Coffee is the oldest drink, and the best, of course, is the one prepared in Turk. But what to do if you want to drink a cup of aromatic drink, but there is no cezve at hand? Is it possible to do without it without losing the quality of the drink? In this article, we will look at several options for making coffee without Turkish coffee at home.
The simplest thing that comes to mind is to use a coffee machine or coffee maker. It's good if you have such things in your kitchen. But in our case, we will only use dishes that any housewife has in her closet.
What materials can you use for making coffee?
- Copper is an excellent option for brewing coffee; it takes a long time to gain heat and cools slowly.
- Clay. Clay cezves are very common in Abkhazia. Therefore, a drink prepared in such a container will not lose its taste and aroma.
- Enameled saucepan or stewpan.
- Ceramic container.
How can you make coffee if you don’t have a Turkish pot? A saucepan with a ladle-type handle is best. Housewives often use such dishes for boiling eggs. It will be very convenient to make coffee in it. You can use a French press to make tea.
Roasting degree. It is better to use medium roasted beans. Strong roasting will give the drink a bitter taste and may create an unpleasant aftertaste.
Grinding degree. To prepare coffee in regular containers, you need to use medium or coarse grind beans. Fine grinding is only suitable for Turkish coffee or for coffee that will be prepared in a ceramic mug.
How to properly brew coffee without a Turk?
To make your coffee drink as thick and aromatic as Turkish coffee, you should follow simple rules :
- Choose the correct grind level . Fine and ultra-fine grinding is only suitable for Turkish grinding. When using other cooking methods, preference should be given to medium grinding.
- Use bottled or filtered water . A coffee drink prepared with hard tap water will be tasteless and unflavoured.
- Do not boil or brew with boiling water . Coffee does not tolerate high temperatures - when it boils, it loses not only its taste, but also its benefits. The optimal water temperature is 91-96°C, which corresponds to the temperature of boiling water that has cooled for 1-2 minutes.
- Choose the narrowest pan, cup or ladle . To prevent it from losing its aroma during the preparation process, the area of contact between coffee and air should be minimal.
- Remove extraneous odors from dishes . Before brewing, you need to boil water in a container or pour boiling water over the container. Preference should be given to enamel cookware - enamel practically does not accumulate odors from previously prepared food.
- Use dishes with thick walls and bottom . Thick-walled containers retain heat longer and brew better.
The best coffee for making a drink is freshly ground .
If it is not possible to purchase whole grains and grind them before brewing, you can buy ground in packs. Preference should be given to grains packed in vacuum briquettes - in such packaging the product is protected from exposure to oxygen and sunlight, and can be stored without loss of quality for up to 18 months. After opening the package, the ground powder should be stored in a tightly sealed glass jar .
Important! It is also necessary to monitor the shelf life of the product - over time, coffee “fizzles out”, old raw materials turn out to be sour and not at all aromatic.
We brew coffee in a thermos or thermal cup, almost like in a Turk, but without the Turk
This is a fairly quick brewing method, and the drink turns out to be very aromatic, since no vapors escape, the oils are concentrated and completely extracted into the drink. Due to this, you need to put in less coffee, and the process speeds up.
- You need to be careful with a thermos if you are going to pour directly from it - make sure that the hole is wide enough so that the grounds will not clog it. It is better to take a model with a wide neck.
- Any thermal cups will do, but it’s better to drink by opening the container and unscrewing the lid, since when sucking through the hole you will tip the cup, overflowing the grounds.
- Rinse the container with boiling water to remove foreign odors.
- Pour about a spoonful of coffee into a thermal cup, for a thermos - a spoonful of 250 ml.
- Fill with boiling water not to the brim.
- Let sit for a while with the lid open.
- Close the lid and open after 3 minutes or later.
It’s better to brew the drink in a thermal cup or thermos and drink it by pouring it into another container, but you can do it this way.
In a cup
Brewing in a bowl is one of the simplest cooking methods that does not require the use of specialized equipment .
How to cook:
- Pour boiling water over the ceramic bowl and wipe dry.
- Add 2 teaspoons of crushed product.
- Pour 200 ml of hot water over the raw material and cover the cup with a saucer. You can brew it together with sugar - this way the grounds will settle to the bottom faster.
- After 4-5 minutes the drink is ready to drink.
In order for foam to form on the surface of the drink, the contents of the cup must not be stirred during brewing .
This method of brewing is inconvenient because the coffee grounds remain at the bottom of the bowl, and the drink cannot be mixed, for example, with milk or liqueur . To avoid this, you can use a special paper filter in the form of a funnel.
It is placed in a cup, poured into a coffee filter and filled with hot water. After brewing, the funnel is removed along with the grounds, and a clean drink without sediment remains in the bowl.
By the way! If there is no filter, the coffee brewed in a cup can be strained through a strainer.
What and how can you brew coffee if you don’t have a Turk?
Modern coffee lovers have developed several options for how to brew coffee without a Turk. They can be used at home, in the office and even outdoors. If everything is done correctly, the drink will be almost as rich in taste and aroma as its traditionally brewed counterpart.
In most cases, manipulation does not require special devices; those tools that are present in every kitchen are sufficient. The above approaches apply only to ground coffee, and not to instant coffee, whose taste cannot be improved by any tricks.
In a saucepan
When you need to treat several people at once, you can brew coffee in a saucepan.
How to cook:
- Pour the required amount of product into the pan at the rate of 2 tsp. for 200 ml of water. Add sugar if desired.
- Pour cold water into the pan.
- Place the container on low heat.
- As soon as a thick foam forms on the surface of the drink, remove the container from the stove.
- Let the drink brew under the lid for 3-5 minutes, then you can pour the treat into cups.
To make your drink more aromatic and thick, you can use the double heating method .
As soon as a thick foam forms on the surface of the drink, the pan should be quickly removed from the heat. When the foam has settled, the container is returned to the stove and reheated until a new layer of foam forms .
Attention! If you need to prepare a drink quickly, the raw materials can be filled with pre-boiled hot water.
How to make espresso without a Turk
To make classic espresso you need a coffee machine. And yet it can be brewed at home, even if you don’t have a coffee maker.
You will need a mug and ground or instant coffee powder. Pour 3-4 teaspoons of powder into a cup. It is not customary to add sugar or salt to espresso. You can add 1-2 grams of spices or seasonings as desired.
Add boiling water a teaspoon at a time, stir vigorously and beat the mass at the same time. As soon as the consistency becomes thick, add water to a volume of 35 milliliters and stir gently. If a dense white foam has formed, it means you did everything right.
To make espresso, you can use a French press.
Now you know how to properly brew coffee in the utensils at hand. Further recommendations will also be useful to you.
In the microwave
Brewing coffee in the microwave is the most unusual way to prepare this drink.
How to cook:
- Pour boiling water over a ceramic bowl or heat it in the microwave. To brew coffee in a microwave oven, it is recommended to select a container with a volume of at least 300 ml and fill it 2/3 so that the rising foam does not escape from the container.
- Pour 2-3 tbsp into a dry, warm cup. l. ground coffee.
- Fill the raw material with cold water and place the container in the microwave.
- Start the appliance and carefully monitor the condition of the drink: as soon as foam rises in the bowl, turn off the microwave immediately .
- Let the drink brew inside the oven for 1 minute and remove using a potholder.
Depending on the power of the device, it takes an average of 2-4 minutes to prepare a treat .
During preparation, you must monitor the state of the drink very carefully and not leave the stove for a second: coffee can boil and escape from the cup at any moment .
Microwave dishes should not be placed on a cold or wet surface, otherwise the cup may break due to temperature changes.
A microwave allows you to get a ready-made drink in the shortest possible time, but coffee from a microwave oven does not have outstanding taste or rich aroma .
Microwave coffee
You can also brew coffee in the microwave without a Turk. To do this, you just need to know how long it takes for the water in the cup to boil. Knowing this time, to brew coffee, set it a few seconds less. What do we have to do?
- Pour ground beans into a ceramic or glass cup and pour cold water, you can add coffee and spices.
- Place the cup in the microwave and turn on the desired mode.
- Wait until foam appears on the surface of the cup.
- Turn off the microwave and let the drink sit for 30 seconds.
This drink stays hot for a long time, as the cup warms up very well. The drink brewed in this way has a good taste and aroma, and high strength.
In the French press
A French press is a convenient device for obtaining an invigorating drink without grounds . Depending on the volume of the French press, you can brew one or several servings of treats at once.
How to cook:
- Boil water, let the boiling water cool for 2-3 minutes.
- Pour ground coffee into the flask at the rate of 2-3 tsp. without a slide for 200 ml of water.
- Pour the raw material with a small amount of water, mix thoroughly and pour in the remaining water.
- Close the container with the lid without lowering the piston.
- Let the drink brew for 4-5 minutes.
- Lower the plunger and pour the finished coffee into cups.
Reference! If you want a drink with a slight bitterness, the infusion time should be increased to 7-8 minutes.
To make coffee, you should choose a French press with a glass flask and metal parts . When plastic elements come into contact with hot water, they release toxic substances and give an unpleasant taste.
Important points in brewing coffee without a Turk and a coffee maker
- Boiling water is completely unsuitable for making coffee - it burns the taste and smell.
- Heating for too long will negatively affect the aroma, making it much weaker. The same applies to repeated heating.
- To increase the richness, you need to initially add more ground coffee. “Your” quantity is selected through experiments.
- Remember, hot drinks must be served in hot containers. Therefore, ready-made coffee should be poured into heated cups.
- It is better to grind the grains immediately before preparing the drink. And it is advisable to drink the drink itself immediately after preparation. It is believed that coffee retains its beneficial properties only for 20 minutes after brewing.
- If you like sweet coffee, experts advise giving preference to brown sugar, as it significantly enriches its taste. White sugar is used if you want to give the drink a “soft” sweetness.
- A small amount of sugar sprinkled on the surface of the finished coffee will speed up the settling of the grounds.
Little coffee tricks
Any of these secrets will help you prepare an amazing treat with an original taste and beneficial properties.
- Cold or hot water. You can pour the ground grains with cold water, but the drink will take a little longer to brew, but its taste will be more intense. If you pour the powder with hot water, the taste of the drink will be mild.
- Cafein free. Prefer to brew your treats decaffeinated? Try making it by adding a few cardamom seeds. Your family and friends will surely appreciate the unusual spicy taste.
- Roasted note. You can brew coffee by first roasting the powder in a container for 30 seconds.
- Velvet notes. To do this, just add a small amount of butter to the dish during cooking.
- Spicy treat. Want to cook up a real spice explosion? Try brewing coffee with different spice combinations. These could be: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg. The technology is quite simple: you need to mix ground grains with spices and warm them up a little; as soon as the aroma becomes intense, you can pour in water.
- Just caramel. The secret of this recipe is cane sugar, of course, the product is quite rare, but if you are a real gourmet, this will not stop you. Before adding water to the container, add half a teaspoon of sugar and heat it. The caramel crust will give the drink an amazing flavor. You can try making coffee using this recipe, but with regular sugar.
- Heat three times. The aroma and taste of the drink manifests itself in full force when boiling. Following this rule, you need to wait until the liquid begins to rise, remove from heat, put the foam in a cup, mix the contents in the bowl and put it back on the stove. The procedure is repeated three times.
- The secret of no sediment. As a rule, housewives do not have a special filter to pour clean liquid without grounds. The solution is simple. After the drink boils, just add a teaspoon of cold water to it, wait 15-20 seconds and pour into cups.
You can brew delicious and aromatic coffee without a Turkish coffee, try it, and this treat will become a favorite for you, your family and friends.
We recommend reading: How to choose the right coffee machine for your home.
photo: depositphotos.com/belchonock,seqoya, Valentin_Volkov
How can you replace a Turk or a cezve?
There are several options for how to effortlessly brew aromatic coffee without a Turk or cezve. For example, use a ladle or a small saucepan. The inconvenience of this method is that you will need to independently calculate how much liquid to pour. Otherwise, excess coffee will go into the sink or toilet. Also, the answer to the question: “What is ground coffee brewed in instead of Turkish coffee?” will be a cup. But it is more often used for the microwave rather than the stove. In this case, you will not be able to make strong coffee with cinnamon sticks, because the cinnamon will not add the desired taste to the drink. To prepare natural coffee, clay pots with thick walls are suitable.
Important! Do not use non-enamelled metal containers, including aluminum, for cooking. Otherwise, the coffee will have an undesirable taste. In addition, even if the drink is kept on fire, the bitterness will disappear, since in an iron container the liquid at the edges will heat up more than in the middle.
To make coffee at home, you can use a ladle or small saucepan
Cook in a saucepan or ladle
Coffee, like milk, is boiled on the stove using a saucepan or ladle instead of a Turk. This method can be used if you need to prepare coffee for a large number of people at once. But it is worth noting that such a drink will not be aromatic.
How to brew Turkish coffee in a saucepan on the stove if you don’t have a Turk on hand:
- They take enamel dishes with the calculation of 160 milliliters of water per person.
- Ground coffee and granulated sugar are poured into it. When determining the quantity, people's preferences are taken into account. Also at this stage, add 2-3 cinnamon sticks, then the hot drink will have a pleasant bitter taste, reminiscent of Christmas desserts.
- Then the resulting mixture is poured with boiling water in the required volume.
- Light the burner; the fire should be neither small nor large.
- When the foam begins to rise, remove the dishes from the stove. After 1-2 minutes, repeat heating until foam appears. The drink is not brought to a boil.
- The saucepan or ladle is removed from the stove. After 3-4 minutes, coffee is poured through a strainer into heated cups.
In the microwave
To prepare coffee in the microwave, it is important to correctly calculate the amount of time before the water boils in the cup.
In order to immediately brew coffee correctly without a Turk, measure how long it takes to heat up the water in the microwave. To do this, it is recommended to conduct an experiment: put a cup of water in the microwave and time how many seconds it takes for it to boil. The time it took to heat the liquid to boiling point is remembered, and next time you need to put the container with coffee in the microwave for the same time. Before putting everything you need inside, warm up the cup. Then put a few teaspoons of coffee inside, add lukewarm water and heat it up. After this, you can add milk or cream to taste. Whole or ground cinnamon sticks should not be added, as the water temperature will not be sufficient to saturate the drink with the taste and aroma of this spice.
On a note! If the microwave power is high, you can try making a caramel coffee drink. To do this, when heating the cups for the first time, place cane or regular sugar on the bottom. In this case, the cup is removed from the microwave after the sugar has dissolved. A cloudy or brown puddle forms at the bottom - melted caramel. It will mix with the coffee upon further heating and give a pleasant taste to the finished drink.
How to brew in a cup
If you don’t have a Turk, the easiest way is to brew coffee in a cup. As when preparing tea, boiling water is poured first. After 2-4 minutes, pour out the water and put the required amount of finely ground coffee inside. Then pour boiling water again and let it brew for up to 5 minutes. In this case, you will not be able to create a caramel taste, but you can add a small amount of condensed milk. It is also advised not to add cinnamon, as the temperature will not be enough to fully develop the flavor of this spice. To achieve the best result, use a durable ceramic cup, preferably with thick walls without microcracks. Filtered water is taken boiling, otherwise the ground coffee will not convey the taste.
Japanese brewing method
This option is for true lovers of an invigorating drink. It's called "pour-over" and involves slowly pouring boiling water in a thin stream into a cup. A recipe for brewing coffee using Japanese technology:
- Pour only ground coffee beans into a container of any size.
- Pour a thin stream of boiling water over them, moving the kettle clockwise.
At first glance, it is simple, but not the first time a person will be able to prepare his favorite drink using the method of the Land of the Rising Sun.
Cold brewing method
In order to please yourself and your guests with a cold coffee drink, preparations are made in advance. A day or two in advance, brew ground coffee using any method and freeze it in special ice trays. When the water hardens, it is added to slightly warmed milk. A refreshing drink is suitable for those who are constantly late. They will be able to enjoy their favorite coffee even in moments of severe delay.
A person does not always prepare his favorite drink in a trivial way. The article presents only some of the options on how you can get out of an uncomfortable situation as a winner. Further actions depend on the person himself: whether he will take the cooking method from this text or come up with a new one.