Last Updated on October 27, 2021 by John Moretti
If you’ve ever been to Turkey and tasted their delicious specialty coffee prepared in an almost ritualistic manner, you’ve undoubtedly been wondering how to recreate that special experience in the comfort of your own home. Thankfully, this is possible with the help of a special pot (cezve).
There are countless Turkish coffee pots on the market today, but not all are able to produce the high-quality coffee you’ve come to expect from this specialized brewing method. The most important factor is the material from which the pot is made. This will determine your coffee’s quality.
In order to determine which type is best, you should look at the construction of the pot itself. A good pot will be made of lined copper and have a thick build. There should also be a wide base and a narrow top, with a long handle to keep your hand away from the heat at all times.
The best pots are usually handmade in Turkey, and these are usually made of copper which is hammered by hand to create a quick and even heating experience.
Demmex Turkish Coffee Pot
This 9-ounce Demmex Turkish coffee pot should suffice if you need a pot large enough for two servings but don’t need a whole set. The hammered copper pot is handcrafted in Gaziantep, Turkey, and comes in two finishes: dark antiqued and bright and glossy.
The pot’s copper part is 2 millimeters thick and tin-lined. It features a wooden handle and is accompanied by a wooden spoon.
CopperBull Copper Turkish Coffee Pot
If you want to prepare five to six servings of coffee at once, this 15-ounce CopperBull Turkish coffee pot is worth considering.
The pot is constructed of hammered copper that is 2 millimeters thick and is handcrafted in Turkey. It has a dark oak handle and a tin lining for further safety and convenience.
Silk Road Trade Turkish Coffee Pot
The Silk Road Trade Turkish coffee pot is a handcrafted cezve fashioned from a single sheet of copper in Turkey. Tin is used to line the 2-millimeter thick copper. The extended wooden handle detaches easily, making it simple to store the pot when not in use.
The pot is also available in three sizes: small (with a 6-ounce capacity), large (with a 14-ounce capacity), and XX-large (with a 16-ounce capacity) (with an impressive 28-ounce capacity).
CopperBull Turkish Coffee Pot Set For 2 (10 Piece)
This CopperBull Turkish coffee pot set is perfect for anyone who is new to preparing Turkish coffee or wants a complete set. The set comes with an 8-ounce hand-hammered pot that makes enough coffee for two people.
The 2 millimeter-thick copper pot has a wooden handle and is coated with nonreactive tin. You also get two porcelain cups, two brass cup holders, two saucers, and two cup lids, all of which are hand-engraved, in addition to the pot. A 3.3-ounce box of excellent ground Mehmet Efendi Turkish coffee is also included in the bundle.
CopperBull Turkish Coffee Pot
The coffee connoisseur will appreciate this copper pot. This is an original piece that is incredibly thick and has outstanding workmanship. It’s entirely hand-engraved, and because it’s made of copper, it’s resistant to rust. This pot can brew up to 5 cups of coffee at a time, making it an excellent choice for hosting a coffee party.
The wooden handle prevents burns, and many of these pots also come with a wooden pot spoon.
CopperBull Solid Hammered Copper Coffee Pot
Another choice to consider is this one, which is basic in style but can last a long time due to its robust material. This one will last for years to come due to its strong construction.
It’s constructed of copper and has a 2 mm thickness, and it can hold 5 cups at a time. The tin-lined wooden handle is comfortable to hold. It has a clean and straightforward appearance.
HIC Stainless Steel Turkish Coffee Pot
This defies typical cezve conventions, which call for a wide base and a tiny top. This Turkish Coffee Warmer and Butter Melting Pot is an unusual combination, but it works well. Despite the fact that the handle is half stainless steel and half ABS plastic. It has a good grip and is heat resistant.
This pot has the capacity to prepare up to 5 Turkish cups at the same time. It’s also great for warming gravies, melting butter, and making sauces. It’s low-maintenance and may also be thrown into the sink in a topsy-turvy form. Don’t worry, it’s not going to break.
Handmade Armenian Coffee Pot
This is a stunning addition to any stylish kitchen. The handcrafted Armenian coffee pot exudes cultural beauty. This has a lovely biblical mount carved on it. It is smooth on the inside and has a heat-resistant hardwood handle that makes it easy to transfer the contents.
DEDE Solid Copper Stamped & Hammered Turkish Coffee Pot
This pot revives traditionalism with its one-of-a-kind antique copper design. The design of the handle is incredibly striking and sleek. The handle is simple and easy to maneuver. This pot is made of strong copper and is coated with tin for durability and safety.
At any given time, 2-3 cups can be made simultaneously. It’s surprisingly simple to clean and maintain, given its high-end appearance.
What To Consider When Purchasing a Turkish Coffee Pot
At its core, a Turkish coffee pot is simply a metal pot that has a long handle. While the correct choice of the pot is essential for ensuring the best possible cup of coffee, it all boils down to the choice of materials (body and handle) as well as the capacity of the pot.
Everything else is pretty much only aesthetic and completely up to personal taste and preference, so whatever you choose in this regard will not affect the quality of your coffee.
Body Material
When it comes to the material making up the body of your Turkish Coffee Pot, there are usually only 3 options available. Stainless steel, copper, and brass are the best and most common options for this, and anything else would not be advisable.
Copper is probably the most commonly found material for Turkish coffee pots because of its anti-rust properties. It does, however, have a tendency to corrode slowly with time. Due to this, the majority of copper pots are manufactured with tin on the inside.
This allows the pot to last for a longer period of time while simultaneously making it easier to clean. Copper is also an excellent conductor of heat, which means that it’s a great choice to use on top of the stove to brew the perfect cup of Turkish coffee.
Brass is another good choice, and it is far less prone to corrosion than copper is. This will ensure that your pot is able to serve you for many years to come.
Stainless steel is your next option, and while not a traditional material for this type of equipment, it lends a more contemporary aesthetic while remaining exceptionally easy to clean, with the added benefit of being able to be put in the dishwasher.
Handle Material
While the material from which the body is made is the most important because this actually has an effect on the brewing, it’s also important to consider the material from which the handle is made.
Most pots made of copper or brass usually have a handle that is made of brass or wood. These materials are all long-lasting and are inherently extremely safe. If you want to purchase a small pot, however, it would be a good idea to avoid those manufactured with metal handles.
Metal handles are serious heat conductors, and this means that the handles will become very hot if they’re close to the stove. Timber handles, on the other hand, are able to stay cool even when closer to the source of heat.
Stainless steel pots, on the other hand, are usually produced with handles made of stainless steel or even plastic. While these may not be susceptible to melting due to having heat-resistant properties, they may still detract from the overall experience due to not being true to the nature of this type of coffee pot.
Capacity
The capacity of the pot you choose is another completely subjective choice. This depends on how much coffee you usually like to make at any given time. Whatever the size of your usual serving of coffee, you should choose a pot that matches this capacity.
It’s an extremely important consideration to ensure that you choose the correct pot size, as these pots cannot be half-filled or brewed at half capacity. Turkish coffee pots come in sizes ranging from a single serving up to 10 servings, and they must be filled up to capacity when used.
This is to ensure that foam is able to build up on top of the coffee, thereby ensuring that you have the best possible cup of coffee possible. One thing to consider is that this type of coffee is exceptionally strong, so you would not normally want to drink more than one cup of it at a time.
The caffeine levels are extremely high due to it being unfiltered, and so you’ll probably be unable to drink more than 2 cups of it despite how much you may love the taste of coffee.
So if you are one who enjoys entertaining and often has guests over, or you have a house full of people who all enjoy drinking Turkish coffee, you would be well-served by purchasing a 5 or 6 serving pot.
What Is Turkish Coffee?
In the past, Turkish coffee was brewed and given to the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire by a team of coffee brewers. They were hired specifically to perform the task of preparing the Sultan’s coffee to perfection, and as such this tradition become entrenched in the Ottoman culture.
The tradition of brewing Turkish coffee expanded into wedding traditions, where the bride-to-be would learn how to brew the perfect cup of coffee and serve it to her potential suitors. This was a custom that has since become indispensable in this culture.
The coffee extended further into the mystic realm, where fortunes could be read once the coffee was finished. A trained fortune teller (also referred to as a Falci) would be able to read your fortune from the shape which was created by the stains on the inside edges of the coffee cup.
Turkish coffee is brewed not only in Turkey, but in Greece and Cyprus too, and it is considered to be the oldest brewing method. This is also the oldest way to prepare unfiltered coffee which is extremely finely ground.
The equipment used to brew this specialty coffee is called a ‘cezve’ or an ‘ibrik’, and this is essentially a brass or copper pot with a long handle to ensure you do not get burnt by the steam that is produced when the coffee is brewed.
To grind the coffee, a special Turkish grinder is used which grinds the coffee down to an extremely fine consistency, not unlike that of caster sugar. When the powder has completely sunk to the bottom of the cup, you can enjoy a delicious, rich cup of Turkish coffee.
How To Brew Turkish Coffee
Brewing Turkish coffee is not at all the same as brewing espresso or normal coffee and requires a special method to brew the perfect cup. The design of the pot incorporates flared edges which assist in catching the grounds of coffee.
Start by adding water – at room temperature – to the pot, with about 50ml per cup. This can be adjusted depending on your individual taste preferences, which you will develop with practice. Next, add a full tablespoon of sugar (or less, again depending on your personal preference).
Now, the cezve should be placed on the heat and stirred after about a minute. The water and sugar mixture should now be brought to a boil, and then removed from the heat as soon as the boiling begins, which should be around 2 ½ minutes.
Add one teaspoon of finely ground coffee per cup, and then bring this mixture to a boil. As soon as it begins boiling, remove the entire pot from the heat. The coffee is now almost ready to serve, but before you serve it, ensure that the remaining powder is first able to settle.
The Final Word
While there are countless options available when it comes to purchasing a Turkish coffee pot, the most important things to consider are the material of the pot, the material of the handle, and the capacity of the pot itself. Aesthetics are important, but should not be chosen over quality and functionality.
Opt for a pot that is made in Turkey where possible to ensure you’re getting something that will last you for a long time.
