The
Ibrik is a traditional (and ceremonial) hand made copper pot with a
long handle and is used to brew Turkish or Arabian coffee.
The pot of the Ibrik is fairly small (though they do come in a
variety of sizes - depending on the amount of cups required), and
the top of the pot is narrower than the bottom. This is actually
quite important for the proper brewing of Turkish coffee. Ground,
pulverised coffee is used in the Ibrik and for each spoonful of
coffee it is usual for a spoonful of sugar to also be used. The
appropriate amount of water (approximately 4 fl oz per spoonful of
coffee) is added and the Ibrik is put over a heat source but not
allowed to boil. Just before boiling point is reached, the pot is
removed from the heat and the liquid is given a good stir. This
process is repeated three times after which time the coffee is left
to settle and then poured into small cups. It is usual to have a
glass of cold water as a ‘side order’ as this coffee is definitely
an acquired taste. Whilst the Ibrik is the term used in both Turkey
and Greece, the Arabs use the term Cezves.
It is important to use an extremely fine grind of coffee and
your average grinder will probably not be able to get your coffee
fine enough. You can pulverise the grounds further using a mortar
and pestle as, if they are too coarse, the grounds will not react
with the water properly during brewing.