Copper and Brass in Coffee Pots

Copper and brass are the traditional metals of coffee pots across the Middle East and the Balkans, from the Turkish cezve to the Arabian dallah. They look beautiful and heat superbly, but copper reacts with acid, and coffee is acidic. That’s why a proper copper cezve is lined, usually with tin. This page explains why, and how to look after one.

The short version

• Copper heats fast and evenly, and cools quickly off the heat.
• Copper reacts with acids; coffee’s pH is about 4.85–5.13.
• The US Food Code bars copper and brass from food below pH 6.
• So copper pots are tin-lined, a practice recorded in 1788.
• Re-tin a worn lining; don’t scour it.

Why are coffee pots made of copper and brass?

Heat. Copper has the highest thermal conductivity of the non-noble metals, so it heats quickly with unmatched heat distribution, Wikipedia says. It also doesn’t store heat, so the moment you lift the pot off the flame, it stops heating. For Turkish coffee, which must be heated slowly and taken off just as the foam rises, that responsiveness helps.

Tradition. A proper cezve is traditionally made of thick forged copper, and some people believe copper improves the taste, Wikipedia’s article on Turkish coffee says; brass, silver and even gold cezves exist too. The Arabian dallah, the long-beaked pot for Arabic coffee, is made of brass, steel, silver, or gold for special occasions.

Why is copper lined with tin?

Because copper reacts with acidic food, and the by-products can cause copper toxicity, Wikipedia says. Coffee is acidic:

Measure	Value	Source
Hot-brewed coffee pH	4.85–5.10	Rao and Fuller, Scientific Reports, 2018
Cold brew pH	4.96–5.13	Rao and Fuller, Scientific Reports, 2018
US Food Code limit for copper and copper alloys such as brass	No contact with food below pH 6	Food Code 4-101.14, as adopted in Minnesota

The Food Code rule applies to food businesses, and the examples it names are vinegar, fruit juice and wine; Iowa’s regulators used it in 2017 to warn bars about unlined copper mugs. Brewed coffee falls within the same pH range, which is why copper coffee pots are lined.

Tin is the oldest lining. Wiped by hand onto copper, a cooking-grade tin lining is about 35–45 micrometres thick, Wikipedia says. The practice is old for coffee too: in 1788, Ignatius Mouradgea d’Ohsson described Turkish coffee being brewed in a tinned copper pot, Wikipedia’s article on Turkish coffee notes. Other linings for copper cookware include stainless steel, nickel and silver.

How do you look after a copper cezve?

Do	Don’t
Use wooden, silicone or plastic spoons	Scrape with metal tools
Wash gently	Use abrasive cleansers, which wear tin faster
Have it re-tinned when the lining wears through	Keep brewing on bare copper
Heat slowly, as Turkish coffee needs anyway	Plunge it into cold water when hot, which can warp metal pots

Sources: Wikipedia, Cookware and bakeware. A worn wiped tin lining can usually be re-tinned for much less than the cost of a new pot.

Copper vs steel vs aluminium cezves

Material	Heat	Care
Lined copper	Fastest and most even	Re-tin when worn; gentle cleaning
Brass	Traditional; a copper alloy	Should be lined for brewing
Stainless steel	About 25 times less conductive than copper	Tough, and works on induction
Aluminium	A modern alternative	Check the maker’s hob advice

Sources: Wikipedia (Cookware and bakeware; Cezve).

Copper and other guides

• Cezve: shapes, sizes and names.
• Turkish coffee guide: the slow heat copper is good at.
• Ceramic vs glass vs plastic: how materials change heat in other brewers.