By: Sarah Khayat
Scent is such a powerful sense, albeit often overlooked. It doesn’t serve us as well as sight or touch, but it packs a visceral punch. Have you ever walked by your favorite bakery and taken a deep whiff only to be transported back to your mom’s kitchen? Or inhaled the smell of a freshly mowed lawn and pined for summer?
For millions around the world, Turkish coffee provides the perfect vehicle for that olfactory experience. It announces the birth of new morning while paying homage to ancient tradition. It’s a finely ground coffee experience that beckons company and hearty conversation. It is meant to be sipped slowly, never chugged hastily. Turkish coffee refers specifically to the grind quality and brew technique, not to a certain type of coffee bean. In the Middle East and North Africa, ground cardamom is often added to enhance the flavor and aroma.
For me, cardamom is a spice born to be wafted. It ought to be brewed and allowed to slowly infuse a room with its earthy scent. It is a bold spice, never one to be muted. The combination of cardamom and finely ground coffee is more than the sum of its parts, by far. The velvety elixir of ground coffee and cardamom settles to the bottom of your cup only to be discarded, or read if you feel so astrologically inclined. It’s a metaphor for a life well lived: take the good, leave the bad, and enjoy the journey.
Biography of Author: Sarah Khayat is a coffee enthusiast, utilizing coffee for her enjoyment and to fuel her long work days as an ENT and facial plastic surgeon. She is a mother, a daughter, a wife and a native Louisvillian that will be transitioning back to her home state to start her practice.
