What is the Hakan Hammered Copper Cezve?
A handmade hammered copper cezve with a tin-lined interior and a brass handle, sold in six sizes from 5 to 16 fluid ounces at $23.90 to $38.90. It is the traditional object at a price that undercuts most of the traditional competition.
The body is pure copper, hammered rather than smooth, with the interior coated in tin. That lining is not decoration: copper reacts with acidic liquids, and the tin is what stands between the metal and the coffee. Hakan explain the process on their own listing, which is more than most sellers of copper cookware bother to do.
The handle is brass, cast with an openwork pattern and a hanging hole at the end. The 5 ounce size measures 4.25 by 2.6 by 5.8 inches.
Being handmade, the maker warns that sizes vary slightly and that joins carry small imperfections. That is honest and it is also correct: a hammered pot is hammered by somebody.
Brew quality and what it is made of
Copper is the right material for this method and the reason is speed. Turkish coffee is decided in the second or two when the foam climbs the neck, and copper conducts heat faster than almost anything else in a kitchen, so the pot answers immediately when you lift it off the flame. A slower material keeps climbing after you have already reacted.
The hammered finish is usually sold as decoration and it is not only that. A hammered surface has more area than a smooth one, which is a small help on the outside and irrelevant on the inside, where the tin is smooth. Treat it as a look you either want or do not.
The tin lining is the part with a lifespan. Tin is soft and melts at a low temperature, which is why every copper pot of this kind comes with the same two warnings: do not heat it empty, and do not scour it. Used properly a lining lasts years and can be renewed by a re-tinner. Used badly it goes in one afternoon.
The shape is right. At 2.6 inches wide and 5.8 inches tall this is far taller than it is wide, and that narrow neck is what concentrates the foam a cezve is judged on.
What you can brew with it
Turkish coffee, and the Greek, Armenian and Arabic versions of the same method, which differ in name and in habit rather than in technique. See Greek coffee against Turkish for what genuinely separates them, and Arabic coffee, which is a different drink brewed in a different pot but often made in this one at home.
Hakan also list it for herbal tea, melting butter, sauces, boiling water and warming chocolate. All fine, with one caveat that follows from the lining: keep it away from anything you would leave over a high flame for a long time, and never heat it dry.
For the method itself, how to make Turkish coffee at home covers the six things that matter, only one of which is difficult.
Living with it, day to day
The brass handle is the thing to know before buying. Brass conducts heat, and Hakan's own care notes say to use mittens when holding the pot. A traditional cezve uses wood for exactly this reason, and the DEMMEX does. On a method where the pot goes on and comes off the heat repeatedly within a few minutes, a handle you need a cloth for is a real friction rather than a quibble.
It is a fair trade for some people. Brass will not char, crack or come loose the way a wooden handle eventually can, and the openwork casting and hanging hole are part of why the pot looks the way it does.
Cleaning is hand washing only. The maker is explicit that a dishwasher will fade the colour and the finish, and that scouring pads will scratch it. Limescale inside is dealt with by boiling water with lemon juice or vinegar, which is the standard remedy for tin.
Induction is ruled out. Gas, electric and ceramic are all shown as fine.
Hakan Hammered Copper Cezve vs the DEMMEX Copper Cezve Ibrik
Two handmade copper cezves, and the differences are small but decisive.
The DEMMEX is 1mm copper, hand engraved, with a wooden handle, in a single 9 ounce size. It rates higher than this one here, and the wooden handle is a large part of why.
The Hakan is hammered rather than engraved, has a brass handle, and comes in six sizes from 5 to 16 ounces with a stated price for each. That size ladder is genuinely useful, because a cezve brews best between half and two thirds full and the right size depends on how many people you brew for.
So: the DEMMEX if you want the better handle and the engraved finish and only ever brew for two or three. The Hakan if you want to choose your size, want the hammered look, or want a known price. If you brew alone, the Hakan's 5 ounce at $23.90 is a more sensible object than any 9 ounce pot.
Against the Caizen stainless, both copper pots respond faster on the heat and both need more care. The stainless needs none.
Is the Hakan Hammered Copper Cezve worth it?
$23.90 for the 5 ounce rising to $38.90 for the 16 ounce is inexpensive for handmade tin-lined copper, and the ladder means you are not paying for capacity you will not use.
What you are buying is the correct material in the correct shape, made by hand, with the lining explained rather than glossed over. Nothing about a cezve can break in the way an appliance breaks; the only wear item is the tin, and that is renewable.
Amazon buyers rate it 4.1 out of 5 across 524 ratings. We do not score on other people's ratings and do not publish an aggregate, but that is a large sample and a slightly softer one than the category's best.
The reservation is the handle, and how much it costs you depends entirely on whether you own an oven mitt and mind reaching for it several times a brew.
Who should buy it (and who should not)
Buy it if you want real tin-lined copper without paying a premium for it, you want to choose a size rather than accept one, you brew on gas, electric or ceramic, and you like the hammered finish. The 5 ounce is the right buy for one person and the one most people should start with.
Do not buy it if your hob is induction, in which case it will not work. Think again too if you want to grab the pot bare-handed while you work, where a wooden handle is simply better, or if you want something you can put in a dishwasher and forget, in which case stainless is the answer.
New to the method entirely? Turkish coffee against espresso sets out what you would be choosing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What size Hakan cezve should I buy?
The 5 oz at $23.90 for one person, the 8.3 oz for two, and the 13.2 or 16 oz if you regularly brew for guests. A cezve controls best between half and two thirds full, so buy for your usual number rather than your maximum.
Is the Hakan copper pot induction compatible?
No. The listing states it is not compatible with induction stoves. Gas, electric and ceramic are all shown as fine.
Does the brass handle get hot?
Brass conducts heat, and Hakan's own care instructions say to use mittens when holding the pot. If you would rather not, a cezve with a wooden handle is the alternative.
What is the tin lining for, and does it wear out?
Copper reacts with acidic liquids, so the interior is coated in tin to keep the metal away from the coffee. It is soft and it does wear, but a lining treated properly lasts years and can be renewed by a re-tinner. Never heat the pot empty and never scour the inside.
Can it go in the dishwasher?
No. The maker warns a dishwasher fades the colour and damages the surface. Hand wash, rinse and dry after each use.
