I actually have a proper Turkish coffee pot that was brought back to me as a present. I've never used it though and it sits in my front window as an ornament as it doesn't sit well on my gas hob.
My understanding is that you do need to heat it a bit in order to make Turkish coffee properly and that the beans need to be the given finest grind possible.
I make Greek coffee (I’m Greek so it’s Greek, not Turkish).
There is definitely a knack to it, it took me a little while to learn how to do it well.
Pour the water into the small cup you’re going to serve the coffee in. Do this x however many people you’re making for. I’d advise against making more than two at once. You can get brikis for one or two cups. I’ve seen larger ones but I’ve never seen it made for more than two at a time. The briki is the long handled pot.
So. Pour water into the cup so you’re only using exactly the right amount of water. I use an espresso cup.
Transfer the water into the briki
Add the coffee. Very fine ground. 1 heaped teaspoon for each person. I’ve used 2 teaspoonfuls and it’s still good. But because the coffee takes up room in the cup, you don’t want to use too much.
If you want it sweetened, add the sugar now.
Mix well. Not in a hectic way, but quite vigorously.
Keep stirring for longer than you think you need to. Then stop stirring and never stir it again!
Put the briki over the flame. In Greece they use camping gas stoves because they don’t have gas in the kitchen (because earthquakes)
Stand over it. Do not stir it. Don’t walk away unless you have a perfect sense of the timings from many years of experience.
This is, for me, part of the whole point. It’s a moment of stillness.
Watch and wait til the coffee starts to rise and move at the edges. Do not stir it. Do not let it boil. If it boils, pour it out and start again. ETA you're bringing it to the very point of boiling, but not letting it boil.
As soon as it starts to rise, remove from the heat. You can serve it right away. However….
Once the surface has settled, replace on the heat and wait til the surface starts to rise. You may get a crema right away or you may only see the crema after allowing it to heat a couple of time. This is the part of the process that takes experience. I didn’t know how to get it right, until one day I did. I can’t tell you what I did or didn’t do, but now I can make Greek coffee properly.
Pour it quickly but gently into the cup and serve immediately. Pouring it too fast will spoil the crema. Too slow will leave some of the grounds in the briki. You want all the grounds in the cup(s).
Let the coffee settle before drinking.
Stop drinking before the grounds are too close to the surface.
I’ve made a mix of Greek coffee grounds, with added spices (cardamom, carob, coriander, bay). I sometimes drink this after a heavy meal, or instead of breakfast.
ETA I grind the spices so they're as fine as the coffee is. And I store it in the freezer.