Trying New Brews: Turkish Sand Coffee… in Jordan!

I’ve had at least one cup of coffee every single day of my life since I was 13 years old. Some say addiction, I say passion.

My addict—er—passion has led me have espresso in Italy. Pour overs in Chicago. Syphon coffee that took 18 minutes to brew in Taiwan. Greek coffee in Crete. I’ve even had coffee made from beans that have been pooped out of Luwaks in Indonesia. Not to mention, I’ve had my fair share of “brown water with a punch” from gas stations and hotel lobbies.

Walking around the streets of Aqaba, Jordan, I encountered a new type of coffee I had never heard of: Turkish Sand Coffee.

Of course I had to get a cup…

Turkish sand coffee starts with very finely ground coffee that looks similar to cocoa powder. A lot of coffee grounds means a lot of surface area, which causes a quick flavor extraction (This is why you use finely ground coffee for espresso, and coarsely ground coffee for a French press.)

The coffee is mixed with water in a cezve (which looks like a tiny pot with a handle), and usually a hefty dash of sugar. The cezve is then dunked into the hot sand, which causes the coffee to rapidly boil up just enough to “cook” the coffee without burning it. The process is repeated 3-4 times before it all gets poured into your cup.

Your resulting brew is bold and strong with a unique earthiness and slight graininess. In Jordan, there might some be some cardamom in the mixture, adding a subtle spiciness and warmness.

Forget about adding milk- it’s simply not an option. Adding sugar after-the-fact is okay, but really it should be added before.

In typical Katie fashion, I adamantly said, “NO SUGAR.” But I should have. The flavor was extremely bold nearing on bitter. And the cardamom took my palate for a trip it didn’t care to go on.