Fincan (Turkish Coffee Cup)

A fincan (say fin-JAHN) is the small cup Turkish coffee is served in, in full kahve fincanı, “coffee cup”. It’s part of the ritual as much as the brew: it measures the water, it holds the foam and the grounds, and in many families the best ones are heirlooms. This page covers how much a fincan holds, what it’s made of and how it’s used.

The short version

• Holds 60–90 ml, by Turkey’s official definition.
• Usually porcelain, ideally with a thin rim.
• Doubles as the measure: one cup of water per person.
• Old fincans had no handle and sat in a metal zarf.
• Served with a glass of water, sipped first.

How much does a fincan hold?

Sources agree it’s small, but not on the exact size:

Source	Fincan size
Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, Türk Kahvesi registration (2026)	Traditionally 60–90 ml
Wikipedia, Turkish coffee	About 90 ml
This site’s Turkish coffee guide	65–70 ml of water per cup

Sources as listed. The official definition, registered on 10 March 2026 as a protected traditional product name, sets the ratio at 1 g of coffee to 10 ml of water, so a 70 ml cup takes about 7 g.

Because it’s the measure, the cup you serve in decides the recipe: fill each fincan with cold water, pour it into the cezve, and add the coffee.

What is a fincan made of?

Porcelain, typically, though glass and wood were also used, Wikipedia says. The cup doesn’t change the coffee’s taste as such, but connoisseurs say the best cups are porcelain with a thin rim, which affects how the coffee feels in the mouth. A long tradition prizes beautiful cups, often family heirlooms.

What is a zarf?

Early fincans had no handle. They sat in a zarf, a holder usually of ornamented metal, from the Arabic for “container” or “envelope”, which protected both the cup and the drinker’s fingers from the heat. Since the zarf was the part people saw, it was often more decorated than the cup, Wikipedia says.

How is coffee served in a fincan?

• Foam first. The foam is shared evenly between the cups, then the rest of the coffee and grounds, Turkey’s official definition says.
• With water. A glass of water comes alongside, to sip first and clear the palate.
• Grounds stay in. Much of the powdered coffee stays suspended and is drunk; some sinks to the bottom and is left, Wikipedia says.
• Fortune-telling. Afterwards the cup is sometimes turned over onto its saucer to cool, and the patterns of the grounds are read, a practice called tasseography, Wikipedia says.

UNESCO added Turkish coffee culture and tradition to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013.

Fincan and other kit guides

• Cezve: the pot the coffee is brewed in.
• Turkish coffee guide: the recipe, sugar levels and serving.
• Turkish coffee grinder: for the powder-fine grind.