Coffee

Turkish coffee started its journey in Istanbul in 1555 when two Syrian traders brought coffee to the city. At the beginning it was known as the »milk of chess players and thinkers.” But soon in 17th century it became a part of ceremonies involving the Ottoman court where coffee makers with the help of assistants ceremoniously prepared and served coffee for the sultan.

In ancient times, women received intensive training in the harem on the proper technique of preparing this Turkish beverage. Perspective husbands would judge a woman’s merits based on the taste of her coffee.

From the days of Ottoman Empire throughout present, coffee has played an important role in Turkish life style and culture. Coffee houses have become social institutions where people could meet and talk. Even today the traditional coffee houses play an important role in Turkish culture as they serve as a meeting place for tourists and locals.

Today Turkish beverage is popular in the Middle East, North Africa, Caucasus, the Balkan, basically all over the world. It is derived from the Arabic beans and made in small pot called ibrik.

How to make Turkish coffee

Traditionally we boil water in a pot or ibrik and add some coffee when the water boils. The process of boiling water in a coffee pot involves repeatedly bringing the coffee in the ibrik just to a boil, and then removing it from the heat to let it cool.

The most important thing to know when brewing this beverage is the foam that appears when we bring it to boil. It has to boil just for few seconds. As the foam is the essence of Turkish coffee we have to make it enough so the coffee will have distinct flavor. But we need to avoid bitterness that can appear if we boil it to much.

Sometimes aromatic spice cardamom is added to the coffee while it is being ground. Traditional Turkish coffee has six levels of sweetness ranging from very sweet to black. After the coffee is brewed we distribute coffee foam evenly among coffee drinkers and pour out the remaining coffee. Before we serve coffee, we wait for a minute or two to let it cool down.

Easy to follow steps to great Turkish coffee
1. We boil cold water in an ibrik
2. Remove from heat and add finely ground coffee and sugar and put it back on heat
3. Repeatedly bringing the coffee in the ibrik just to a boil (twice or three times should do it)
4. Pour foam equally among all drinkers (you can use a spoon to do that)
5. Pour out the remaining coffee into coffee cups
6. Allow it to cool down and wait for the grounds to settle to the bottom of the cup

Ingredients for one cup

o 1 cup of cold water
o 1-2 tablespoons of ground Arabic coffee
o 1 spoon of sugar
o Aromatic spice cardamom

Congratulations! You now know how to make Turkish coffee. Just remember one more thing: do not stir coffee after pouring into cups as the foam will collapse.

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Author: Roman Hafner
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Caffeine is a drug, yes, but a very sweet one at that. It enhances the senses and uplifts the spirits. Coffee is, without a doubt, a culture unto itself. Used as a means to gather, laugh and debate. Coffee is a social beverage. Its roots are as storied and full as the roasts you may drink.

Within the borders of Turkey coffee has become an institution. It has its own culture complete with ritual and house of worship (coffeehouses). Turkish coffee, in particular may, without a doubt in most coffee lovers’ minds be the be all and end all of coffee. It was introduced to Turkey in the early to mid 1500′s, finding the first coffeehouse opening soon after.

Coffee came at a rather interesting time in Turkish history as it was geared more toward decadence than business. This gave way to many rituals. One of which was to brew the beans slowly over fifteen to twenty minutes in a copper coffee pot nestled among the embers of smoldering charcoal. The pot was removed frequently to prevent overheating. You can certainly tell the difference, if you are a coffee connoisseur, between Turkish coffee and your run of the mill modern day restaurant coffee.

The Turks believed in delicate brewing and all that was needed was a copper pot that came to a point, a teaspoon and something to heat it with. Water was always cold and the coffee fresh ground right before brewing. One thing that makes Turkish coffee so good, rich and special as that many would add cardamom and or sugar to the ground prior to brewing. Also unique is that the ingredients were added to the water instead of the water added to the ingredients. After all of the ingredients are added, they are stirred, spoon removed and pot placed on the heating source. No more stirring occurs and the pot is removed periodically to prevent the overheating mentioned earlier.

Identifying well prepared Turkish coffee is easy. It’s not too hot and has a thick foam resting comfortably on top and is free of any dark particles. In some circumstances, the coffee is brought to a boil and just before boiling over is removed the heat then replaced to do it all over again. This process is done two or three times and concentrates the coffee down. Cold water is served and drank before the coffee to cleanse the palette. Traditionally, the pastry known as Turkish Delight was served alongside the coffee and afterward you’re treated to mint liqueur.

Turkish coffee is special. Not because it tastes good, but because of the care and love that is put into the preparation and consumption of it. Coffee has a very special meaning to the Turkish people and to the culture of their land and that should be respected. The whole premise and life of coffee in Turkey gave way to all of the coffeehouses and coffee business that we partake in to this day from our Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts to your mom and pop Beatnik Coffee Dens. Without Turkish coffee, we would have no coffee at all.

Steve is a regular contributor to Coffee Maker Review an informational website for Coffee Maker ratings and reviews on the top brands including Bunn Coffee Makers and Senseo Coffee Makers

Author: Stephen Haworth
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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We know the first thing added to coffee beans were cloves, cinnamon, cardamom and anise. Today that has expanded beyond spices to sugars and flavorings. What is responsible for all this expansion is called coffee aroma along with the mouth-feel, sweet, salt, bitter and sour taste attributes that are perceived by the tongue. All the present day specialty coffee flavor attributes are desired because of the aroma first. Instant coffee and decaf coffee have components that are responsible for stimulation of the taste buds. Instant coffee is different in that it lacks most of the aromatic volatile compounds that create a decrease in the overall flavor of the coffee.

There are many decisions to be made before anything is added to the coffee beans to alter its flavor. There many kinds of coffee beans that came from all over the world. These beans, it is believed, all originated in Ethiopia and were taken by merchants back to Yemen and Pakistan where they were crushed and boiled the beans in a coffee maker called an ibrik to make the first coffee. From there they ended up in Europe where Dutch traders took them to different parts of Asia, the Caribbean and South America. English sailors brought coffee beans to America and later brought coffee plants. These beans were known as Arabica because they came from Arabia. However, these beans when planted in the different soils around the world took on different tastes. Today, we have Ethiopian coffee, Brazilian coffee, Java coffee, Kenyan coffee, Jamaican coffee, Sumatran coffee, Haitian coffee, Vietnamese coffee and Argentine coffee are just a few of the beans from countries around the world that have there own unique taste. These new tastes were created by the new soil in which they were planted.

How you make the coffee from all the different coffee makers makes an added difference in the taste. We have French press made coffee, percolator coffee, pourover drip coffee methods, and espresso machines and other modes to make our coffee. This is just the beginning before adding anything to the beans. However, we can mention at this point that your taste buds may want to add a sweetener and /or a dairy product such as cream, milk, half and half, or soymilk. The flavored creamers available also add to change the taste of your favorite cup of coffee.

We have not even started on the spices that at added to the roasting process or are added when the beans are ground. Sometimes spices are added to hide the bitterness of the taste of the coffee from certain beans. This was certainly the case with the original coffee drinkers. Beans were ground and spices were added because they boiled the beans for hours until there was a thick sludge at the bottom of the coffee maker. The coffee was drunk by straining it through ones teeth. Since the beginning and even today cinnamon is used to sweeten the coffee taste. One must be careful in the amount added here as it may become too sweet or bitter. Cinnamon also absorbs the oils while infusing the flavorful mask of bitterness. Cloves has a stronger taste that adds a woody flavor and rich earthy overtone that makes one of the pleasant scents; this reminds of the scent coming from a home-baked ham. Cardamom remains the most popular spice in Saudi Arabian even today and cardamom coffee, gahwa, remains a symbol of hospitality. Gahwa is crushed green coffee beans and green cardamom pod seeds along with saffron or ground cloves are added along with a sweetener then boiled for two or three minutes. The coffee is then strained through a filter and served. Anise is the last of the oldest spices that were added to coffee and has a licorice-like flavor and odor. Anise, too, has been used for ages to cover up bitter tasting coffee.

Today, nutmeg, is a smooth, sweet, yet highly spicy addition used with eggnog coffee and chocolate (cocoa) flavored coffees. Cloves and nutmeg added to coffee are said to create a pure cup of goodness. Vanilla with its sweet scent and deep flavor has become one of the most used sweeteners in coffee today with French vanilla coming in at a close second. Both do an excellent job of hiding a bitter taste in coffee. Add cocoa to coffee and you have Mocha. Love your real bitter sweet chocolate? Add a little sugar to your shredded chocolate and coffee and you have a rich bodied barista’s Mocha.

Other flavors added to coffee include honey, clover honey is the most popular, but don’t dismiss all the flavored honeys that bee keepers are offering. White refined sugar, raw sugar and organic sugar cannot be left out of the picture, and we cannot forget brown sugar either.

Last, but not least, are the different kinds of roasts. City roast is the lightest gourmet roast while a full city roast is slightly darker and produces a heavier and slightly caramel flavor. French roast produces a slightly burnt taste without the acidity that many find most enjoyable. The darkest roast is Italian espresso roast. The beans are black, brittle and shiny with a very distinct burnt flavor without any acidity. Espresso machines help create the favorite coffee for espressos and cappuccinos. For flavored coffees, the highest grade of one hundred percent Arabica beans is used in the infusion process of actual flavor ingredients into the beans. There of hundreds of flavored coffees you can buy, but I thought I would leave you with a few of my favorites. They include: Coconut and Swiss Chocolate, Orange and French Vanilla with a touch of cream (Orange-Sicle) and Mint Chocolate.

We offer a wide variety of household coffee makers in size and brands that are all 3 star and above. Our commercial brands are Grindmaster, Cecilware and the Bunn line of products along with all there accessories and options. http://www.coffeemakersshop.com

Author: Joyce Kaaland
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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