Stovetop
Turkish / Ibrik
The oldest brewing method of all — ultra-fine coffee gently simmered in a cezve for a thick, intense, unfiltered cup with a prized foam.
At a glance
What you’ll need
A cezve (ibrik), a grinder capable of an extra-fine grind, a stove, and small cups. Sugar is optional but traditional.
The recipe
How to brew
Turkish coffee — made in a small long-handled pot called a cezve or ibrik — is the oldest brewing method there is, treasured across Turkey, the Middle East, Greece and the Balkans. Coffee is ground to a flour-fine powder and gently simmered with water (and often sugar). It's never filtered, so the cup is thick, intense and aromatic, with the grounds settling at the bottom and a signature foam on top. The measures below are per small cup — scale up for more.
Step by step
- Add cold water to the cezve — about one small coffee cup (70g) per serving.
- Add roughly one heaped teaspoon (7g) of extra-fine coffee per cup, plus sugar to taste if desired. Stir once to combine.
- Heat slowly over a low flame — do not stir again. A dark foam will begin to build.
- Just as the foam rises toward the rim (before it boils over), lift the cezve off the heat. For extra foam, return it briefly for a second rise.
- Pour gently into the cup, keeping the prized foam on top, then let it rest for a minute so the grounds settle before sipping.
Never let it hit a rolling boil — a slow, gentle heat is what builds the foam and keeps the cup smooth rather than bitter.
Troubleshooting
- No foam? Heat more slowly on a lower flame, and make sure the grind is truly flour-fine.
- Bitter or burnt? It boiled — pull it off the heat the moment the foam rises, and never let it roll.
- Weak or watery? Add a little more coffee, or grind finer.
- Gritty in the mouth? Let it settle a full minute before sipping, and don't drink the last sludge at the bottom.
