Latest news with #TurkishCoffee
The Sun
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
The 2C method which stops flies plaguing your home and ruining your BBQ and there's ZERO chemicals involved
THERE'S nothing more annoying than setting up a barbecue to enjoy in the sunshine, with flies swarming your food as soon as you start cooking. But one woman has shared a clever way to stop the pests ruining your outdoor feast this summer, and it's entirely chemical free. 3 3 3 Her '2C method' involves using a cupboard staple, and something you'd already be using for the BBQ - namely ground coffee, and a hot piece of coal. Dil took to her TikTok page to share her hack, as she shared a video demonstrating just how effective it can be. The clip showed a cup sitting on the table, with smoke coming off it, as Dil explained she was shown the clever trick when she went to a restaurant in Kıbrıs, Cyprus. "Little hack for you, a little bit of Turkish coffee and coal when you've got the barbecue on stops the flies coming around your food," she said in the video. And while Dil used Turkish coffee - a finely ground coffee known for its texture - for the hack, you can use any ground coffee for it to work. People were quick to comment on her video, with one writing: "Wow ...that's for sharing...I hate flies!" "Yes, they taught us that in Cyprus too- it really works," another added. "My mum did that but I forgot about it," a third admitted. "Thank you for reminding me." "We do this on hols in Cyprus," someone else commented. Expert's warning over common barbecue myths that pose 'dangerous health risk' as Brits' grilling blunders revealed "Great idea darling," another said. With someone else asking "can we use Nescafe?". "I don't see why not!" Dil replied. "They use strong Turkish coffee in Cyprus as it's always to hand." Meanwhile, another expert has explained that as well as being annoying, flies can pose a serious health risk - as they can transfer bacteria like Salmonella and E. coli onto food and preparation surfaces. According to Pest-Stop 's technical training manager Sophie Thorogood, there are some tips to follow to keep the unwelcome guests at bay. Why do flies come out in summer? Flies are present all year round, but all of a sudden when summer comes, they are just EVERYWHERE! The main contributing factors are the breeding cycle of flies and the soaring temperatures. Insects are cold blooded and in summer, when their body temperature rises from the external heat, they become more active. The hotter weather also let's them seek out cool moist spots, like inside your home, to escape from the sweltering heat and to lay their eggs. House Fly eggs take around 20 hours to hatch, but when the temperature rises above 37 degrees, can hatch within 8 hours! In extreme hot weather the eggs can mature from larvae to adult fly in as little as four days. The average lifespan of a housefly is 21 days, so each female can lay up to 900 eggs during the summer months! Firstly, it's important to keep your home - and your garden - clean. "Flies are drawn to food residues and moisture," Sophie said. "Make sure to wipe down surfaces, clean up spills and avoid leaving dirty dishes in the sink or on countertops. "They also breed in decaying waste, making household bins a prime hotspot. "To reduce fly activity, make sure rubbish is removed regularly and bins are kept tightly closed." And if you're planning a barbecue in the evening, it's important to turn off your outdoor lights. "Flies are attracted to light sources, especially at night," Sophie added. "Turning off unnecessary outdoor lights or switching to warm-coloured bulbs can help reduce the number of insects hovering around your home." However, you can use a light to trap the little insects, as it's another natural way of dealing with the problem. 'These devices use energy-efficient LED lamps to attract and capture flies, helping to maintain a cleaner, more hygienic environment," she continued. 'For best results, install light traps just above eye level and away from ceilings, where they'll be most effective in intercepting flying insects."
WIRED
31-05-2025
- General
- WIRED
Never Drink Alone: A Guide to Turkish Coffee
Not quite espresso and not quite drip, Turkish coffee is more than a morning pick-me-up. It's a social activity rooted in cultural tradition. Courtesy of Denmex; Elite; Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links. Out of all caffeinated rituals, Turkish coffee takes the (coffee) cake. That's because, according to some experts, Turkish coffee isn't a type of coffee—it's a cooking method. Commonly seen across Middle Eastern cultures, the beverage looks and acts similar to espresso, served in a small cup and tasting very rich yet very different. Turkish coffee is made with coffee ground finer than espresso (the ideal Turkish coffee grind has a flourlike consistency) and a brewing process that involves boiling three times. It's an unfiltered drink, so the coffee grounds eventually settle to the bottom of the cup. The grounds make for a thick drink, but they also play an important role in the auspicious ritual of fortune telling, a practice that ultimately inspired my love for the brew. My introduction to Turkish coffee was with my sister's Iranian family (we have different fathers. Her father, Ali, is from Iran). Upon visiting them to celebrate the Persian New Year, my sister's aunt made Turkish coffee after dinner one evening and a family friend proceeded to 'read' the coffee grounds and tell us our fortunes (I dive into the specifics of this process more below). While I cannot adhere to the validity of fortune telling, I will say that the family friend predicted I'd have a son. That was over 10 years ago. At the end of 2024, I gave birth to my first child, a healthy baby boy. But you don't have to get your fortune told to enjoy Turkish coffee. You also don't have to search too far and wide across the coffee forums to find strong opinions about the strong coffee and how it should be made. This was possibly my biggest setback in research, as there are those who suggest beginning the brew with hot water, while others suggest cold water. Some suggest sugar, others without. Some suggest high heat, others low. You might have even seen Turkish coffee being prepared in sand. (The owner at my local Palestinian deli tells me that this is mostly a tourist gimmick.) So, to the coffee nerds, the anal and the meticulous, if you're hoping for a 'right' way to make Turkish coffee, I hate to disappoint you. Those who make Turkish coffee in their home regularly measure and brew with their heart, and each household has a similar but almost always slightly different method. It's your preferences that will ultimately guide the ins and outs of your brewing. Table of Contents Turkish coffee is often served in a cup that's usually no more than 2 ounces. It might look similar to espresso, but while espresso is brewed under high pressure, Turkish coffee is brewed by boiling finely ground (even more fine of a grind than espresso) coffee in a cezve . A cezve (referred to as an ibrik in other countries like Palestine) is a small pot with a long handle, usually holding around 10 to 15 ounces and made out of copper. Generally, Turkish coffee is boiled in the cezve in three parts. After each boil, a small amount is poured into the coffee cup. The cezve is returned to the stove after each pour until you've filled your cups. The process of boiling the coffee multiple creates a thick and frothy coffee that is very strong and very aromatic. Ideally, Turkish coffee is ground with a traditional Turkish coffee grinder like this. Because Turkish coffee is ground to a fineness that most commercial coffee grinders cannot achieve, your best bet is to buy it pre-ground (I've suggested a few brands below). I almost considered using my Sana Grain Mill (8/10, WIRED Recommends) to see if I could achieve the grind, but didn't want to risk the coffee flavor in my homemade flour. Traditionally, finely ground Turkish coffee is mixed with water in a cezve, along with some sugar, depending on your preferences. You'll bring the coffee to a boil on low/medium heat over an open flame, usually in three parts. The first boil will develop a foam (think crema, as seen in other coffee drinks). This foam is essential to Turkish coffee, as the drink's frothy thickness makes it stand out from others. Some recipes suggest using a spoon to scoop the initial foam into your prepared cups. Otherwise, you'll use the cezve to pour it into your prepared coffee cups a little at a time. Put the cezve back on the stove to boil and repeat this process twice more until you've filled your coffee cups to the rim. As I mentioned earlier, it's important to note that, unlike other coffee styles in which technicality is prioritized with scales and thermometers, you'll see neither of these aspects come into play when making Turkish coffee. With roots that date back to the 16th century in the Ottoman Empire, Turkish coffee is a drink integrated into and born of a culture. So, think of Turkish coffee like your grandma's cooking—a recipe acts as a guide, but it is ultimately a process that is led with the heart. You may not place much stock in auspicious practices, and I don't blame you. But in case you're curious, there are traditions to be respected. The fortune-telling process begins once you've finished your drink. You'll place your coffee cup upside down on its saucer. The grounds will drip and scatter, and this is what the fortune teller will analyze to determine your fortune. Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi Just as my family friend read my coffee grounds on that fateful day 10 years ago, the practice of fortune telling through Turkish coffee should be done by someone who is experienced in the craft. It is strongly suggested that you do not try to read your own fortune. This act of fortune telling also establishes something important when it comes to Turkish coffee: It's a social activity—something meant to be enjoyed with company. It's not a science. A great example of this is my local Palestinian deli using hot water to make its Turkish coffee. Beginning with hot water may go against what some coffee aficionados recommend (beginning with cold water is usually ideal for any brewing process to achieve optimal flavor and extraction), but many places selling Turkish coffee do this to speed up the process and serve their customers more quickly. When making the recipe below, don't focus on being too technical. Yields 2 2-ounce cups of Turkish coffee 1 cezve 2 small (2 oz.) coffee cups 2 heaping Tbsp Turkish coffee 6 ounces water 1 tsp sugar (optional) Combine Turkish coffee, sugar, and water in your cezve. Stir until combined. Put cezve over a low/medium gas stove flame and slowly bring to a boil over a couple of minutes (if it boils too fast, it's harder to develop the initial foam). Once boiling to the top, quickly take the cezve off the stove and pour a small amount into your prepared cups (about half an ounce). Return the cezve to the open flame and bring to a boil. Repeat steps 3 to 4 twice more until you've filled your cups to the brim. Serve immediately. You can prepare Turkish coffee over a non-gas stove, although it will take longer When I say heaping, I mean heaping ! Don't be afraid to indulge. ! Don't be afraid to indulge. My local Palestinian deli grinds cardamom into its coffee. It takes the flavor to the next level.
