For those of you who are tired of Americanos and sweetened lattes, Turkish coffee might just be what you needed. If you’re a coffee purist, why not try Turkish coffee, known as one of the strongest coffee with high level of caffeine?

Turkey, a country with over 1,000 years of coffee history, makes coffee in the most traditional way. Also known as sand coffee here, you need sand that’s heated in a pan over a stove before preparing to make a coffee.

Finely ground coffee and water are boiled in a special pot called Cezve that is placed on a bed of sand heated to over 300 degrees Celsius. The sand, evenly heating the bottom of the pot, helps to create fully-developed flavors and aromas. It also makes the coffee boil slowly, so that the result is a rich, strong coffee with a thick layer of foam on top.

Located in a back alley of Garosugil in Sinsa-dong, Gangnam, Nontanto Coffee is already well-known among coffee connoisseurs for the strong, unique taste of its coffee. A recent craze for Kaymak, a creamy dairy food like clotted cream, means the place is now also known for desserts, such as Kaymak served on toast and drizzled with honey.

Stepping into the small cafe, you will first see a giant pan of sand in front of the counter. The atmosphere inside the cafe is sleek rather than the traditional Turkish vibe.