A few months ago we were approached by a client with a request we had never gotten before, Turkish Coffee Catering. Our client had just opened a location in Turkey and wanted to bring some of the Turkish culture to their New York City office in celebration. We were thrilled to be a part of the occasion but a bit weary about serving a product we had never made before to over 300 employees. In the end that was a problem easily solved. We visited a few of New York City’s Mediterranean Cafes to find our favorite Turkish Coffee Blend. After a few hours of taste testing and sampling we had found our favorite and were now ready to perfect the preparation aspect. After a few hours of practicing preparation techniques, timing, and dosage our Barista team was ready.
Turkish Coffee varies from the traditional coffee we are used to in many ways, mainly the coffee is finely ground (resembling powder). Turkish coffee is made by pouring extremely hot water, just under boiling, over the powdered coffee grinds and sugar. While waiting for the coffee to brew and settle, stir rigorously a few times to help dissolve the grinds. Wait again after to stirring to allow grinds to settle at the bottom (they are supposed to be there) and serve. See below for an instructional video.
We we also able to provide a small area with information on Tasseography, the art of reading a fortune from tea leaves or coffee grounds. Tasseograghy is a common practice in the Middle East and Mediterranean regions and ties in heavily with Turkey’s Coffee culture. Below is a chart used to help interprete your impressions and tell your fortune.
This video shows in detail the proper way to read your fortune from Turkish Coffee Grinds.
How to Read your Fortune from Turkish Coffee Grinds
In the end this was one of the most exciting events we’ve ever worked on. The research, and practice was a great team building experience. Our entire team was very excited over the reception our Turkish Coffee got from both our client and their 300 plus employees.
