I was crushed. I was using my ibrik to reduce some pomegranate balsamic vinegar for my signature Balsamic Raspberry Frozen Yogurt and somehow the reduction created some kind of chemical reaction that caused the metal on the bottom to actually blister and seared the vinegar onto the inside of the pot. Just when I was planning on a shot of Turkish coffee to accompany my dessert…

Not that I recommend doing it, but I’ve used my ibrik many times to reduce a sauce or vinegar for a recipe, since it’s a real convenient size for 2 servings. I’m convinced there’s something unusual about the pomegranate vinegar that caused this, but whatever the reason, my ibrik was ruined. Total bummer.

I have to confess though, that I didn’t really like my World Market ibrik that much. It was functional, of course, but the metal handle gets way too hot to handle so I always had to have a potholder or a dishrag handy to adjust or pour it.

That gave me an excuse to head over to Turkish Coffee World (who knew there was such a site!) and order myself a new ibrik, this time with a wooden handle. I just received it in the mail and I can’t wait to brew a (demitasse) cup!

Where in the world can you get Turkish coffee, you ask? Just about anywhere you can grind your own coffee. Turkish coffee is about the grind & preparation, not the coffee beans (although you definitely want good ones!). Many grocery stores will have a coffee grinder like this and all you need to do is pick the coffee you like and grind it Turkish style.

There are a lot of instructions on the internet for brewing Turkish coffee and I’ve tried a handful of them. I’ve found that the method from Turkish Coffee World works great. Here’s my somewhat modified version:

How to make Turkish coffee

Measure the amount of water that you want to brew.
Place your pot of water on the stove and turn the heat to medium.
If you want sugar (I do), add to taste. I use 1 packet of Sugar in the Raw to make 2 cups.
Add 1 Tbs Turkish coffee per cup. Don’t stir it, just let it sit on top of the water as it heats up.
The coffee will begin to sink into the water as it heats up. Some folks will tell you to stir at this point. I generally don’t. I just let it continue to sink and dissolve into the water, but you can make it either way.
Once the water gets hot, you’ll see bubbles start to form in the froth. As bubbles form around the edge of the pot, watch carefully. It will begin to build and rise, but don’t let the coffee boil.
Adjust the heat by turing down the burner or just lifting the ibrik of the heat. The key idea here is to let the coffee build a thick froth. According to the Turkish Coffee World instructions, that occurs around 158° F, much lower than the boiling point of water. If your coffee boils, you will not have any froth.
Keep it at the “foaming” stage as long as you can without letting it come to a boil. Again, you’ll find a lot of instructions telling you to boil the coffee or let the foam rise and fall (by removing from heat) three or four times, but this isn’t necessary for a delicious cup.
After your pot has raised and cooled a couple times at most and while it still has a thick froth, quickly pour your coffee into the cup so that you get the foam in the cup, then slowly fill the remainder.
Let your cup sit for a minute or so to let the grinds settle at the bottom.

Now, find a place to sit back and enjoy your cup of coffee!

Here’s a YouTube playlist with a few of the better videos on Turkish coffee making techniques. There’s a lot of variety in how to brew, so find a method that works for you and enjoy.