June 2008 - Posts

• The Turks and Turkish Coffee

  Drinking coffee is a unique pleasure for Turks. A cup of Turkish coffee is endowed with a variety of important connotations for Turks: friendship, affection and sharing. This is best illustrated in the old saying: "A single cup of coffee can create a friendship that lasts for 40 years". Turkish coffee is such an intrinsic part of Turkish culture that it has given its name to the word for breakfast, "kahvaltı", which translates as "before coffee", and is derived from the words "kahve" (coffee) and "altı" (before). Serving a cup of Turkish Coffee is also a way of sealing a friendship. The preparation and care taken by a host in serving Turkish Coffee to his guests is an important aspect of hospitality. In Turkey, it is traditional for a prospective bride to serve coffee to her suitor and his family when they come to ask for her hand in marriage. Accepting a cup of coffee is a source of pride to the person who offers it. This is illustrated in the Turkish expressions "his coffee can be drunk" and "I would drink a cup of your coffee". Nothing compares to long, friendly conversation over a cup of frothy Turkish Coffee, followed by having your fortune told. Posted Jun 23 2008, 05:26 AM by admin with no comments Filed under: Turkish Coffee

• Grinding Turkish Coffee

  After the hidden flavours of a high quality coffee have been brought out by roasting, the coffee must undergo one more process before it can be prepared: "grinding". Every type of coffee is ground differently. From the finest to the most coarse, these are Turkish Coffee, espresso and filter coffee. Turkish Coffee undergoes a much more complicated grinding process than other coffees since it must be ground to a very fine powder. In order to get the grind right, the process must be carefully monitored and requires expert supervision. As a result, it can only be ground in specially designed grinders. Combining its extensive experience dating back to 1871 with modern technology and engineering, Turkey's first manufacturer of ground Turkish Coffee, Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi, uses its own unique grinders. Thanks to modern technology, traditional flavour and quality is now available to all coffee lovers. Posted Jun 23 2008, 03:30 AM by admin with no comments Filed under: Turkish Coffee

• Turkish Coffee Roasting

  Roasting is the briefest yet most important and painstaking stage in coffee production. This process carries a heavy weight of responsibility. Both time and money can be lost in a brief moment of carelessness, rendering the labour of hundreds of people on the fields and in the production process pointless. The heat applied to the green coffee beans during roasting changes their colour from the original light green to brown. As the heat rises, the beans lose water. Before roasting, the green coffee beans have no aroma or fragrance; the roasting process uncovers over 900 aromas hidden in the beans. Not every variety of coffee is roasted in the same manner. This is what makes roasting an art form. It requires experience, knowledge and expertise accumulated over many years. An experienced roaster knows the limits and potential of a given type of coffee. It is only through this skill and experience that the roaster is able to maximise the quality of the coffee. The roasting process takes anywhere from 2 and 20 minutes, depending on the technology of the roasting machine used. The temperature is gradually raised during the roasting process, which has many different effects on the coffee beans. In brief, these are: The light green coffee beans are thrown into the roasting machines, which have been preheated to 200 to 250 degrees Celsius. At 100° C the beans change colour from green to yellow. The water in the beans begins to evaporate. They first exude a grassy smell, and then one of boiled vegetables. At 120-130° C the beans turn chestnut brown and begins to smell like toast. At 130-140° C the beans appear speckled, freckled and wrinkled. At 150-160° C the coffee beans give off a smell of roasted grains. This scent signals that the coffee is about to reach its true aroma. At 180° C, due to the high temperature, the beans begin to release the vapours trapped within them and the coffee reveals its true aroma. The beans turn a cinnamon colour and begin to expand. Posted Jun 23 2008, 03:29 AM by admin with no comments Filed under: Turkish Coffee

• Turkish Coffee Tasting

  Coffee tasting, also called "cupping", is the sensory evaluation of coffee, which assesses more than just taste. The senses of smell, taste and "feel" are all involved in this analysis. Smell and taste are very dependent on each other and difficult to separate in assessment. The sense of "feel" involved in assessing coffee evaluates the coffee's body. All coffee is only purchased after being tested in this manner. Every day, the tasting team at Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi samples the flavour of the raw coffee beans in order to make the necessary analysis. Fragrance: The term used in evaluating the smell of ground coffee. Aroma: Based on the flavours identified in the coffee, many different terms are used to describe its characteristics: fruity, nutty, bitter, spicy, winey or chocolate-like… Taste: The term used in evaluating the flavour of the coffee. Nose: The term used in evaluating the fragrance of brewed coffee. Acidity: A desirable attribute in coffee. It indicates the sharpness and bitterness of certain types of coffee. Body: A term used to describe the physical consistency of the beverage in the mouth. Bouquet: After evaluating the fragrance, aroma and taste, this term is used to describe the lasting impression of the combination of these factors. Bitterness: A sharp, biting taste. Not an entirely undesirable attribute. This attribute can be enhanced or diminished according to the method by which the coffee is roasted and prepared. Posted Jun 23 2008, 03:28 AM by admin with no comments Filed under: Turkish Coffee

• Coffee Culture

  As coffee and coffeehouses became an integral part of social culture, coffee became the only drink in the world to have spawned a whole related culture. Ever since the first coffeehouse opened in Istanbul in 1554, coffee has had a tremendous impact on art and culture. Countless artists, students and teachers have come together in coffeehouses to read books, perform plays and hold lively discussions. This situation is not confined to Istanbul; throughout the world, coffeehouses serve as meeting points for intellectuals and coffee has long been the favourite drink of artists. For many years, coffee has been the chosen beverage of artists; for artists and thinkers such as Alexandre Dumas, André Gide, Molière, Victor Hugo, Honoré de Balzac, Voltaire, Ludwig van Beethoven and Immanuel Kant, coffee was much more than a drink: it was a lifestyle. Coffee has served as a platform for friendship and conversation all over the world and has been a source of inspiration for many works of art. Posted Jun 23 2008, 03:26 AM by admin with no comments Filed under: Turkish Coffee

• Turkish Coffee In America

  Coffee reached North America in 1668. The first coffeehouse in New York, "The King's Arms", opened in 1696. In 1714, the Dutch presented Louis XIV with a coffee sapling from their plantations on Java. The sapling was planted in the royal Jardin des Plantes in Paris. In 1723, a French mariner named Gabriel du Clieu took a sapling from the Jardin des Plantes to the island of Martinique. From here, the coffee plant spread to other Caribbean islands, as well as to Central and South America. In 1727, a Portuguese sailor named de Mello Palheta carried coffee saplings to Brazil from French Guyana. Today, Brazil is the number one producer of coffee in the world, accounting for 35% of global coffee production. In 1730, the British began cultivating coffee in Jamaica. By the mid 19th century, coffee had become one of the most important commodities in world trade. Posted Jun 23 2008, 03:25 AM by admin with no comments Filed under: Turkish Coffee

• Coffee in Istanbul

  Istanbul was introduced to coffee in 1543 during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent by Özdemir Pasha, the Ottoman Governor of Yemen, who had grown to love the drink while stationed in that country. Coffee soon became a vital part of palace cuisine and was very popular in court. The position of Chief Coffee Maker (kahvecibaşı) was added to the roster of court functionaries. The Chief Coffee Maker's duty was to brew the Sultan's or his patron's coffee, and was chosen for his loyalty and ability to keep secrets. The annals of Ottoman History record a number of Chief Coffee Makers who rose through the ranks to become Grand Viziers to the Sultan. Coffee soon spread from the palace to grand mansions, and from grand mansions to the homes of the public. The people of Istanbul quickly became enamoured with the beverage. Green coffee beans were purchased and then roasted at home on pans. The beans were then ground in mortars and brewed in coffeepots known as "cezve". Coffee's renown soon spread beyond the palace, grand mansions and homes. Posted Jun 23 2008, 03:23 AM by admin with no comments Filed under: Turkish Coffee