TTJEKISH COFFEE. 35 



of the information is the result of my own personal investigation 

 dm-ing a trip around the world, in the course of which particular 

 attention was given to the subject of coffee, both in producing 

 and consuming countries. Other data have been received from 

 reliable correspondents or occasionally borrowed from trustworthy 

 sources. 



TDBKISH COFFEE. 



Everybody has heard of Turkish coffee. While in Constanti- 

 nople I investigated the mysteries of that far-famed luxury. In 

 the numerous coffee-houses of the Moslem capital, when a person 

 calls for a cup of coffee it is specially made for him. Every cof- 

 fee-house has a number of long-handled little brass coffee-pots, 

 made to hold one, two, or more cups, as the case may be. They 

 are smaller at the top than at the bottom and are fitted with a 

 little grooved spout, but have no cover. 



When a cup of coffee is wanted, the requisite amount of finely 

 powdered coffee is measured into one of these little coffee-pots ; 

 water enough to fill the pot is poured in, and it is then set upon live 

 coals, until it heats up to just the boiling point. It is then, with- 

 out straining or otherwise settling the grounds, poured out into 

 a tiny cup, and this is Turkish coffee. As may be supposed, it is 

 thick, muddy, and the lower half of the cup composed principally 

 of grounds ; but the flavor is good, and I noticed that most Turks 

 swallowed the grounds with the same relish that they showed for 

 the thumer part of the beverage. The Turks never use milk with 

 their coffee ; to them the mixture would be an abomination. In 

 Constantinople the coffee is generally ground in a mill, but ia 

 many places it is powdered with a mortar and pestle ; in either 

 case, it is almost as fine as fiour — a condition which, I suppose, is 

 necessary to get the strength of the coffee with the little boiling 

 which they gi^^e it. The coffee used is mostly from India and 

 Ceylon, although a considerable quantity of Arabian coffee is 

 consumed. I am convinced that the reputation of Turkish coffee 

 is chiefly due to the fact that great care is exercised in roasting 

 the coffee, and not more than twenty-four hours' supply is roasted 

 or purchased at one time. 



Coffee is consumed by all classes, at aU hours, and on all sorts 



