Ibrik, serving up coffee since the 14^thcentury.

 

Ibrik is one the oldest methods of serving coffee since the 14^thcentury. This little coffee pot has its humble origins from the Ottoman Empire, which is also coincidently where coffee, as we know it, came from, and from there it spread to Europe and to the rest of the world.

This coffee brewer is very simple to use. You need to watch it carefully while you brew coffee with it, but the end results are well worth it.

What kind of coffee should be used?

A dark roast is the best one to use. An Italian or a French roast are good to use, but any dark roasted coffee works.

 

How to use an Ibrik.

First and foremost, you need to get your coffee ready, and ready means the right type of grind. You need to grind your coffee to the finest grind that you can get. A hand grinder set to the finest setting will work. But, don’t use a blade grinder, it will not give you the type of grind that is needed.

The coffee should be like a powder when done grinding, this will make it easier to brew your coffee.

Figure out the powder to water ratio. The method I use is 2 teaspoons of coffee to every 2 ounces of water. Put the coffee in a small cooking bowl and set it aside to add your desired amount of water to the Ibrik.

 

Ratio Table

1 teaspoon : 1 ounce of water

2 teaspoons : 2 ounces of water

3 teaspoons : 3 ounces of water

4 teaspoons : 4 ounces of water

Heating up the Ibrik.

Put your burner on medium high, put the Ibrik on the heat and watch for small bubbles to appear at the bottom of the Ibrik.

Now you can add the coffee to the pot. Stir the coffee with a small whisk or spoon until the coffee is no longer floating on top of the water.

 

Now the brewing process is taking place. Keep watching until the coffee starts to froth and build up foam. Once the foam reaches the top, remove the Ibrik from the heat and let the foam subside. When it subsides, repeat the heating process 2 more times. Then, remove from the heat and let it sit for 30 seconds before serving.

Serving Coffee

I always use an espresso cup with a small amount of sweetened condensed milk, however this is just a recommendation. You can serve it anyway you want to. The traditional way is to serve it in a small cup and to refill the cup when empty.

Pour the coffee in to the cup and serve. You can add spices to it at this point, if you prefer, like cinnamon, cardamom or allspice. Stir together and enjoy.

Reminder

Don’t drink the very end of your cup, it will be very sludgy.