Your New World Ibrik Champion Is Turgay Yildizli!

Dateline: Istanbul, where just last week the incomparable Turgay Yildizli was crowned as your new 2013 World Cezve Ibrik Champion! Mr. Yildizli placed first out of nine countries total, in a competition that matched competitors from around the world in a display of mastery over the “Turkish coffee” Cezve / Ibrik brewing style. Here’s a bit more introduction to the event, courtesy of the Ibrik Championship’s official website:

A cezve (also known as ibrik) is a pot designed specifically to make a particular style of coffee that is vastly consumed in parts of Eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The body can be made of metal, brass, copper, or ceramic but it features a distinctive long handle, and a brim that is designed to serve the coffee.

 

This event showcases the Cezve or Ibrik preparation of brewing coffee, set in a competition format that celebrates the cultural tradition. In this championship it is encouraged that the competitors bring their own style/cultural element to their performance to showcase what is one of  the oldest forms of preparing coffee.

Mr. Yildizli, a native of Istanbul, placed first in the world using a Sulawesi Pedamaran AA from Ceremony Coffee Roasters, in Annapolis, Maryland. Speaking via email, Turgay Yildizli told us this coffee “really is an excellent choice for the Cezve Ibrik method,” roasted with a “light to medium roast profile…to prevent the loss of the bright acidity and more delicate fruity notes” in the Ibrik brewing method. Mr. Yildizli went on: “For the last 3 months I worked with the master roaster of Ceremony, Vincent Iatesta, and I think we found the best result. I can’t thank them enough for their support.”

Second place in the World Ibrik Championship went to Stavros Lamprinidis of Greece, and third place was taken by none other than Amy Yildizli, Turgay’s wife and collaborative partner at the couple’s soon to open new coffee roasting venture. It’ll be called “Three Chairs Coffee”, and the Yildizli’s are currently scouting locations for a roasting and retail space in the city of New Orleans. Turgay told us the upcoming Three Chairs space will feature “espresso, manual brewing, cold drip iced coffee and of course Cezve coffee.”

This is enormously exciting, because think about it: Three Chairs in NOLA is going to provide the public with an opportunity to taste beautifully presented specialty Ibrik coffees, prepared at the very highest level of the craft by the Yildizlis. Consider us excited and willing pilgrims once the space is open to the public.

For much more on Turgay Yildizil’s road to victory, read our feature from last April: “The Incredible True Story Of Ceremony Coffee And Turgay Yildizli, Three-Time Turkish Ibrik Champ“.

Photos in this feature by Julia Flit.