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Monday, February 16, 2009

Longing for Turkish coffee

Today, I could do with a cup of strong Turkish coffee--it's the only thing that could give me some energy after a night of patchy sleep.

But I stopped drinking it years ago because it gave me stomach cramps--I switched to milder sorts of coffee but eventually had to give them up, too (and de-caf is completely awful for my taste).

One of the best things about Turkish coffee is its rich, intensive smell. Of all the types of coffee I think it comes closest to that most divine flavour, which is the smell of freshly ground coffee. I can never get enough of that (I should probably open a coffee shop :) But I found a way to indulge my longing without having to be sick for days: by getting Ruslan hooked and preparing a cup for him almost every day.

We used to haul packs of coffee from Serbia because only there you can still buy the type which is suitable for Turkish coffee (the method of roasting is different compared to the stuff you would use in espresso or filter machines). But once you open a pack of coffee that has been ground already that beautiful flavor evaporates quickly. So I decided to put to use an electric grinder that we got as a wedding present. Twice a week I grind a small quantity of coffee--just enough for a few cups--so that the coffee I make for Ruslan is always as fresh and possible, and I get to indulge in the smell.

Finding the right beans, though, proved more difficult than I thought. I clearly remember the times when you could buy them in every supermarket in Serbia but it's no longer the case--now it's only ground stuff. Is it because we have become more lazy? Luckily, my Dad managed to get us great coffee from Greenet (an excellent coffeeshop in Belgrade that also sells coffee beans--they have a pretty cool website) and for a while we also used the Kenyan beans we got from Ruslan's friend Elisa. I stumbled upon some in our local Spar but I got the wrong type--for espresso--so Ruslan's coffee now is really bitter and very dark.

The search continues, so if you know where I can get medium-roasted coffee beans in Budapest, please share.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,

I get your longing. It's getting tough here too to make Turkish coffee, so I've almost given up...

Still, you may try Starbucks, some of their roasts can almost cut it. There is SBUX in Budapest, right?

Tess Kincaid said...

I adore extra strong rich coffee, but unfortuntely had to cut down on my intake for various health reasons. I sure do miss my cuppa!! You are giving me a terrible craving! :)

Jelica said...

Hey Corina, no Starbucks in Budapest yet--can you imagine? They've been announcing its arrival for at least two years now but nada. I have to exercise my patience--and keep bringing stocks from Serbia :)

Jelica said...

Willow, I also had to give upcoffee on the grounds of health. It's not like it's going to kill me but I either get very nauseated after drinking or very jittery (the latter, I assume, comes from being out of habit). But at least I can enjoy the smell without any side effects :)))
p.s. Thanks for leaving a comment!