The story of how coffee started its incredible journey throughout the Turkish culture has two different versions. One states that in 1521 the Ottoman ruler of Yemen, Ozdemir Pasha, wanted to impress the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, so he studied the way Yemeni prepared coffee in order to make the drink specially dedicated to the Sultan himself. The ruler was so impressed with the present that he signed an official document to celebrate the ordeal and the rest is history. Coffee started spreading across the empire while new customs emerged to welcome it. 

After it made its debut in the sixteenth century, coffee became an integral part of social life in Turkey. Under the reign of Sultan Selim II. coffee shops gained popularity across the country where Turkish men frequented the establishments in order to discuss everything from politics and arts to trades and religion. In the seventeenth century these gatherings became so prominent that the Sultan Murat III banned coffee consumption because it inspired political turmoil and other rebellious activities. Fortunately, the ban was lifted by the Sultan’s successors and coffee was served once again allowing the ritual to be reborn; traders continued exchanging information, politicians discussed, writers wrote their books, while their coffees cooled on the table. And this is why coffee rituals sealed their place in history; because they celebrated that special period of the day when we feel at ease and most comfortable.