Cyprus’ oldest Turkish coffee brand Özerlat set to launch new premium range at Taste of London festival

NEWS/UK

One of Cyprus’ best loved brands will be on show at London’s premier gourmet food event – Taste of London at Regent’s Park, which starts today and runs until this Sunday, 21 June. Özerlat is launching a new premium Turkish coffee range with two new blends developed especially for British coffee drinkers.

Located in the Cypriot capital Lefkoşa, the Özerlat family has been producing gourmet Turkish coffee since 1917. They have become renowned island-wide for their coffee’s distinctive flavours crafted using only the highest quality coffee beans, which are then roasted and ground to precisely the right strength and texture.

For some years, the artisan coffee maker’s products have been available in London at selected Turkish restaurants (Cyprus Garden, Kazan) and speciality ethnic supermarkets (including Yasar Hallim). However, with the UK coffee market continuing to expand, the Özerlat UK team wanted even more Britons to enjoy the pleasures of Turkish coffee.

Turks brought coffee to Europe

A fourth generation Özerlat, İley said their aim is to bring an alternative to the Italian and American coffee culture that is now firmly established in Britain. Indeed, they all have the Turks to thank for the availability of coffee in Europe. As İley notes, “Many Britons are not aware that Turkish coffee is the original method of making gourmet coffee, which dates back over 500 years.”

Turkish coffee - the world's first gourmet coffee, dating back over 500 years. Photo: Ozerlat Coffee

Coffee’s origins can be traced back to the Ottoman Empire. Many were drawn to its stimulating properties, and the popularity of the drink quickly travelled from the drinking dens of Lebanon and North Africa to the Ottoman Court in Istanbul. As more visiting dignitaries sampled the drink, demand for Turkish coffee abroad grew, prompting traders to bring the product to Europe in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The UK’s first coffee house was opened by an Ottoman Jew in Oxford in 1650. Many more opened soon after in London and beyond, often using the name Turk’s Head Coffee House. Cyprus’s oldest coffee brand intends to help Britons rekindle their love of Turkish coffee.

A new look for Özerlat

As part of launching their new premium coffee range, Özerlat have also taken the opportunity to rebrand themselves. Working with a British design agency, the coffee brand have a stylish new logo, an illustration of a woman sipping coffee, which adorns their packaging, along with two vibrant colours for their two new blends: turquoise blue for Mozaik and caramel for Heritage.

The new look will make its debut at Taste of London this week, where visitors will be able to watch demonstrations, as well as be inspired by Özerlat’s creative serving suggestions. The new blends can be bought together with beautiful, specially-designed handmade fincans (demitasse) coffee cups and cezve, which are also available to UK buyers online at ozerlat.com.  

 

Visiting Taste of London 2015

Running since 2004, Taste of London is a five-day celebration of the finest food and drink the capital has to offer. Last year, 55,000 people attended the festival where the capital’s hottest restaurants showcase their signature dishes, while Michelin-starred chefs such as Michel Roux Jr and Marcus Wareing host live demonstrations. Visitors can watch, taste and join in master classes, as well as sample unique ingredients and buy products in the gourmet food and drinks market.

Tickets are priced £21-£28, depending on the day and time you visit, and available from Taste of London. Visitors need to also purchase vouchers (called ‘crowns’) in blocks of £10 to use at stands, or they can pre-buy with a discount when they book their entry ticket.