Coffee lovers know that the most delicious version is prepared in Turk.
The aroma and taste of the drink largely depend on its quality.
Another name for Turks is cezva, but this Turkish word has not taken root in Russia. But there are different opinions on this matter - read about the differences between cezves and Turks here.
The Turk can be made from:
- copper;
- brass;
- aluminum;
- ceramics;
- of stainless steel;
- clay;
- silver;
- cupronickel;
- quartz.
Differences and similarities with a clay Turk
Ceramics and clay are the same material with different processing. A pottery pot made of clay does not have a finishing coating - “glaze”, which makes ceramic dishes smooth and shiny.
The porous surface of the clay absorbs smell and color. The taste of new coffee from a clay pot may contain shades of the previous drink. You can prepare another type of coffee in it, but its taste will be distorted.
Caring for clay dishes is more difficult than ceramic ones. Inaccurate washing will quickly ruin the appearance of the product.
Features of using a clay Turk
Using dishes made from natural materials must comply with certain rules.
- If you bought a clay Turk, then before using it you need to wash it well with water, without using detergents. Experts recommend that you then put the purchase in a deep bowl filled with water and leave for about an hour. After this, wipe the cezve dry. Your Turk is ready for use!
- The clay cezve has its own operational characteristics. The first of these is fragility. The dishes may be able to withstand a fall on linoleum, but contact with modern tiles will most likely become critical. Therefore, be careful!
- The second significant nuance of a cezve made from this material is based on its physical properties. The porosity of clay leads to high adsorption of odors and even tastes of the drink being prepared. A clay cezve absorbs the coffee aroma too well, so if you suddenly decide to change the type of coffee, the Turk will have to be washed for a long time and thoroughly and heated with clean water several times to remove the smell of previous brews. The widespread belief that only one type of coffee can be prepared in a clay pot is just an unscrupulous myth.
To completely eliminate the smell in clay dishes, you can fill the Turk with water and a small amount of soda, leave the dishes overnight, and in the morning pour out the solution and rinse first with hot and then with cold water.
Clay cezves today are often coated with a special glaze on the inside to minimize the absorption of odors. It is enough to simply wash such dishes thoroughly and rinse with very cold water.
Which Turk is better: ceramic or copper?
Both copper and ceramic Turks have their fans. They differ in several respects:
- thermal conductivity (copper is higher than ceramics);
- heat capacity (ceramics is higher than copper);
- cooling rate (copper is higher than ceramics).
The main disadvantage of copper Turk is toxicity when the tin layer is damaged. If scratches appear inside the product, its use becomes hazardous to health.
Ceramic Turks do not have this disadvantage, but have another - increased fragility at a high cost.
A copper Turk is considered a more classic option. Many people prefer ceramic products because the drink in them “languishes” longer after turning off the stove and becomes more aromatic.
Useful tips and recommendations on which coffee machine to choose for your home, reviews of models and manufacturers, can be found in our publication.
This article will tell you where and how coffee is grown.
French press - what is it? Find the answer to the question here: https://chay-i-kofe.com/pribory/chto-takoe-french-press-kak-im-polzovatsya-i-zavarivat-chay-i-kofe/
Advantages and disadvantages of ceramic Turks
There are a number of advantages due to which a ceramic coffee pot has gained popularity among lovers of this drink. Thanks to the application of a glassy coating - glaze, the dishes do not undergo oxidation like metal ones, do not absorb the aroma of coffee beans, and do not enter into chemical reactions. These qualities allow you to prepare a drink with a pure taste and aroma. At the same time, you can capture the individual characteristics of each type of coffee.
Also, the advantages of such cookware lie in its shape and design. The wide bottom allows the heat to be evenly distributed throughout the vessel, and the thick walls carefully maintain the accumulated temperature. The narrow neck is designed to preserve the aroma of the drink as much as possible.
Ceramic Turk also has its disadvantages. Among them, ceramics have reduced thermal conductivity. Because of this, the cezve heats up slowly, but maintains its temperature. This property makes it difficult to turn off the fire in a timely manner, which is why the coffee often runs away. To prevent this from happening, remove the vessel from the stove at the moment when the foam begins to rise.
How to use
There are many ways to brew Turkish coffee. The liquid in such a container heats up very quickly.
You cannot leave coffee on the stove unattended, as it will quickly “run away” and lose some of its aroma.
One of the most popular cooking recipes:
- grind coffee beans “to dust” (for example, single-origin “Brazil”);
- prepare cold water from a bottle or filter;
- put the Turk on the stove and start heating it over low heat;
- pour coffee beans and other desired ingredients (spices, sugar) into the heated pot;
- pour water;
- stir the coffee with a long-handled teaspoon;
- As soon as the foam begins to darken and bubbles appear, remove the drink from the heat.
You can remove the Turk from the heat several times when foam appears and return it back as soon as the bubbles settle. Regular stirring allows you to better reveal the taste of the drink.
Connoisseurs of Turkish coffee believe that it is impossible to put Turkish coffee on fire. They place it in a frying pan with sand, due to which the heating occurs gradually.
On a gas stove
Any Turk, including clay, can be used on a regular gas stove.
Don't be afraid that the dishes will burst. During the manufacturing process, the Turk is processed at a higher temperature than a gas burner gives.
It is important that the Turk stands level on the burner. If the diameter of the bottom of the pan is smaller than or equal to the size of the burner, then it will definitely fall when heated.
A metal divider will solve this problem for any gas stove.
When using it, the flame height should be minimal. The quality of the drink and the appearance of the Turka will be preserved.
On electric
If the heating surfaces have an even shape and are of sufficient size, then you can place the Turk on an electric stove without additional equipment .
The problem will arise if the stove uses a heating coil and the Turk is made of ceramic. Uneven heating will not only make your coffee worse, but it can also cause your cookware to crack.
For such slabs you will need a divider. You need to place the Turk on the heating surface before turning on the stove.
You can also check out the electric coffee turk in the next article.
On induction
An induction cooker makes you reconsider a lot of cookware. In order not to look for a special Turk, you can purchase a ferromagnetic disk adapter.
This product will make the process of making coffee the same as on any other stove.
Another way to brew coffee on an induction stove is to use the Turkish recipe. For this you need a frying pan with sand. The Turk does not come into contact with the stove, so any model can be used.
You will find information about special Turks for induction cookers here.
On glass-ceramic
A stove with a glass-ceramic surface does not complicate the coffee brewing process in any way. It is enough to place the Turk on the stove before turning it on and make sure that the drink does not “run away”.
How to make coffee in a ceramic Turk
Why does Turk reveal the aroma and taste of coffee?
The secret lies in the shape and thickness of the walls of the bowl. After turning off the stove, the high temperature is maintained for a long time, which allows the flavor notes to be revealed. The narrow neck preserves the essential oils of the beans.
The Ceraflame Turk takes a long time to heat up - this is a feature of the heat capacity of glass-ceramic products.
Sequential instructions on how to brew coffee in a ceramic pot:
- Wash the purchased dishes with a non-abrasive detergent and rinse.
- Add ground or whole bean (roasted) coffee in the required quantity to the coffee pot.
- Add sugar and your favorite spices (to taste)
- Fill with cold water. You can also brew coffee in hot water, preheated by another appliance. You should not fill the cezve completely; leave the third part empty. During heating, foam forms; to prevent coffee from flooding the stove, refrain from filling it to the brim.
- Heat over low heat.
- Once bubbles appear, remove from heat.
- A special feature of ceramic cookware is that it takes a long time to heat up and takes a long time to cool down. Therefore, to prevent the drink from “running away,” remove the cezve from the heat as soon as bubbles begin to appear.
- Then put the Turk back on the fire and as soon as bubbles and foam begin to rise, remove it from the heat.
- Wait a couple of minutes (the coffee needs to finish)
- Stir the drink with a spoon. Transfer the coffee foam into a cup and pour the coffee into it.
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How to properly care for a ceramic Turk
In order for a ceramic cezve to last a long time and have a good appearance, you need to follow several rules:
- first place the Turk on the stove and then turn on the heat (for uniform heating);
- make sure that the stove burner matches the diameter of the bottom of the Turk;
- do not use aggressive detergents;
- try not to scratch the surface with a sponge when washing or other utensils during storage;
- store the Turk in a stable position, because ceramics easily break when dropped.
How to choose
When choosing a Turk, you should follow your own preferences. Beginners in making their own coffee often prefer models made of copper or ceramics.
As your first Turk, you should not choose expensive options with many decorative elements. “Escaped” coffee and errors in care can quickly ruin the product.
We talked in more detail about how to choose the right Turkish coffee pot at the link.
Top brands
When choosing a Turk, you should pay attention to the brands:
- Ceraflame (huge selection, excellent quality, but high cost);
- "Stanitsa";
- Vitesse;
- Calve;
- Stella;
- Metrot;
- Tescoma.
The best Turk can be not only an expensive model, but also a product of folk craftsmen. Turks often buy at resorts or folk art exhibitions.
Are you wondering which coffee maker to choose for your home? We'll tell you! An overview of popular models and reviews of them are presented in this article.
You can learn how to use the coffee machine correctly from this publication.
Reviews
Oleg P .: “I purchased an excellent Ceraflame ceramic pot. You can brew coffee in it however you like, even in the microwave. Heats up very quickly and makes excellent coffee. In my opinion, a drink from a good coffee machine tastes better, but this is a completely different price. Moreover, a Turk takes up much less space at home. I advise you to never use sponges with detergent when washing, then the item will serve you for many years.”
Ksenia A .: “I have a whole collection of Turks - some made of clay, ceramic, and copper. Made from clay, it’s still in the kitchen as an accessory; I don’t want to get it dirty. My favorite coffee is made from an old copper pot. Easy to care for, easy to clean, the main thing is not to rub with any brushes. A ceramic pot heats up more slowly, but the coffee runs out of it faster. It is important to remove it from the heat on time. I define this moment simply - when the foam begins to curl towards the middle, then the drink is ready.”
Oksana R .: “I get the best coffee in a 400 ml copper pot. I definitely buy a new one when scratches appear inside. Making coffee in a Turkish coffee pot in the morning is a real ritual. I warm up the Turk before pouring water, and the cup before serving coffee. This is not difficult to do, and the aroma of the drink becomes more intense. There is also a ceramic Turk, but I haven’t managed to get used to it yet.”
Copper Turk
- Copper heats up faster and cools down faster due to its higher thermal conductivity coefficient. This property, by the way, allows you to prepare coffee in hot sand. Heating in the Turk stops immediately after it is removed from the heat source.
- The copper Turk absorbs the aroma of the coffee that was prepared in it. Connoisseurs greatly value copper Turks precisely for this quality, which allows them to make each subsequent portion even brighter and more expressive. Moreover, true connoisseurs do not wash, but only rinse copper vessels for coffee, trying to preserve as much as possible the coffee aromas absorbed into the very flesh of the cezve.
- The property of a copper Turk to absorb odor dictates the need to thoroughly wash the cezve in order to remove the aroma and taste of previous experiments.
- Copper Turks are cheaper than ceramic ones, by about 40-50%, and for some models the difference can reach 100%.
