Deep dive into Turkish Coffee Maker - Arzum Okka Minio
Good coffee can't brew itself… yet. Even though the coffee maker is supposed to be automatic - there are a couple of quite important things you need to know in order to make a delicious cup of coffee.
What you will learn here
This article is going to lay down all of the important information about the Turkish coffee brewing by using Arzum Okka Minio as an example. This knowledge can be used with any other brewer.
So that if you have another option - you can at least assess the parameters before getting some electric appliance. That way you will be able to get the right one from the first attempt and enjoy using it.
Contents
- Electric pot vs Maker
- Arzum Okka minio
- Problem of Arzum Okka Minio
- How to use Turkish coffee maker
- How to adjust the flavor
- Turkish Coffee Maker - how to choose
- Final thoughts
Electric pot vs Maker
The difference between electric Turkish coffee pot and Turkish Coffee Maker lies in the automatic shutdown. To prevent the boiling out of the coffee.
Which on one hand seems convenient but at a cost of quality. Especially if you intend to use it like a “set and forget” device.
Coffee maker on the left, pot on the right
Disadvantages of Electric coffee pot / maker
Most of the models have a too powerful heating element and too big volume. Which leads to fast brewing time and inability to make a small dose.
Why is it getting harder? Because you have a shorter time to react when the coffee is ready. Just literally a few seconds and the coffee will be ruined.
Brewing in electric Turkish coffee pot
Usually, the dose of Turkish coffee for one person is around 60 - 150 g of beverage. Because we use a 1:10 ratio here - it will be quite concentrated and most people aren't able to consume that much.
And they are usually very wide which makes the control process even harder.
You can think of them like an electric kettle. They both share the heating element and the base with the contacts.
And the bad thing about this disc - it will have a big inertia after switching off. So if you don't pour the coffee right after it's finished brewing - it could become too bitter and drying, tasteless.
And of course it's a constant power output - you can't slow down towards the end (almost).
Arzum Okka Minio
Today we concentrate on the exact model - Arzum Okka Minio. It has 230 g of water marked as maximum (full volume 512 g). Meaning, we can make up to 200 g of water and 20 g of coffee. Which seems pretty reasonable even for one person. But can be shared for 2 persons. Though, it's better to make 2 cups in a row.
And there is an ability to make less coffee. I've tried 100 g and 150 g of water - both worked fine. Which makes it possible to use for just one person.
The brewing process is stopped because we have a sensor at the top. Which most certainly measures the temperature of the air (and steam). So that it doesn't need to contact with the liquid if you use a small dose.
Why is it possible to make a good cup of coffee here? Because the heating element is less powerful than an electric coffee pot. Usually pots rated around 500-550 W. While here we have 400 W. These numbers don't say much, but the less power you have - the better.
You can try to make Turkish coffee in any small vessel using a constant high and medium heat application to compare the time which is needed to take it off before it boils over.
Problem of Arzum Okka Minio
Right from the first try I got an unbalanced cup of coffee. It was drying and thin in taste. When it cooled down it was more drinkable but not what I would enjoy drinking.
The issue is in the overheating of the coffee. Yes, it stops the brewing process automatically which prevents the overflow and spilling of coffee. But it makes it too late.
For some basic coffee it will be fine since it needs to be brewed that way. For specialty coffee - it will ruin the flavor.
How to use Turkish coffee maker
We need to turn it off earlier. That's the main thing which will save the flavor.
But here are the steps:
- Add ground coffee (grind size smaller than espresso)
- Add water
- Mix
- Insert the pot into a coffee maker
- Turn it on
When to stop the brewing? Before it starts to boil. We don't need to have a rolling, swirling motion or bubbling. It's an indicator that the liquid is too hot.
What we need to have is a change of the foam color to some caramel or slightly darker and most importantly - some start of the motion of the foam. So it will lift and become uneven. It should stay relatively undisturbed by motion.
And you will hear a quite noticeable sound change at that moment. That way you will know - time to press the turn off bottom and take it out immediately and serve. Because the disk at the bottom will keep “cooking” the flavor.
How to adjust the flavor
First of all, try the automatic brewing but use a stopwatch to measure the total brewing time (from pressing Turn on to automatic switch off).
If you've noticed that the flavor is drying and “flat” - next time turn it off manually 10 seconds earlier or judging by the foam color and motion. If coffee is still drying - next time take it off 20 seconds earlier.
And if it's acidic and “flat” but without drying - you can brew it longer.
You can find full brewing suggestions in my short and advanced article about Turkish coffee brewing.
Turkish Coffee Maker - how to choose
I personally would search for the less powerful options. It's nice to have a coffee brewed in 3 minutes, but you have less control that way. 400 W and lower - what I would target for.
There are models with the “slow brewing” mode which will be helpful. Especially if you drink specialty coffee. And this model also looks promising because of the slow brewing mode.
But the Minio turned out to be a pretty well rounded machine. And have a stainless steel pot version for those who don't like plastic.
Final thoughts
It is possible to make an exceptional cup of Turkish coffee using a Turkish coffee maker. If you know what to do (turn it off earlier) - it will take a few attempts to get used to.
While with the electric pot I wasn't able to do that because it starts to boil too quickly.
Both electric options for some reason don't have a soul. So you will not enjoy the coffee that much as you will with the copper coffee pot. But they're utilitarian. If you just want to make a coffee - it's a good option. And most importantly - you can make it taste as good as in copper. It will be tricky but possible.
