It seems that brewing coffee in a Turk is not difficult: the device is simple, you just need to pour in ground coffee, add water and heat it. But some people cook it thin and weak, some cook it just right, while others cook it bitter, strong and sharp. Much depends on the coffee itself, as well as on personal preferences, but if you are just starting to master preparing a drink in this way, it is worth finding out how many spoons of coffee to put in a coffee pot for 1 person, as well as in a 300 or 500 ml pot, for any volume. With our calculations, you can brew an amazing drink in a cezve according to your taste.
gold standard
The so-called gold standard or golden ratio is the ratio of coffee grounds (grams) to water volume (ml) of 1:18. This definition comes from the Coffee Association of America (SCAA) and is generally considered the standard for coffee. This, of course, is a simple number and easy to remember, but no one will measure such proportions every time.
The best ratio is the one you like. Plus or minus a couple of grams usually doesn't change anything. If you try any instructions or recommendations online and you don’t like them, keep experimenting. Your coffee is solely your pleasure.
Important: try to take a Turkish coffee cup for the amount of coffee you usually drink. It’s better to cook two servings in a small one than cook one serving for yourself in a too large one.
Factors that influence the taste of Turkish coffee
Even if you calculate the ideal dosage of coffee for 1 or 2 people, 350 or 600 ml per Turk, the taste will only be necessary if you use the same coffee, the same cups, spoons and water. Changing any of these factors in some sense affects how many spoons of coffee to put in the Turk.
- Type of coffee. Robusta is traditionally more bitter and strong, full-bodied. Arabica is softer and more aromatic. Blends are packaged in different proportions; Arabica can be 90%, 80%, or even 60%. If you change your favorite brand, the taste will change a little.
- Features of grain. Depending on at what altitude and in what climate the coffee trees grew, how they were processed, the taste in the cup will change, sometimes it is quite clearly felt. Different manufacturers use different varieties of beans, hence the differences.
- Roasting degree. A light roast will reveal notes of flowers and citrus, a medium roast will reveal honey, vanilla and chocolate tones, and a strong roast will reveal a bright taste of dark chocolate and burnt caramel.
- Grinding degree. Turkish coffee usually requires a fine grind, almost to dust, this is how coffee is prepared in the Oriental style. If the grind is very coarse, the drink will brew faster, but its taste will be more watery and the flavors will not have time to develop. If you buy ground coffee in packs, the standard grind is medium, so you have to keep the drink on the fire longer to release the flavor components.
- Cooking speed. Some people like a long brewing process accompanied by pleasant conversations, so that the spices and coffee release all their oils and fill the kitchen with a mind-blowing aroma. Others are always in a hurry and prepare coffee almost on the run, on a strong window, just to make it faster.
For Turks, it is advisable to use the finest grind and cook over low heat, so you will get a pleasant velvety consistency.
What is instant coffee
This concept hides a powdered, granulated and freeze-dried drink produced using a special technology from substandard Robusta beans, less often Arabica beans.
They are fried, crushed, poured with boiling water and undergo several more complex transformations before reaching the store counter.
Instant coffee always contains caffeine, even if the package is labeled as decaffeinated. The strictest American standards allow up to 3 mg of caffeine in one standard cup of drink. How does a drink made from instant powder differ from a natural one?
- Natural contains a large number of oils, which give it a rich aroma and taste. In soluble they are not present in their natural form due to the peculiarities of the technological process.
- Soluble contains many chemical additives from flavorings and flavor enhancers to artificial oils. This is done in order to bring its taste as close as possible to natural.
- The caffeine content in a cup of instant drink is an order of magnitude higher than in a cup of drink made from natural grains.
Freeze-dried coffee contains more useful substances than powdered coffee, as it is produced using freezing technology
Instant coffee gives a boost of energy by stopping the relaxation reactions that the nervous system sends to the entire body when it needs rest to recuperate. The effect is quick but short-lived and often leads to an even greater desire to rest or even fall asleep.
So how many spoons of coffee should you put in a Turk for one person?
There is not and cannot be a clear answer: some people like very strong espresso and drink it from a 50 ml cup, others brew 300 ml and like to drink it from a huge mug. However, calculation methods still exist:
Typically, a 200 ml serving uses 7 grams of ground coffee.
- A level teaspoon holds approximately 4 g of ground grain.
- A heaped teaspoon contains approximately 6 grams.
That is, if we need 7 g, that’s about 2 level spoons per cup or one heaped spoon and a little more at the tip.
It is advisable to use the scale at least once and measure exactly how much fits into the specific devices you use when measuring.
Now let’s measure the approximate amount of coffee per cup of different sizes:
| Easier if this is not the first cup of the day, g | Usual to wake up in the morning, g | Strong enough to dilute with milk, g | |
| 30 ml, espresso | 4 | 5 | 7 |
| 100 ml, those same “half a cup of coffee” | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| 200 ml, small cup | 4 | 7 | 9 |
| 350 ml - usually the tallest cup for tea | 6 | 8 | 10 |
It is clear that the numbers are a bit relative; rarely does anyone measure grams. But remember about a heaped spoon - 6 g.
For Lungo and Americano
If the concentration is made at the rate of 2 tsp. finely ground to 70 ml of water, you get lungo. We recommend this recipe for lovers of bitterness. Passing more hot water through the ground Arabica coffee brings out the bittering components. Pour the drink into a container measuring 80-100 ml. The serving itself is 70 ml.
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To prepare an Americano, you must first make the doppio. For each mug we take 60 ml of water and two teaspoons of ground beans. After brewing, add sugar and dilute with boiling water to taste. The volume of added liquid varies from 50 to 450 ml.
If diluted with cold water, you get a variety called “Iced Americano.”
How many teaspoons do you put in?
1 (one)2 (two)3 (three)4 (four)
Making Turkish coffee for 2 people
It would seem that the calculations should simply be twice as large, but in fact, this is not how it works. You need to pour in a little less, since the drink takes longer to prepare, which means it will be stronger. Even while the water is just heating up, the flavoring and aromatic substances are already beginning to pass into the liquid medium. That is, a higher concentration is obtained, and if you do not want the drink to be too strong, you should sprinkle less.
If you do not drink coffee at the same time, and for some, the drink remains in the Turk so that it does not cool down, it continues to be saturated, and as a result it will turn out to be too strong and bitter. Do not let the drink come into contact with the grounds in the cezve for a long time; pour it into cups immediately.
Dosage and overdose
In the West and in America, a single dose of coffee with a caffeine content of 80-100 mg is considered safe. That is, a cup consisting of 2 tablespoons of instant and 3 tablespoons of ground will not cause harm to health and will have a stimulating and tonic effect for the next 3 hours. The daily dosage of the alkaloid should not exceed 350-400 ml, that is, 3-4 cups.
Cigarettes and instant coffee are the main enemies of the cardiovascular system
For hypertensive patients, diabetics, people suffering from ulcers and gastritis, it is especially important to know whether there is caffeine in the drink they drink and what its content is. These categories of lovers of an invigorating drink usually experience a rapid heartbeat, a rise in blood pressure up to 10 units and abdominal pain after drinking a cup of their favorite drink. They are recommended to drink coffee that does not contain caffeine, but does not differ in taste from a regular drink.
How much can you drink? The dosage is small - 1-2 cups per day, since a small proportion of the alkaloid, which is unsafe for them, will still enter the body.
By adhering to the golden rule - “everything should be in moderation”, you can enjoy the most popular drink in the world every day and not harm your health.
How many spoons of coffee to put in Turks of different sizes
You need to base your calculations on how strong the drink you want to get in the end. On average, approximately, this is the same heaped teaspoon and a little more to prepare one serving. But it will be easier if we do the calculation:
| Turk / spoons | For 1 or 2 people | For company, or to dilute with more milk or boiling water |
| 300 ml | 7 | 12 |
| 350 ml | 8 | 12 |
| 400 ml | 14 | 18 |
| 500 ml | 18 | 21 |
| 600 ml | 20 | 28 |
Please note that in the second case, when you are preparing for a company, the drink turns out to be quite concentrated, and it should either be drunk in very small portions, like espresso, or diluted with cream, milk, or just boiling water.
Number of beans in different types of coffee machines
Capsule machine
This device is easy to operate. And you don’t need to calculate how many grams of ground powder to put in a mug.
To prepare the drink, use a special capsule - one per cup. It contains 6-9 grams of ground coffee mass. One kilogram is enough for 111-167 capsules.
Coffee maker
The equipment operates on the drip principle. The coffee mass is poured into a funnel in the form of a fine mesh and water is added.
Hot water passes through the coffee layer and drops dropwise into a transparent container. Place two heaped teaspoons of powder on one cup - 12-14 grams. Therefore, a kilogram of grains will yield 71-83 servings.
Turk
Add 2-3 teaspoons of ground powder – 8-12 grams – to a copper container.
From a kilogram package you can brew 83-125 cups of tasty and aromatic liquid.
Coffee machines
The memory bookmarks of each device contain a specific program for preparing a drink. The software also allows you to adjust the strength. Three modes:
- strong – 10 grams;
- average – 9;
- weak – 8.
When consuming 1 kg of coffee in a coffee machine, 100, 110 and 120 servings are obtained.
French press
This is a glass teapot with a press handle that is attached to a fine mesh. Coarse or fine grinding is suitable for this cookware.
Expert opinion
Vadim Kudryavtsev
Coffee expert, professional barista and simply in love with this aromatic drink.
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Powder is added to a French press at the rate of 2 teaspoons per serving. Pour hot water into the container and lower the press down. It purifies water from small particles of coffee mass.
A kilogram package will yield 125 cups of drink.
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Chemex
The cookware was invented by the chemist Peter Schlumbom. This is a glass flask with a narrow and high funnel. It is needed for comfortable pouring of liquid and removal of excess air.
A paper filter is placed inside the vessel, into which hot water is first poured, and then ground grains are poured. Proportions: for 500 milligrams of boiling water – 30 grams of coarse or medium-ground powder.
After 5 minutes, the filter with grounds is removed, and the invigorating liquid is poured into 4 cups. A kilogram of beans in a Chemex will yield 132 servings.
Conclusions:
- To prepare an average portion of 200 ml, you should put a heaped spoonful of coffee in the pot and a little more on the tip.
- If you are making espresso, use a small heaped spoon.
- Do you like to drink Americano from a large cup - two spoons without a slide.
- For a serving for two, you should put a little less than what you get when multiplying the serving by two, since the drink is prepared more and will be stronger.
- You can almost always use the “spoon and a little extra” calculation to get an average drink, and vary it according to your feelings next time.
Suitable cookware
Coffee is brewed using different devices. To prepare a delicious drink, coffee lovers buy the following:
- Turka: traditional and common tableware. It is a pot-bellied copper barrel with a long handle.
- Pour over: A new cooking method that is common in Western countries. A funnel passes hot water through a paper filter filled with ground coffee mass.
- Geyser coffee maker: is a vessel in which hot water from the lower section rises to the upper section, where the ground coffee powder is located.
- Coffee machine: an electrical device where all actions are automated. Popular.
Interesting! How to brew espresso in Turk
Read more in the article “What to brew coffee in: a review of cookware.”
What do you use to brew your coffee?
TurkishCoffee machine
