Turkish Kahve

Turkish Kahve. Mmmm. I love this stuff. I mean....mmmmmmm. This is some seriously good shit. I can go on and on about how good this stuff is! I just might. But, I want you to stick around for a little while, so I'm just gonna say it one more time: This is some fucking incredibly good KHAVE!!!!!

What is Khave? It's the Turkish word for "coffee". I think it looks better than "coffee". So, for the rest of this post, I will be using "khave" in place of "coffee". Is that cool with you? If not, well.....tough shit. This is MY BLOG!! I run things around these parts!

Now that I've gotten my power trip out of the way, we can get down to business.

This isn't my first time talking about Turkish Kahve. In one of my first few post, I went to a place called Super Hassan's Grill. It was at this little hole in the wall restaurant where I experienced this type of Kahve for the first time. From the first cup, I knew I had found something very special. It had such a wonderful flavor with a ever-so slight sweetness that made it impossible to put down. For me, it was love at first sip.

Here's a pic from that older post.

Since then, I've gone back there a good number of times for the Kahve and the shawarma. Like most things, it got to a point that I wanted to try my hand at making this myself. Sure, it's nice to stop by there after work for a pick-me-up and light meal. But, there's nothing like lounging around the house in your pajamas and enjoying a nice cup of Kahve.

Now, here is where the fun really began. I knew where to buy the Khave, so no problems there. What I wasn't sure on was how to prepare it. After reading the back of a few bags of Kahve, I knew the brewing technique was important. I didn't want to completely fuck it up, so, I did what I usually do in these situations: Get my ass to Google and YouTube.

What I found was....sordid to say the least. Every video I watched on YouTube seemed to be just a little different than the previous. The best part was that on every video, people would comment saying "YOU'RE DOING IT ALL WRONG!!!".

Sites I found on Google were no better. Each one saying "This is the proper way to make Kahve!", and each one being slightly different.

Since getting a straight answer was going to be nearly impossible, I decided to just go with the few similarities that most had. Those are:

1. Start with cold water.
2. Mix in Kahve and sugar at the beginning.
3. Bring to a boil slowly.

Before we go any further, read this. That is a link to a good sum of Turkish Kahve.

Now I think it's time to show how I did this.

First, they say to buy a little narrow-topped pot called a cezve. I know there are different names for this, but this is the one I'm going with.

The standard recipe goes 2 heaping teaspoons of Kahve to 1 mug of water. That is what I went with. I also added 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar.

The Kahve grounds are very fine. Plus, there is a little something extra in it. I'll tell you towards the end. :)

I stirred everything in and turned the heat to about medium-low. Most of the sites said it should take roughly 10 minutes to properly heat it. Mine didn't take that long. We'll call that Fuck Up #1.

When it does start to boil, it will froth around the edges before it start to try and boil over.

They say that when it comes to a boil, take it off the heat for a minute to rest. Then, place it back on the heat and bring to a boil once more. Some sites said just one re-boil. Some said 3 or 4 times. I did it 3 times.

Here is another bit of controversy with Turkish Kahve: Foam. Some sites say a true cup has a bit of foam on top. Me, being the genius that I am, gave the Kahve a soft stir after the second boil and managed to kill the foam. We will call that Fuck Up #2.

BUT, and I mean a big, apple bottom BUT, I did see a few sites that said the foam wasn't very good. The cup I got from the restaurant didn't have any foam, and I thought it tasted just fine!

After the last boil, it's time to pour. Pour it in your cup and let it sit for a minute. There isn't any straining here, so you are gonna have some grinds in each cup. Don't swirl it, just let it rest so the grinds settle at the bottom.

I took a sip and was relieved that it came out fairly good. I tasted a little different than what I had at the restaurant, but it was very good in its own right. This Kahve has a bit more spice than what I previously had. That spice? Cardamom. Yeah, cardamom.

When I was shopping for the Kahve, I basically had 3 options: No cardamom, medium cardamom, and extra cardamom. I chose the medium, to be safe.

If you like Kahve, or think all Kahve is bitter and needs all sorts of shit to make it taste good, I strongly suggest you give Turkish Kahve a try. If you don't want to make it, fine. Search Yelp and find a local spot that serves it. Just try it.

One tiny little warning: It's very strong. If caffeine hits you hard, I would tread lightly at first, just so you won't be up for 2 days after drinking it. If you are like me (which I DOUBT cuz I rock!) It won't hit you too hard, but it will be clear that it's stronger than your average cup of java.

That's about it. They say that it's usually served with a glass of water and something sweet, like Turkish Delight. I've made Turkish Delight before, and to honest, I didn't care for it too much. Hey, to each his own, right?

I almost forgot, don't drink the last sip. It's all Kahve grounds. Not the best feeling to have a mouthful of grounds. Trust me on this one.

I hope you enjoyed the post. I REALLY hope you get to try Turkish Kahve at some point. It's one of those things I wish I had discovered earlier.

Take Care,

J. Miller