How To Make Turkish Coffee

Turkish coffee…it’s so rustic yet so elegant. Though often shadowed by its more mainstream counterparts, Turkish coffee can be a morning staple or stand in as an elegant end to a meal.

One of my favourite kitchen tasks as a kid was grinding coffee in my baba’s (grandma’s) little wooden coffee grinder. I used to love dropping the little beans into the top compartment, sliding it shut then turning the crank to hear the crushing sound of the beans. They became a fine grind that would fall into a little drawer that slid out like it was a piece of furniture. The aroma of the ground coffee would waft out when you opened the drawer. Sheer bliss—enough to paint a still life.

My friend Dani and I grew up drinking lots of Turkish coffee, because both our moms come from Serbia! That is why we made this video. I remember grinding the beans in my baba’s hand crank coffee grinder—which is the exact one we used in our video!

Here is how Dani and I make Turkish coffee when she comes to visit from Arizona. Every household has its own version, and ours is a combination of how our babas used to make it. We added a cardamom pod while roasting the coffee and sugar together, but this is entirely optional. Also, you can adjust the amount of coffee to water to suit your preference. It’s your masterpiece! However you make it, Dani and I hope you will enjoy the Turkish coffee experience as much as we do.