Turkish Coffee Grinder

A Turkish coffee grinder has one job most grinders can’t do: turn roasted beans into a powder as fine as flour. Turkish coffee is brewed and drunk with its grounds, so the grind decides the foam, the body and how cleanly the grounds settle. This page explains how fine that is, the traditional brass mill, and what to do if your grinder can’t get there.

The short version

• Powder-fine: an average of 75–125 microns, by Turkey’s official definition.
• Keep it cool: no hotter than 40 °C while grinding.
• Traditional tool: a brass hand mill with steel burrs.
• Most home grinders can’t reach it; precise hand grinders can.
• Or buy it ready-ground for Turkish coffee, and keep it airtight.

How fine is a Turkish coffee grind?

Finer than espresso: a soft powder like flour or cocoa. Here’s how the sources put it in microns:

Source	Turkish grind
Turkish Patent and Trademark Office, Türk Kahvesi registration (2026)	Average 75–125 µm
Wikipedia, citing a 2017 study	75–125 µm
The Coffee Locator	100–200 µm
Honest Coffee Guide	40–220 µm

Sources as listed. The official figure, registered on 10 March 2026 when “Türk Kahvesi / Turkish Coffee” became a protected traditional product name, is the narrowest. See the grind size chart for every other method.

The fineness is crucial, Wikipedia says, because it shapes the foam and the mouthfeel. The official definition adds that the coffee should not go above 40 °C while it’s ground, to keep the right taste and foam and to let the grounds settle in the cup.

What is a traditional Turkish coffee grinder?

Two tools, Wikipedia says:

Tool	How it works	Catch
Mortar	Beans are hand-pounded	Strict connoisseurs insist on it, but it’s hard to get an even powder
Brass mill	A brass hand mill with steel burrs	The more usual choice; it gives slightly drier particles

Source: Wikipedia, Turkish coffee. An older way of crushing beans between two stones, the dibek, gives its name to dibek coffee.

Can a normal grinder make Turkish coffee?

Usually not. An inexpensive home electric grinder can’t reach the powder-fine grind without overstraining its motor and possibly damaging its plastic gears, and a simple manual grinder can’t either, Wikipedia says; special, precise grinders, often costly, are used. Some modern hand grinders can grind fine enough. If you’re buying a burr grinder for Turkish coffee, check that the maker lists a Turkish setting.

What if you can’t grind fine enough?

Buy coffee ground for Turkish coffee. Turkey’s official definition says ground Turkish coffee keeps for up to a year in airtight packaging, stored away from light, moisture and air. It’s made from arabica, robusta or both, roasted light, medium or dark.

Turkish grinder and other kit guides

• Cezve: the pot to brew it in.
• Fincan: the cup to serve it in.
• Turkish coffee guide: the recipe and the foam.