The Chronicles of My Boring Life – Ep. 2: Turkish Coffee

A Different Kind of Morning Coffee

Most mornings, I make coffee the same way. I pop in a Keurig, press the button, and I have a hot, steaming cup of coffee in less than a minute. It’s fast, familiar, and gets the job done.

But the other morning was different.

This time, I decided to make Turkish coffee.

Now, I’ll be honest — I didn’t wake up thinking, “Today I’m going to embrace a cultural tradition from the other side of the world.” It actually started with something simple and thoughtful: a gift from my student. Gizem is from Turkey. She’s currently living in Atlanta and recently we had a chance to meet in person — an experience I talk about in Episode 2 of this series. During our visit, she unexpectedly handed me a small bundle of beautiful items from Turkey: a Turkish coffee pot (cezve), finely ground coffee, two tiny cups (fincan), and a box of Turkish delight (lokum).

The Process: Slowing Down for Something New

I’d never made Turkish coffee before, but I figured… why not try?

Instead of rushing through my usual coffee routine, I took a breath and slowed down. I gathered my supplies and, step by step, started making the coffee. I measured out one small cup of cold water (soğuk su) and poured it into the cezve. The cups are tiny, and the coffee is strong — so you really don’t need much. I usually take my coffee with cream and no sugar, but Turkish coffee is known for its bold flavor, so this time I added just a touch of sugar (şeker).

After a quick stir (karıştırmak), I placed the pot on the stove (ocak) over low heat (kısık ateş) and waited. Slowly, the foam (köpük) started to rise — my signal to take it off the heat, just before it boiled. I poured it into the cup and let the foam settle on top. No stirring. Just slow, steady, and simple. It looked beautiful — but it was really hot. I had to wait a few minutes before taking that first sip. When I finally did, it actually tasted much better than I expected.

Was it perfect? Probably not.
Was it interesting? Absolutely.

Not Just a Cup of Coffee

Making Turkish coffee took a little longer than my Keurig, but honestly, that was part of the point. Every now and then, it’s good to break from the usual routine. To try something new, even if it’s small. Especially when that something new comes from someone else’s culture — and you realize how much you can learn by doing something just a little bit differently.

And the Turkish delight?
Yeah… it was amazing! I couldn’t get enough

Want to Learn More? Watch This

If you’re curious about the tradition behind Turkish coffee — the technique, the history, and even the practice of reading fortunes from coffee grounds (telve) — I found this video really insightful and beautifully done:

Perfect Turkish Coffee | with History & Fortune-Telling
by Aegean Delight

A Few Turkish Words I Learned Along The Way

• Cezve – Turkish coffee pot
• Fincan – Small coffee cup
• Lokum – Turkish delight
• Köpük – Foam
• Telve – Coffee grounds
• Şeker – Sugar
• Afiyet olsun! – “Enjoy!” (like “bon appétit”)

Curious how it all turned out? You can watch me make Turkish coffee — start to finish — in my latest video. Watch it here on YouTube