Turkish coffee is the oldest kind of patience. It is made in a small pot, over low heat, with coffee ground finer than for any other method, and it is never rushed to a boil. What you get is a small, rich cup with a soft foam on top and a depth that stays with you.

Traditionally the pot is a cezve, also called an ibrik, with a wide base and a narrow top that helps the foam form. You do not need anything elaborate to begin. A small saucepan with a pouring lip will work while you learn, though a cezve makes the foam and the pour much easier to control.

The simple method

For one cup, add about 60 grams of cold water to the pot, about two heaped teaspoons of coffee ground to a fine powder, close to the texture of cocoa, and sugar only if you like it, added now rather than at the table. Stir once, gently, so everything is wet.

Set the pot over the lowest heat you have. In a few minutes the coffee will darken and a foam will begin to rise. Just before it boils, take it off the heat. That moment is the whole craft: boiling breaks the foam and turns the cup bitter. Let it settle, return it briefly to the heat once more if you like a fuller foam, then pour slowly into a small cup, foam first. Wait a minute before drinking so the grounds settle to the bottom, and stop before the last sip.

Spotlight: our Sumatra Dark Roast

For Turkish coffee, start with our Sumatra Dark Roast. It is a dark roast from Sumatra, with earthy tobacco and brown sugar notes in every sip. What makes it different in a cezve is weight: the unfiltered brew holds all of the coffee's body, so the earthiness feels deep and grounded, the brown sugar sweetness rounds the edges, and the small cup tastes complete rather than sharp. Grind it as fine as you can, ideally fresh and to a powder, so the foam forms and the grounds settle cleanly.

Small adjustments, better cups

If the foam disappears, the heat was too high or the pot boiled, so lower the flame next time. If the cup tastes thin, add a little more coffee rather than more heat. If it tastes harsh, pull it from the heat a moment sooner. Change one thing at a time. Turkish coffee rewards attention at exactly the point where most methods let you walk away.

Serve it with a glass of water and something small and sweet beside it, and sit down for it. This is not coffee to carry out the door. It is coffee for staying a little longer at the table. You deserve it, and so does a quiet ten minutes.

When you are ready to try it, shop Le Cafe coffee at lecafe.us and begin with the Sumatra Dark Roast.