"A cup of coffee will be remembered for 40 years."

Turks can say millions words about coffee: "Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and as sweet as love", "Coffee and tobacco; pleasure is complete", "Sleep cannot be without blanket, coffee without foam" and more. But why Turkish coffee is the most sentimental and romantic drink? Why is so original and irreplaceable? And last but not least, why I like Turkish coffee more than "modern" coffees from the coffee machine? Today something about second best drink in Turkey.

"Turkish coffee" doesn't mean that prepared coffee comes from Turkey because coffee doesn't grow here. It's rather a style or fashion, maybe  we can say "method" of preparing and serving this black drink (Türk Kahvesi). Exactly Turks introduced coffee to West Civilization in XVI century. Big thanks! All people addicted to morning coffee should be grateful! :)

Yesterday in Kadıköy, on the street, I saw a man who was making traditional Turkish coffee on the fire. Smell was awesome and so fresh, also sweet. I don't know this street but for me it'll be Coffee Street forever! It looked like that:

Actually I don't like coffee at all. I love smell but not taste... it's too bitter for me. Maybe I didn't know how to make good one, but really - Turkish was so sweet and thick. Delicious. You can know absolutely nothing about this country, but when you drink a cup of coffee you'll feel like you spent all life in Istanbul or another Turkish city. All Oriental world will seem to be familiar and well-known. Magic... 

English people have their "5 o'clock", Turks have "11 o'clock". This hour is mostly coffee hour. In traditional houses, housewives serve "morning coffee" - it's impossible to drink coffee here with breakfast or before breakfast! You can forget about that!

What you need to prepare Turkish coffee?

1. cezve - a small boiling pot with a handle; 

2. teaspon - to stir coffee with water and sugar before boiling and to take the foam - the most important thing; Turkish coffee without the foam isn't Turkish coffee; all ingredients are  heated together and when the liquid boils, you can serve!

3. coffee; 

4. COLD water; always, always, always use cold water!

5. sugar; there are 4 levels of sweetness: sade (no sugar), az şekerli (a little sugar), orta (medium sugar) and şekerli (really sweet); 

6. cardamon or cinnamon (if you wish);

7. fincan - to serve coffee in a traditional way; it's so small cup, similar to espresso cups but so pretty painted; modern cups (like this one) have handles but they aren't traditional cups; if you be really serious about customs you should use cup without handle but with zarf - metal thing for catching cup;

What can you serve with Turkish coffee?

1. cold water - to fresh your mouth and make better coffee taste;

2. Turkish delight;

After drinking you will find somebody who will tell you from the left grounds everything about your future! Then you have to turn over your cup and wait until cup will be cold. The pattern of the coffee grounds will show what will happen to you soon. This fortune telling is so famous tradition in Turkey and calls here kahve falı. 

Every important family meeting or friends meeting finishes with cup of coffee, but not only... Drinking coffee or rather preparing it is the part of wedding ceremony. Future husband's family visits future wife's family to talk and ask blessing and permission for wedding. Then, the bride must make Turkish coffee and serve it for the groom's family. But not so easy!!! :)  This day's last test for a boyfriend. If the boy really wants his lovely girl he has to drink coffee with salt. He can say nothing but must drink all without complaining. Only then he can be sure she will be his woman forever. 

I'll try to find Turkish coffee in my country. I think I have to learn how to do that. Now it's only theory. Who knows maybe someday I'll have to prepare this drink for my future husband... :)

So now, greetings and... enjoy your coffee. :)

“The quality of tea is a decision your mouth takes.”

Can you imagine Italy without spaghetti, France without cheese or Czech Republic without beer? I suppose you can’t. Now I can’t imagine Turkey without tea too. :)

I’ll never forget an awesome taste and great smell of Turkish tea which welcomed me here. The best tea taste ever! My first glass and absolute love. Love at first sip… It's so simple - a day without Turkish tea is a wasted day. I'll back home soon and I don't know how to exist drinking Lipton Tea again. I'll miss both - çay and tulip glass. :( Normal cup isn't same...

According to the statistics Turkey’s the fourth consumer of tea in the world.  People drink it always and everywhere but if you want to try real Turkish tea you need to know some rules.

Çay is Turkish traditional black tea produced on the eastern Black Sea coast. This place’s quite uniqe because of special maritime climate. Turkish tea must be… tea so I think because of that I’ve never seen  people who drinked çay with milk here.

What you need to make çay? Hmm…

1. two stacked kettles (çaydanlık) can be aluminum or steel – in the larger lower kettle

    you have to boil water and then some of that water is used to boil a strong decoction

    of tea in smaller kettle;

2. tulip shaped glasses for serving tea – you have to mix water and strong tea in

    proportion you like; Turks prepare two kinds of tea: strong (koyu) or weak (açık);

    tulip glasses are so small (not to let tea be cold) and white (to show an amazing

    colour) or green, blue, red... etc.;

3. cubs sugar (kesme şeker); 
 

4. ...and of course... a good tea, real tea... I'd recommend this one. 

  

Turks drink tea (usually not only one glass) for everything: family meetings, friends meetings, work break, party, breakfast, business meetings and as a friendly gesture for guests. Because of that you have to know that drinking is some kind of ritual for Turks and they never drink tea fast. You shouldn't be hurry. Follow native's example! :) They taste every sip and talk to friends or family. Some families have a secret recipe for preparing an ideal tea and if you aren't a member of this family you can forget about learning it.

PS I could find this kind of glasses...

... and nice shop with thousands kinds of tea bags.