Merhaba!
Bir Türk kahvesi, lütfen
beer TURK kah-veh-SEE, LOOT-fen
A Turkish coffee, please
Orta şekerli
OR-ta sheh-ker-LEE
Medium sweet
Sade
SAH-deh
No sugar (plain)
Hesap, lütfen
heh-SAP, LOOT-fen
The bill, please
UNESCO-listed Turkish coffee. Very finely ground coffee brewed in a cezve (small pot) over sand or flame. Served unfiltered with grounds settling at the bottom. You choose sugar level when ordering.
Standard espresso, available at modern specialty cafes.
Filter/drip coffee. Gaining popularity at third-wave cafes.
A traditional variation using stone-ground coffee with mastic gum and carob. Milder than standard Turkish coffee.
A caffeine-free 'coffee' made from roasted terebinth berries. Regional specialty from southeastern Turkey.
Turkish coffee is always ordered by sugar level: sade (plain), az şekerli (little sugar), orta (medium), çok şekerli (very sweet). Sugar is added during brewing, not after.
Never stir Turkish coffee once it's served — the grounds need to settle to the bottom.
Don't drink the last sip — the grounds at the bottom are not meant to be consumed. Turning the cup over onto the saucer for fortune reading (tasseography) is a beloved tradition.
Turkish coffee is served with a glass of water (to cleanse the palate) and often a piece of Turkish delight.
Tea (çay) is actually more commonly consumed than coffee in daily life. But Turkish coffee holds deep cultural significance.
Istanbul's specialty coffee scene has grown rapidly — Karaköy and Kadıköy are the modern hubs.
5-10% is appreciated. Round up or leave small change.
₺50-80 ($1.50-2.50) for Turkish coffee, ₺100-160 ($3-5) for specialty espresso
Did you know? Turkish coffee preparation and culture were inscribed on UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2013. In Ottoman tradition, a woman could divorce her husband if he failed to provide her with coffee.