How it is brewed
Beans are ground finer than flour — finer than espresso — and combined with cold water and sugar in a copper cezve. It is brought slowly to just below the boil so a foam builds; the foam is divided between the cups first, then the rest is poured. Boiling it is the one unforgivable error.
Ordering it correctly
Sugar is decided before brewing, not after. Sade is unsweetened, az şekerli lightly sweet, orta medium, çok şekerli sweet. There is no stirring and no milk. A glass of cold water arrives with it and is drunk first, to clear the palate.
The etiquette
Coffee follows a meal or fills an afternoon; it does not start a Turkish day — tea does. It is served with something small and sweet, usually lokum. And it is drunk slowly: the grounds settle at the bottom and the last centimetre is left in the cup.
Fal — reading the cup
The saucer is placed over the cup, the cup inverted, and the grounds left to run. The shapes they leave are read for the future. It is entertainment rather than belief for most Turks, but the ritual survives everywhere — including on our terrace.
The engagement tradition
When a family visits to ask for a daughter's hand, she brews the coffee. Salt in the groom's cup is a tolerated, half-joking test of his composure. The custom is old, still practised, and still funny.
Turkish coffee in Ubud
SkaZka Bali on Jl. Raya Sanggingan No.88, Ubud grinds to order and brews in a cezve, served with lokum and cold water. Ubud also has an excellent specialty coffee scene built on Kintamani arabica — both are on our menu, and they are different drinks entirely.
Also searched as «турецкий кофе Бали», «türk kahvesi bali», «kopi turki bali».