
| Best-known brand | Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi, Eminönü, since 1871 |
| Related custom | Fal — reading fortunes in the grounds |
How Turkish coffee is actually made
One heaped teaspoon of powder-fine coffee goes into the cezve per cup, with cold water measured in the serving cup itself and sugar added now — never afterwards. The pot goes over low heat and is never stirred once it warms. As foam rises, it is spooned into each cup first, the pot returns to the heat briefly, and the rest is poured slowly so the crema survives.
The single rule that separates good from bad: it must not reach a rolling boil. Boiling kills the foam, and a Turkish coffee served without köpük (foam) is considered a failure regardless of taste.
How to order it
- Sade — no sugar. The default for tasting the coffee itself.
- Az şekerli — a little sugar, roughly half a teaspoon.
- Orta — medium, one teaspoon. The most common order.
- Şekerli — sweet, two teaspoons.
- Menengiç kahvesi — made from wild terebinth pistachio, caffeine-free, common in Gaziantep and the southeast.
- Dibek kahvesi — stone-pounded rather than milled, thicker and often served with milk.
Drinking it properly
Drink the water first to clear your palate, then sip the coffee slowly over 10 to 15 minutes. Do not stir and do not drain the cup: the bottom third is sediment. The Turkish saying — a cup of coffee is remembered for forty years — refers to the conversation, not the caffeine, and hurrying it misses the point entirely.
If someone turns your empty cup upside down on the saucer and waits for it to cool, they are about to read your fortune from the patterns the grounds leave. Fal is a social game rather than a belief system, and it is a standard part of an afternoon with friends.
Where to drink it in Istanbul
- Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi, Eminönü — the historic roaster next to the Spice Bazaar; buy beans ground while you wait.
- Mandabatmaz, off İstiklal Caddesi — a tiny counter widely considered the thickest, foamiest cup in the city.
- Fazıl Bey, Kadıköy — the Asian-side institution, near the produce market.
- Şark Kahvesi, inside the Grand Bazaar — the old traders' coffeehouse.
- Pierre Loti Hill, Eyüp — coffee with the Golden Horn panorama, reached by cable car.
Frequently asked questions
What is Turkish coffee?
Turkish coffee is a brewing method rather than a bean: powder-fine coffee is simmered with water and any sugar in a small copper pot called a cezve, then poured unfiltered into a small cup so the grounds settle. It is thicker and stronger-tasting than filter coffee, served with water and lokum, and its culture is UNESCO-listed.
How do you order Turkish coffee?
You order by sweetness, because sugar is added during brewing and cannot be stirred in later. Ask for sade (no sugar), az şekerli (a little), orta (medium, the most popular) or şekerli (sweet). Milk is not traditional and is rarely offered.
Is Turkish coffee stronger than espresso?
Per cup, no — a Turkish coffee of 60 to 90 ml contains roughly the same caffeine as a single espresso, around 50 to 65 mg. It tastes stronger because it is unfiltered, so the body and the fine suspended particles carry more of the coffee's oils and bitterness.
Do you drink the grounds in Turkish coffee?
No. The bottom quarter of the cup is thick sediment and should be left. Stop when the liquid turns gritty on the lip, and let the cup rest — if you plan on a fortune reading, the grounds need to stay undisturbed.
Can you buy Turkish coffee to take home?
Yes, and it is one of the best souvenirs from Türkiye. Buy freshly ground from a roaster like Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi in Eminönü rather than a pre-packed supermarket tin, and pick up a copper cezve in the Grand Bazaar. Ground coffee travels well in hold and cabin baggage.
What is served with Turkish coffee?
A glass of water always, and usually one piece of Turkish delight (lokum) or a small chocolate. The water is drunk first to clear the palate; offering water alongside coffee is also the traditional way for a host to signal whether a guest is hungry.