Armenian Soorj
How to make Armenian coffee (soorj) in a jazzve: powder-fine coffee, a cup of cold water each, sugar and an optional cardamom pod, lifted off the heat as it foams.
Contents
How do you make Armenian coffee?
Put a cup of cold water per person into a jazzve with a generous teaspoon of powder-fine coffee and, if you like, a level teaspoon of sugar per cup, and stir. Heat it, and as the foam rises, lift it off before it boils. Stir, put it back and repeat. When the foam rises a third time, pour it into small cups, which can hold a cardamom pod.
At a glance
- Ratio
- 1 generous tsp per small cup
- Grind
- Powder (flour-like)
- Water
- Start cold, lift off as it foams
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Origin
- Armenia
Method
Set out the cups
Set the empty cups near the stove and, if you like, put a cardamom pod or seed in each.
Water, coffee and sugar
Pour a small cup of cold water per person into the jazzve. Add a generous teaspoon of powder-fine coffee per cup and, if you take it, about a level teaspoon of sugar per cup, and stir well.
Heat and watch
Put it on the heat and watch it closely.
Lift off as it foams
As the foam rises towards the top, take the jazzve off the heat before it boils.
Stir and repeat
Stir it, put it back on the heat and let the foam rise again. It’s ready when the foam rises a third time.
Pour and serve
Pour a little into each cup in turn, sharing out the foam, and let the grounds settle before drinking.
Soorj is Armenian coffee: powder-fine coffee, cold water and usually a little sugar, heated together in a small long-handled pot, the jazzve, until it foams, then poured unfiltered into small cups. Some families add cardamom, usually a pod in each cup. It’s made in much the same way as Turkish coffee, and it’s part of Armenian hospitality: hosts serve it once guests have eaten, and some still have their cups read afterwards. Here’s how to make it.
The short version
- A jazzve, the small long-handled pot.
- A small cup of cold water and a generous teaspoon of powder-fine coffee per person.
- Sugar to taste, and an optional cardamom pod in each cup.
- Stir before heating, and between each rise.
- Lift it off as it foams: it’s ready when the foam rises a third time.
What do you need?
- A jazzve, sized for the number of cups
- Coffee ground to a powder, almost like dust
- Small cups
- Sugar and cardamom pods, if you like
How do you make soorj, step by step?
- Set out the cups and, if you like, put a cardamom pod or seed in each.
- Pour a small cup of cold water per person into the jazzve.
- Add a generous teaspoon of coffee per cup and sugar to taste, and stir well.
- Heat it, watching closely. As the foam rises towards the top, take it off before it boils.
- Stir, put it back and let the foam rise again. When it rises a third time, it’s ready.
- Pour a little into each cup in turn, sharing the foam, and let the grounds settle.
The Armenian Kitchen’s recipe heats it on a high heat, so don’t walk away: an unwatched jazzve boils over in moments.
How much coffee and sugar?
The Armenian Kitchen’s recipe uses a cup of cold water per person, a generous teaspoon of ground coffee per cup and a level teaspoon of sugar per cup, if you take it. The writer adds an extra spoon of coffee for a stronger pot. Wikipedia notes that unsweetened soorj is called daruh, bitter, but that it’s more commonly brewed with a little sugar. Like Greek coffee, the sugar goes into the pot, so decide before you brew.
Do Armenians put cardamom in coffee?
Some do. It’s optional. Both The Armenian Kitchen and Armenia Discovery put a cardamom pod in each cup before pouring, so it adds its aroma, and some families mix cardamom into the ground coffee instead. Not everyone likes it. The Armenian Kitchen notes that cardamom was also valued as good for digestion.
How is soorj served?
In small cups, unfiltered. Armenia Discovery describes hosts serving coffee only after laying a full table, once guests have eaten, and Wikipedia mentions baklava, gata or nazook served alongside. Afterwards, some people still turn the cup over and have their grounds read, though it’s less common than it was.
Soorj vs other coffees from the same family
| Armenian soorj | Turkish coffee | Bosnian coffee | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pot | Jazzve | Cezve | Džezva |
| Start | Cold water, coffee and sugar together | Cold water, coffee and sugar together | Water boiled first |
| Extras | Optional cardamom in the cup | Usually none | Sugar cubes on the side |
General guidance only. Watch the jazzve closely, as it can boil over in seconds, and take care with the hot handle.
Soorj vs other methods
- Turkish coffee: made in a cezve in much the same way.
- Greek coffee: made in a briki, ordered by sweetness.
- Lebanese coffee: often flavoured with cardamom.
- Arabic coffee: a light roast with cardamom, from a dallah.
Explore every boiled method in the boiled chapter.
Words in this guide
- Roast level
- Roast level describes how long and how hot coffee beans were roasted, usually labelled light, medium or dark.
Questions & answers
What is soorj?
Armenian coffee: powder-fine coffee boiled with water, and usually a little sugar, in a small pot called a jazzve, then served unfiltered in small cups. In Armenian it’s also called haykakan surč, Armenian coffee, or sev surč, black coffee.
Do Armenians put cardamom in coffee?
Some do. It’s optional: the usual way is to put a cardamom pod or seed in each cup before pouring, though some families mix cardamom into the ground coffee. Not everyone likes its aroma.
What grind is used for Armenian coffee?
A powder: the beans are ground so finely they’re almost dust, as for Turkish coffee.
Is Armenian coffee the same as Turkish coffee?
It’s made in much the same way, and The Armenian Kitchen says the families it knew used to call it Turkish coffee. Armenians call it soorj, and families have their own habits, such as adding cardamom.
How is Armenian coffee served?
In small cups, often after a full table has been laid, as hosts make sure guests aren’t hungry before coffee. Sweets such as baklava or gata may come alongside, and some still have their cups read afterwards.
Sources
- Armenian coffee: a soorj of delight. The Armenian Kitchen
- Cardamom: a taste of ancient Armenia. The Armenian Kitchen
- Armenian coffee. Armenia Discovery
- Turkish coffee. Wikipedia
General guidance only. Not medical, food-safety or professional advice. Always follow your equipment's own instructions.