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According to various sources, from 1,6 to 2,7 billion cups of coffee are drunk daily in the world. The Scandinavians are in the lead, by the way. In Finland alone, 1 kg of coffee is consumed per person. Turkey in 12 ranked only 2008th in this rating. But in the homeland of Turkish coffee, they do not pursue quantity, preferring quality. And for high-quality coffee, you need a solid Turk.
Today we will try to dispel all the myths about the vessels in which you can make coffee in an oriental way, and also, finally, find out which Turk is better for brewing coffee. Let’s start, perhaps, with the fact that the Turk is rather a comic, folk name. At home, namely in the countries of the Arab world, a vessel for making coffee is called “cezve” or closer to the original – “cezve”.
Just don’t call cezve a Turk under the Arabs. It is a mistake to consider the Turk an invention, pardon the pun, of the Turks – “cezve” is an exclusively Arabic word (literally “burning coal”), which the inhabitants of Turkey borrowed and carried with their heads held high to Eastern Europe, which has long been at knifepoint with the Ottoman Empire. Coffee itself, as we found out in this article, was first used in Ethiopia, from where this habit then migrated to the region of modern Yemen, and from there across the strait to Turkey.
The history of coffee pots is far and wide prosaic and built on practicality that is typical for us humans. African nomads preferred to brew coffee in copper pots. They were too big, so the bowlers began to get smaller and narrower. When coffee came to the Arabian Peninsula, local housewives already had a dalla at their disposal – a metal jug with a handle and a long curved spout, which was used by the Bedouins. Later, in Istanbul, the container was improved by reducing its volume and narrowing the throat so that the coffee does not spill and retains its aroma.
How to choose a Turk: materials
This is perhaps the most important parameter, which should be treated as scrupulously as possible. Traditionally, cezves were made and continue to be made of copper. The Turks chose this material for a reason. Copper has a high thermal conductivity and is second only to silver. This means that the temperature is distributed over the entire surface of the vessel and the drink is heated evenly. Even heating also allows you to control the process, preventing the coffee from boiling. The French have a saying for a reason: “Boiling kills coffee.” When boiling, essential oils “burn out”, and an unpleasant bitterness appears in the drink.
Hammered brass turks with tin plating inside.
The copper cezve has only one drawback – when heated, the metal releases harmful substances that pass into the drink. That is why it is better to choose a Turk, covered with food metals from the inside. Often, food tin and cupronickel are used for this, and silver is used for exclusive products. But copper rods cost a lot of money, so we will consider other options. Vessels made of clay, ceramics, aluminum and, more rarely, brass cannot be a full-fledged replacement for a copper cezve, but when there is no other choice, all means are good.
Aluminum (including brass) is a relatively cheap and practical material. In general, aluminum conducts heat well, but at the same time it is a controversial food metal. In addition, the Turks from this material look, to put it mildly, unpresentable. The small aluminum cezve is a great choice for a coffee shop, but definitely not for the home.
The beginning of working days with an aluminum Turk.
Clay – cheap, cheap material, but products made from ordinary clay are very fragile. One awkward movement and your cezve was gone. Not to become clay Turks may also be due to temperature differences. Another stone in the “clay garden”: this material is quite porous and instantly absorbs the taste of the first drink, which will then haunt you until the moment when the clay cezve is gone for one of a million reasons. But clay products are very beautiful and imbued with originality.
Clay cezve – simple, cheap, elegant and … useless.
Ceramics – clay with various stabilizers and additives. It is also a fragile material, but less porous, so coffee can be prepared in different varieties. In general, this is a good option for home use, especially if you are a neat and dexterous person. True, the thermal conductivity of such Turks is much worse than that of copper ones, therefore it is not advisable to cook on gas – only on sand.
A ceramic cezve is the best choice for beginner coffee lovers.
Of the minuses of ceramics: like clay, ceramic cezve slowly cools down and transfers some of the heat to the drink, so after removing it from the fire, coffee can still “run away”. You need to be vigilant. But if you are a novice coffee lover and are not ready to fork out for a good copper cezve yet, feel free to buy an inexpensive ceramic one and practice.
Stainless steel products are also on sale. Perhaps this will be the worst option. Soulless metal has low thermal conductivity, and it will be very problematic to brew delicious coffee in such a Turk. Summarizing all of the above, we can say that the best option is always a copper cezve with cupronickel or tin coating. Worse, but still acceptable, is the ceramic cezve. If things are really bad, then you can get by with aluminum or brass. Clay sosodas are suitable only for decoration.
Form turks
The cezve must be conical in shape with a narrow neck and a wide bottom. The throat should be two to three times narrower than the bottom. The wide bottom provides stability and a large heating surface, and the narrow neck provides a cork, which is formed due to the accumulation of dense foam on the surface. The cork blocks the access of oxygen, which prevents the drink from boiling quickly, and also prevents the evaporation of aromatic substances. Among other things, the conical shape contributes to the rapid settling of coffee grounds and its separation from the foam.
Turkish size
Products come in different sizes: from 100 ml for 1-2 cups to 600 ml for 8-10 cups. On the bottom of the Turks often indicate their capacity and number of servings. It is better, of course, to give preference to a small cezve of 100 ml. Coffee in such vessels turns out to be as tasty and aromatic as possible, and the drink itself can be prepared very quickly.
Turk wall thickness
Optimally – one and a half millimeters, if we are talking about copper. Too thick bottom and thin walls indicate that the cezve is not solid, but soldered from separate sheets. On the one hand, there is nothing wrong with this, and thick-bottomed vessels are ideal for heating on the sand. But such a Turk should cost decent money, because silver should be used with such soldering according to food technologies. It seems that instead of silver, most manufacturers use less “purebred” substances of dubious origin.
Turkish handle
No less important parameter. First of all, the handle should be long and preferably at an angle. This way you will protect your hands from burns. Also, the handle should not get hot. The best option would be a handle made of metal with low thermal conductivity. Plastic ones are also good, but when heated, they exude not the most pleasant aroma, and if overlooked, they can completely melt. The wood is suitable, but over time, especially when in contact with water, the wooden handle loses its shape (the wood shrinks or swells) and loosens. On the other hand, it can always be replaced.
All of the above in one picture.
Preparing and caring for a copper cezve
The Turk is a universal tool and coffee can be brewed in it on anything: on sand, on coals, on a fire, on a gas stove, and so on. But after buying it, you need to prepare it well. To begin with, the cezve must be thoroughly rinsed with water, but without detergents, which will clog micropores and will not detach from you for a very long time. And in general, try to avoid detergents in principle. It is better to use ordinary soda, but only dissolved, so as not to scratch the inner coating.
If the vessel needs to be disinfected, and this must be done after purchase, simply fill the Turk with water and add a few slices of lemon, then put it on the fire and bring the water to a boil. After disinfection, it is advisable to pour ready-made coffee into a new cezve so that it clogs the smallest pores, thereby blocking the path of other less aromatic substances. The first two tea leaves are best poured. Now the Turk is ready for use and you can safely brew delicious Turkish coffee in it, following our recommendations.
After using the Turks, spare no water to rinse it well. They say that the coffee coating that forms on the inner walls only improves subsequent portions of the drink. Improves the taste of the first coffee that has been in the Turk and clogged the micropores. Subsequent plaque only increases the risk of burning the drink. You need to remove plaque only with a soft sponge and in no case with an iron brush, which can scratch the surface. For washing, use only soda or water acidified with lemon.
Over time, copper loses its luster. To return it, you can resort to folk wisdom. Our grandmothers cleaned copper with the so-called “vinegar dough”, a mixture of ordinary flour and vinegar. The resulting dough needs to be smeared on the outside of the Turk and let the dough dry, after which it can be easily removed with an ordinary sponge. To return the shine, you can also use a solution of whey and table salt: 1 tbsp. salt and 1 glass of whey. It is necessary to wet the flannel in this mixture and clean the darkened sides of the vessel with it.
“Coffee is a very personal drink. It, like cognac, cannot be drunk in mugs!
Winston Churchill
Good luck with your choice. And remember, in Turkey, coffee is drunk slowly, enjoying every sip. Turkish coffee is drunk not to give impetus to the already rapidly rushing time, but to stop it!