The Yunus Emre Institute Is Now Introducing Virtual Turkish Coffee Happy Hour.
Updated: Dec 4, 2020
Washington - As the world continues to grapple with the effects of the novel coronavirus, the Yunus Emre Institute has found a new and innovative way to bring Turkish Coffee Happy Hour to the comfort of your living room. A regular event that was normally held in the Yunus Emre Institute’s Washington D.C. office, Turkish Coffee Happy Hour has now found a new space in the digital sphere of cultural events. The first edition of virtual Turkish Coffee Happy Hour provided a warm atmosphere where each guest got to learn about the rich history of Turkish coffee and the process of making it.
With a new digital platform, Zoom meetings, the opportunity for the Yunus Emre Institute to bring the joy of Turkish coffee to the public is seemingly limitless. The entire format of Turkish Coffee Happy Hour has been reimagined for a more engaging, immersive, and even competitive experience. Guests were able to learn about the rich history of Turkish coffee and its customary traditions in the Misafir Odası part of the program. They then virtually joined their hosts, Public Relations Assistants Harper Clark and Matthew Holbrook, in the Mutfak, or “kitchen” in Turkish. Through the digital medium, the process of making Turkish coffee by hand was demonstrated to the guests. After the demonstration, guests were able to try their luck at winning a Turkish coffee set through a trivia game. With a series of questions on Turkish coffee, it’s history, and the process of making it, one lucky guest became the proud new owner of a cezve, freshly ground Turkish coffee, and a postcard commemorating their Turkish coffee trivia victory.
The Turkish Coffee Happy Hour guests all unanimously agreed they had an enjoyable time by the end of the event. During the Sohbet session, in between the brewing process and trivia, many great questions were asked. One particularly fascinating question that a guest asked was whether there is a difference in tasting coffee from a copper cezve and a silver cezve. This is not a common question that is asked about Turkish coffee so some time was taken to explain that copper heats the fine Turkish coffee grounds better than silver can. Overall, this was an extraordinarily curious and engaging group of people who came together on a Friday evening to learn and discuss the magic that makes Turkish coffee so wonderfully unique.
The Yunus Emre Foundation is a public foundation designed to educate the public about Turkey and its language, history, culture, and art. The Foundation makes such related information and documents available for use in the world. Facilitating cultural exchange between Turkey and other countries is a central objective of the Foundation. If you are interested in receiving more information, please email washingtondc@yee.org.tr.