Turkish Coffee Happy Hour 11th Edition

The first Turkish Coffee Happy Hour of 2020 opened up with a great start! The Yunus Emre Institute welcomed several guests to immerse themselves in Turkish culture through the 11th Edition of this unique program. The Turkish Coffee Happy Hour is designed to allow people in Washington to relax after work with a cup of warm Turkish coffee and learn about the traditions surrounding this world-famous drink.

At the start of every Turkish Coffee Happy Hour, guests are welcomed in the Misafir Odası, the guest room. In the Misafir Odası, they have the opportunity to relax, meet each other and the institute’s staff, and get comfortable before the start of the program. The program starts with a brief overview of the characteristics and history of Turkish coffee-making. After the guests understand the importance of Turkish coffee, they are escorted to the Mutfak, the kitchen, to see how Turkish coffee is brewed in a traditional cezve and try it out for themselves. They participate in one of the most important traditions of drinking Turkish coffee, Sohbet, which means chat. Unfortunately every visit must come to an end, but not before they receive a commemorative postcard as a Hediye, a gift, from the institute.

Guests were surprised to learn about the storied history and tradition of coffee then how it subsequently gained popularity throughout the Ottoman Empire. Their reactions were overwhelmingly positive when they were able to learn about how Turkish coffee is brewed hands-on. Most of them found the process intriguing and much more gratifying than brewing a regular cup of American coffee at home. A few guests asked questions about fortune telling and why Turkish delight goes so well with their Turkish coffee. Once they ate their Turkish delight they understood why its sweet taste pairs with Turkish coffee so well to create a delicious balance. A few stayed behind to have their fortunes told while others stayed to ask about the Yunus Emre Institute’s Turkish language classes. All of our guests headed home with a newfound appreciation for Turkish coffee and understood why sharing a cup of Turkish coffee creates forty years of friendship.

The Yunus Emre Foundation is a public foundation formed to promote Turkey, Turkish language, its history and culture and art, make such related information and documents available for use in the world, provide services abroad to people who want to have education in the fields of Turkish language, culture and art, to improve the friendship between Turkey and other countries and increase the cultural exchange. If you are interested in receiving more information, please email washingtondc@yee.org.tr.