Lebanese Coffee vs Turkish Coffee – What Is The Difference?

If you ever went to Lebanon or had friends from there, you probably noticed they drink a special type of coffee.

Lebanese coffee is a brewing method similar to Turkish coffee. However, there is a slight difference between these types of brew. In this blog post, I’ll go into more detail about it.

You should read this article to understand what truly separates Turkish coffee from the rest.

Lebanese coffee vs Turkish coffee – Preparation difference

The only difference between Turkish and Lebanese coffee is the preparation method. During the Turkish brewing method, you don’t want the coffee to come to a boiling point and break up the foam.

For Lebanese coffee, you want it to come to a boil, remove it from the heat so that foam isn’t spilling over, and bring it back to heat. This process is repeated as many times as you need to remove most of the foam. 

How to make Lebanese coffee – Step-by-step guide

1. Gather your ingredients:

• Finely ground Lebanese coffee beans
• Water
• A small pot

2. Determine the amount:

• Use a ratio of one heaping teaspoon of Lebanese coffee for every small cup you intend to serve.
• For a single cup, measure out approximately 70ml of water.

3. Preparation:

• Pour the measured water into the cezve.
• Add the coffee grounds to the water in the cezve and mix it well. 

4. Begin brewing:

• Place the cezve on a stovetop set to medium heat.
• Watch closely for the water to warm and start boiling. Once you notice foam forming on the surface, remove the cezve from the heat immediately.

5. Continue brewing:

• Place the cezve back on the heat and let it come to a boil again.
• Repeat this process until most of the foam has been cleared away.

6. Serve the coffee:

• After the boiling and pouring process is repeated a few times, pour the remaining coffee into the cups.

How to drink Lebanese coffee?

Before taking your first sip, it’s important to remember that Lebanese coffee is unfiltered, which means that the coffee grounds settle at the bottom of the cup. To avoid getting a mouthful of grounds, it’s best to drink slowly and stop once you reach the sediment at the bottom.

What beans to use for Lebanese coffee?

For Lebanese coffee, you want to use dark roasted beans. The ground level needs to be extra fine. 

In this brewing method, you don’t filter out the coffee. It settles down at the bottom of the cup.

How strong is Lebanese coffee?

Lebanese coffee has around 20 mg of caffeine per oz of liquid, the same as the famous Turkish beverage. 

To learn more about the strength of Turkish and Lebanese coffee, check out this article.

Final thoughts

Some people may say that Turkish coffee and Lebanese coffee are the same. However, a slight variation in the preparation method makes the taste different.

I prefer Turkish coffee more because of the thick foam on the top that makes the whole drinking experience special.