Want to buy Turkish coffee beans? Interested in the history of Turkish coffee beans? Want to know how hose coffee beans are ground up so finely? Our guide to Turkish coffee beans gives you the information you want to know.
The Turks have a number of drinks that can be considered to be their national drink. Like the famous Turkish apple tea, Turkish coffee is also one of those that are deeply embedded in their culture. But unlike the tea which can be consumed anywhere and at any time when it comes to coffee there are rituals to follow and rules to abide by. Strange as it may seem coffee has many things associated with it in Turkey and it is rightfully said that coffee has created its own culture in Turkey.
Whole Turkish Coffee Beans
It was back in the time of the Ottoman Empire when the Turks were exposed to this drink which is now a symbol of the Turks. More than four and a half centuries ago the Turkish governor to Yemen discovered coffee beans of Arabia. He decided it would be a good idea to take them back to his homeland and give the Empire a taste of this drink. As a result the coffee culture began to flourish in Turkey with coffee houses all over the streets. The Ottomans then took it upon themselves to introduce coffee to the rest of the world. One of the reasons why coffee is called Turkish coffee is because it was the Turks who introduced it in much of Paris, Venice and London. Soon after the whole region saw coffee houses spring up that would specialize in producing roasted coffee for the general public. The process was known as Tahmis and there is till this day a street named after it in Istanbul. The name was obviously derived from all the coffee shops that existed in those streets.
Another aspect of the introduction of the coffee beans into Turkey is the story of the two Syrian traders who first introduced the coffee beans in Istanbul. During the early days of the Turkish public’s exposure to coffee it was eaten as a whole. Later they started to crush them and mix them with fat in order to consume them. It was after some time that the coffee beans were made into a fermented pulp and the drink called coffee was evolved. The drink was highly regarded by the Turks and it was associated with the wise men of the time. The Dervishes took to coffee and so did the royal circle. In fact many extravagant coffee parties were arranged with coffee being the lime light of the event.
Another story of the way the Turkish were exposed to coffee beans is told to us by the Ottoman chronicler Ibrahim Pececi. He states that up till the year 1554 coffee was something unheard of in the Ottoman Empire and there was not a single coffee shop to be seen. It was not until two men namely Hakam and Shams, one from Aleppo and the other from Damascus decided to bring coffee beans in to Turkey. They came there and opened large coffee shops eventually hooking the public on to this amazing drink. No matter which story we accept the fact of the matter is that coffee beans were introduced into Turkey through Yemen and then from Turkey they were introduced to the rest of the world.
