The Turkish rapper Ezhel paints a somewhat bleak picture of his hometown of Ankara in his hit song “The Taste of My City.” In a catchy, auto-tuned hook he lists the flavors the city leaves in his mouth: “soot, rust, dirt, coal, plastic, trash, tires, exhaust, weed.”
No disrespect to one of Turkey’s most prolific modern songwriters, but when Sprudge spent five days in the Turkish capital for the 2024 Turkish Barista Championship, we mostly tasted delicious coffee.
Specialty coffee in Turkey is still synonymous with Istanbul, but today Ankara is ready to throw off its reputation as a drab government town and ready to take its rightful place in the Turkish specialty coffee spotlight. A handful of coffee companies are helping lead the way, and belong on any coffee lover’s itinerary for visiting Ankara.
Tetra N Roasters
Tetra N Roastery wears its hometown pride loud and proud. Its motto, “From Ankara with Love,” is boldly printed on the side of their coffee bags in bright orange letters. Most recently, the company confirmed its place as one of Turkey’s top roasters when their production roaster Nida Fetullahoğlu won the 2024 Turkish Brewers Cup, going on to represent her country on the world stage in Chicago at SCA Expo.
Whether it’s a funky, anaerobic-processed coffee from cult Colombia producer Jairo Arcila or a classic washed Kenya, there’s something here for everyone. Tetra N operates a cafe near Middle East Technical University and their roastery can be visited by special arrangement.
Hound Coffee & Eatery
Anıl Tabak was quite literally raised in the hospitality industry. His family operates the popular Ankara restaurant Çiçek Lokantası, which offers regional specialties the old fashioned way, which is to say, exceptionally well.
But Tabak wanted to blaze his own trail. In 2018 he opened Hound Coffee & Eatery. The company began roasting its own coffee in 2021. At Hound’s two Anakara cafes visitors can expect light-roasted single origin coffees brewed by the cup, in addition to hand-picked loose leaf tea from Turkey’s Black Sea region. For Tabak, it’s all about giving back to the community that raised him.
“The coffee community in Ankara is a very curious group of researchers,” says Tabak. “They have always supported and encouraged us local coffee roasters with their passion.”
6A Specialty Coffee
Berlin is home to one of Europe’s largest Turkish diaspora communities, so it should come as no surprise the German Turkish community plays a big role in city’s coffee scene. With the opening of 6A Specialty Coffee in Ankara’s Aziziye neighborhood, a piece of Berlin coffee culture finds its way back to Turkey. 6A regularly features coffee Berlin roasters like Five Elephant and The Barn on offer by the cup.
We sampled a Kamwangi AA, Kenya roasted by Five Elephant, hand-brewed by 6A’s head barista, Tayfun Doğan. Lovers of a classic washed Kenya profile will not be disappointed: flavors of hibiscus and red currant were supported by a grapefruit zest finish.
With its textured concrete wall, colorful wallpapered roof, and soft, supporting wooden features, the interior design at 6A is as thoughtful as the coffee production. It’s no surprise that despite being one of Ankara’s newest cafes, it’s already become popular amongst the city’s diplomats.
Kakule Kahve
From the black and white rattan chairs to the sea green accents—even the La Marzocco KB90 is in on the color scheme—Kakule Kahve feels more Parisian than Anatolian. The cafe features roasters from around Turkey, such as Izmir’s Lot Coffee, but perhaps the main reason to come here is for the immaculate French-inspired pastry.
In Turkey, coffee is almost always served with food, and the food program at Kakule is top notch. Whether it’s the exquisitely-piped dacquoise or apple pie French toast made with the house brioche, it’s easy to see why Kakule has become the it spot for Ankara’s influencers to get their brunch pics.
Rispetto
Ankara’s Bahçelievler neighborhood is home to a staggering numbering of coffees shops. Sprudge counted at least nine cafes of various second-wave stripes and sizes while circling the block trying to find parking.
But before opening a coffee shop became a trend, there was Rispetto. By most accounts Rispetto was the first specialty coffee shop in Ankara, and that singular focus on providing customers with a better cup of coffee continues to today.
“We like filter coffee,” says Rispetto founder Nihan Aytar as she pours us a cup of El Refugio, Colombia, a funky, fruity natural process coffee roasted by Istanbul’s Coffee Dept.
Aytar left behind her career as a food engineer after discovering a passion for specialty coffee. That passion turned out to be is contagious. During our visit, regular customers were greeted by name. Several told Sprudge this was their favorite coffee shop. It’s easy to see why.
Paper Roasting Coffee & Chocolate
In Ankara, one is never far away from Paper Roasting. The roaster/retailer boasts five cafes around the city in addition to three other locations across Turkey.
Paper’s roastery and HQ in Ankara’s Yıldız neighborhood features an expansive upstairs seating area and a training lab where owner Uğur Asilsoy offers SCA classes. In addition to the house-roasted coffee, Paper offers a variety of glass brewing equipment designed in partnership with local laboratory equipment manufacturer Saha.
Michael Butterworth is a coffee educator and consultant based in Istanbul, Turkey. Read more Michael Butterworth for Sprudge.
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Michael Butterworth
July 29, 2024
