When in Greece, I enjoyed the ‘Turkish’ style of brewing coffee (the Greeks of course call it ‘Greek’ coffee.) They would put the coffee, sugar and spices in a special narrow pot, bring it almost to boiling and serve it thick and foamy in tiny cups. Supposedly, your future could be read in the pattern the grounds made in the bottom of the empty cup.

The spices are what it’s about. I don’t know what the mix was, but cardamon was the important one. Today, my wife Stacey puts a dash of cardamon in our coffee to neutralize any acidity. We put so little you hardly taste it, but it adds a nice something.

Great blog!

I have no idea how much brewing may have changed since the 17th century ban on coffee houses, but what Ceylan cooked up was some of the best coffee I’ve ever tasted.

The drink is not much like espresso and nothing like American brewed coffee. It’s much more chocolaty, musty, and rich, with none of the bitter after-tones of even my favored Mocha Java espresso.

Following the desert-time drinking comes coffee ground fortune telling. Apparently, that’s also a tradition. My reading was terrific.

best,

/brook