And there comes Tomas to make me feel bad for both not being as skilled with the stovetop espresso pot as I'd wish and for not using it as often
*disclaimer: Mael don't read the following part. If you're disgusted at the idea of coffee, this bit is gonna be extra disgusting. Maybe physically. Ye be warned*
So I decided today to make myself some turkish coffee. Which we call greek coffee since the middle of the 50s because of political reasons. And I think it is one of the many cases that many lands of the eastern Mediterranean claim as their own Anyway...
It would be the third time I think I drank turkish coffee, and the first to make it. In contrast to most coffee styles listed here this thing is usually unfiltered, you just put a spoon of coffee in a very small pot, put just enough water to dilute it, then put the rest of the water (an amount that totals to an espresso cup, for single dose at least), put the pot on weak fire and take it off at the first sign of bubbles forming. Then there are three options: pour it straight in the cup to preserve the cream, or stir it to destroy it, or pour it in the cup through a filter to get rid of the solid matter that's left. I picked the first option...
...and hither came my grandma, grabbed the pot and casually started doing acrobatics while pouring the coffee in the cup, raising it up and down to make the cream stronger. What Tomas said. Sometimes, the process of making it is incredibly important.
It's the third time I drank turkish coffee and well, it's pretty much like my first time still. It doesn't have the long flavour of espresso at all, but it has a kick-in-the-face, very immediate taste. And really strong too. Earthy. It's almost like drinking mud, in a way, it's much more dense than espresso, thanks to it not being filtered during cooking it. I still haven't gotten used to it.
Well, in the end all that remains is the obvious, the unfiltered grounds at the bottom of the cup. My grandma enjoyed very much adding a little water to dilute them and drink it. I, well, chickened out of it I wasn't ready. Next time, I promise, I will try it. But Christ almighty that thing was strong to taste.
*disclaimer ends here*