Is it possible to make Turkish coffee in a drip coffee maker or espresso machine?

coffee maker and electric kettle in a kitchen for Turkish coffee

Although the subtleties of making Turkish coffee vary from region to region and taste, it preserves its traditional flavor and popularity for centuries with its unique cooking method and different intense flavor from other coffees. However, although it may seem like a simple process, it is not as easy as you think to cook Turkish coffee properly. Because Cezve, which is a cooking tool unique to Turkish coffee maker, completely leaves the task of achieving the ideal taste, texture, and consistency to the coffee brewer.

Turkish coffee maker called Cezve Turkish coffee machines, which entered our lives with the need for fast service in cafeterias, have models with many different cooking techniques and technologies. But we can easily say that; In general, these machines still give results that are far from the taste of Turkish coffee cooked in Cezve. The reason why it has reached so many consumers in such a short time is that, in addition to providing a fast service experience, it creates an almost artificial foam created by the spraying method, which has nothing to do with the texture of traditional Turkish coffee. As you may know, one of the first criteria that Turkish coffee should have is that the coffee is frothy. Therefore, the ability of these machines to make frothy coffee was the most important factor attracting customers in the first years of their introduction. But of course, as long as the ideal taste is not reached, the presence of foam on the coffee makes no difference. Because bad-tasting coffee makes it difficult to drink no matter what.

Let’s come to another question whose answer is often wondered: Is it possible to cook Turkish coffee in an espresso machine or a drip coffee maker? The answer to this is, regrettably, absolutely no! Now let’s get to the reasons… In fact, the reasons why both tools are not suitable for cooking Turkish coffee are very close to each other.

Espresso machine with two cups- Not works as a Turkish coffee maker

Drip coffee makers

The coffee used to brew filter coffee is ground to be coarser than Turkish coffee. If you try to make Turkish coffee with the same method since the Turkish coffee beans are ground finer, the coffee will almost turn into mud, it will prevent the water from filtering through the filter, causing you to get a drink that is both intense and tasteless. Moreover, Turkish coffee is a type of coffee that needs to be cooked slowly, that is, it requires slow cooking in order to reveal its real aroma and attain the traditional texture.

Espresso machines

The most important problem here is the brewing time of the coffee. Espresso is a type of coffee prepared in a much shorter time and with high pressure, even compared to filter coffee. Based on traditional Italian recipes, espresso should be cooked with high pressure so that it is ready in approximately 25-30 seconds. Since espresso machines are produced with reference to this recipe, no matter what coffee bean you put in it or what type of coffee you want to cook, it will still use this time setting, and it is not possible to cook either delicious or tasty Turkish coffee with this speed. Moreover, this applies not only to coffee machines but also to the mocha pot, the traditional espresso brewing tool. Since the water and coffee reservoirs are separate and limited in espresso machines or mocha pots, it is not possible to achieve the ideal water-coffee ratio that should be used for Turkish coffee. However, if you want to prepare coffee in the preset sizes of these tools, you will get a very bitter and more intense coffee compared to Turkish coffee, and the coffee you obtain will have a taste, texture, and consistency close to espresso rather than Turkish coffee.

Aside from the unsuitability of the coffee machines, it is impossible to obtain real Turkish coffee by changing its unique brewing method. Unlike other types of coffee, Turkish coffee is mixed with water to become homogeneous and cooked together, aiming to dissolve the coffee’s aroma into the water slowly. This is the reason why Turkish coffee is so finely ground. According to the preferences of the drinkers, it is possible to obtain soft, intense, and strong Turkish coffee with light, medium, dark, or double-roasted coffee beans.

Today, it is easy to find Turkish coffee in many different aroma and flavor settings, with the growing coffee industry and the producers increasing their varieties day by day. Here, on the other hand, we come across the question of whether to drink Turkish coffee with or without sugar. If we go back to the beginning and take the traditional Turkish coffee making techniques as a basis, in the Ottoman Empire time, that is, in the period when Turkish coffee took the world stage with this special technique, Turkish coffee was cooked without sugar, in special sand-filled pans, only with Cezve, the traditional Turkish coffee maker, and served with Turkish delight and homemade cherry liqueur on special occasions. However, in today’s world where the food and beverage industry has become so global, market owners aim to appeal to almost every segment and therefore sell by offering Turkish coffees in many different varieties and aromas. As a result of this, although we obtain many different varieties of Turkish coffee, we are always one step further away from the main and traditional Turkish coffee.

The idea of making Turkish coffee appealing to everyone by offering different options may sound good; however, the cultural importance of preserving the traditional taste and original recipe and transferring such a unique and distinctive beverage to future generations should be understood and the necessity of its preservation should not be ignored.

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