Feeling crushed after a long day at work or suffocated by the humidity and chaos of the city, many might want nothing more than a cold brew to refresh themselves. Not the kind of brew that has an alcohol percentage on the label, but the drink that can be ordered strong or weak from the local coffee shop. Just off Barbaros Avenue, pulsing with the weight of car and people traffic, Cupper’s offers this uplifting iced beverage, among others, and a cafe escape for the weary Istanbul citizen in need of recuperation.
This is not your amca‘s coffee house with thimble cups of Turkish coffee on green felt tables, clicking with the sound of OK tiles. It also feels more like a bar than the typical European coffee shop. The different implements of brewing line the back walls behind the wooden bar instead of bottles of liquor. At the entrance, the cold brew tool stands about one meter tall protected in a special glass case, looking like a rather sinister chemistry instrument. The master of brews here at Cupper’s is former electrical engineer Rıdvan Yekta Acaroğlu.
Most coffee-drinkers begin to enjoy and depend on the roasted bean beverage after an initiation period instigated by parental influence or an all-nighter at university, but Acaroğlu came to coffee rather late in life under the influence of a close friend, Yücel Özdemir. After his first taste of Italian espresso, Özdemir fell hard for specialty coffee. He returned to Turkey and began to make his own beverages, sharing each new discovery with his then colleague, Acaroğlu. Both disenchanted with their nine to five day at the office, the two friends decided to go into the cafe business together. Cupper’s is the culmination of months of planning and research into the new coffee trends and brewing techniques sweeping the world and beginning to take root in Istanbul. Life circumstances have left Acaroğlu the sole owner of the cafe now, but he is positive about the future of his business.
Riding in on the third wave cafe trend, Cupper’s opened in May to feed the growing coffee-nut obsession of Istanbul with a selection of origin coffees and artisanal brews. The name Cupper’s itself pays homage to the art of coffee selection and expertise. A cupper in the bean world refers to the person in charge of cupping coffee. Much like a wine or hops taster, the cupper analyzes the aroma and flavor of a variety of coffee samples, taking notes and judging the quality of the product. Those descriptions like earthy, floral or chocolaty on the side of coffee bags probably came from the work of the coffee tasters back on the farms, selecting the best crops and roasts for consumption. The beans then make their way to cafes around the world for the brewing expert or barista.
Hot and cold beverages at Cupper’s include a selection of espresso-based drinks and brews from across the world including El Salvador, Brazil, Guatemala and Costa Rica. Patrons can choose from four different brewing tools which are also on sale for home use. For the stronger coffee lovers, Acaroğlu recommends the Aeropress or Coffee Syphon. For a softer taste, the Wood Neck and V-60 Pour Over are best. Acaroğlu prefers Sumatra, both hot and cold, for its strong flavor. Hole-in-the-wall cafe lovers who don’t drink coffee can enjoy a hot or iced chocolate or the Cupper’s frozen ˗ a smoothie made of fruit, ice and milk.
In addition to the drinks, Cupper’s serves a selection of brownies and cakes. All the baked goods are homemade because as Acaroğlu says, “We only want to sell what we like to eat and what we make ourselves.”
Cupper’s is open from 8 am to 11 pm Monday to Friday, and 10 am to 11 pm on the weekends. Takeaway is also available.
Cupper’s Coffee Station
Barbaros Bulvarı No:2
34353 Beşiktaş
Istanbul
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nice work, Meridith Paterson!