A brief history

It all started when a shepherd in the mountains of Ethiopia noticed that his goats were much livelier when they ate the berries of a bush. He tried them himself and was convinced that the berries gave him more energy. He shared his findings with a monk in the nearby monastery, who made a drink with the berries and was also impressed by how much vigilance they gave him. The berries gradually spread in the country and through traders, they reached the Arabian Peninsula, sometime in the 12th century. The country that first processed coffee was Yemen, where they boiled the beans and made the now most beloved beverage in the world. The new drink was named “Qahwa”, one of the words used by the Arabs for wine, which was replaced by coffee as the most popular beverage, since alcohol was banned by Islam.  Quickly coffee became the most popular drink in the entire Middle East.

Coffee beans entered the Mediterranean region from the 12th to the 14th century and was originally consumed raw with bread.  Venetian merchants brought it to Italy around 1540, where it was initially treated as a “satanic drink”, until Pope Clement VIII tasted it and gave it his blessing for the free consumption among Christians.  The first coffee house catering exclusively to coffee drinkers was the Kiva Han Coffee Shop in Constantinople, established around 1551 or 1554.  Shortly after coffee houses sprang up all over the region.

Coffee entered the rest of Europe after 1600, sold in pharmacies in 1615 as a medicine written on prescription and known as Arabic wine. Coffee houses appeared on the border with the Ottoman Empire, the first being registered in 1645 in Vienna, although some operated even earlier. In 1652 opens the first coffee house in Western Europe by a Greek named Pasqua Rosée, in London.

Coffee in Greece

The first coffee houses, kafeneia, were established in Greece during the last years of Turkish rule and served Greek coffee, drinks and some pastries. Since the beginning, the traditional kafeneia remain simple, popular places, without any major renovations and modernization. They are gathering places for almost exclusively male customers where they discuss life, sports and politics, play backgammon and cards, enjoy each other’s company, and relax with a Greek coffee, which is usually served until late.

From the end of the 19th century more luxurious coffee shops began to appear, catering to women and the more affluent Greeks, which initiated the further development of coffee in Greece and in the 60’s they evolved into cafeterias, the most modern shops that attract typically the younger consumers and serve all kinds of drinks and pastries.

The first professional in history with specialized knowledge about coffee making and preparation of the narghile (hookah), was the tampis.  He had to serve in the kafeneio from a young age, first as an apprentice, then as a server and finally, in their adolescence, as a patatampis (tampis helper).   Just like todays baristas, he had the final say for the quality of the drink that reached the consumer. The reputation of the tampis, along with the coffee blend were the main criteria for choosing a kafeneio, at least until the first post-war period, when the profession was forgotten.

Coffee in Greek culture

Greeks are heavy coffee drinkers, consuming 5.5 kg of coffee beans per capita annually.   For most Greeks coffee is not just a drink, but an occasion to socialize and a cup of coffee with friends can last on average of two hours or longer. Going out for a coffee is a common first step of a new relationship, friendship or social contact.

Coffee is enjoyed in the home as much as in kafeneia and cafeterias.  All Greek homes are equipped with the appropriate utensils and service wear for preparing and serving Greek coffee.  Gathering in a neighbor’s house for coffee and gossip was a female habit that continues unchanged to this day, the visits alternating between neighborhood houses twice a day, before cooking of the midday meal and late afternoon.  Coffee in Greece is a habit and an unchanged ritual for all genders and ages. Greek coffee needs time and relaxation, it is drunk slowly, it begs for conversation and good company.

How to order and enjoy Greek coffee

Greek coffee has three distinct characteristics that are essential:

• The grounds that settle to the bottom of the cup.
• The liquid coffee, which is strong and thick.
• The kaïmaki, the froth on top which should be rich and creamy.

Greek coffee is also known as Turkish or Arabic coffee, the difference is minimal, and the name mostly reflects ethnic pride.  Regardless of the name there are several ways to consume Greek coffee, all based on personal preference and taste, most popular of which are:

• Sketos – unsweetened plain coffee, bitter, no sugar.
• Elafris – plain weak coffee, with or without sugar
• Metrios – strong coffee, lightly sweet.
• Varis  – very strong coffee, no sugar
• Polla varis – super strong, no sugar
• Glykos – strong, sweet coffee.
• Vari glykos – very strong and very sweet coffee.
• Glykis vrastos –  boiled more than once, strong and sweet, no froth.

Greek coffee is served in a small cup with thick walls to keep it hot for a longer period along with a glass of cold water.  It is accompanied by either voutimata (cookies), a loukoumi or spoon sweets.  

Because the Greek coffee is boiled and not brewed, there are coffee grounds in the finished beverage.  For this reason, it is not advisable to add and stir anything in the coffee once it is in the cup. When your coffee is served, you should give it a few minutes for the grounds to settle, so sit back and relax. To speed up the settling process you may add a teaspoon of cold water in the coffee when it is served.  Once it is ready, drink it slowly and experience the full aroma of your beverage. Some coffee connoisseurs say that you should drink it with strong sips, and while some people may think that this is rude, for most Greek coffee lovers it is the only way.  As you reach the halfway point of the cup you should sip slowly and carefully to avoid the coffee grounds at the bottom of the cup.

Greek coffee is rarely drunk with milk or cream. And although it looks like espresso in the way it is served, you cannot drink Greek coffee standing up or in a hurry – it is a relaxing, enjoyable experience.

After drinking your coffee, you can rotate the cup so that the grounds cover the walls of the cup and turn it over on the saucer. Let it dry for a while and read your future deciphering the patterns formed by the coffee grounds on the sides of the cup. 

How to make a good cup of Greek coffee

Regardless of its name, Greek coffee is made in a ritualistic way, the quality of the beverage depending on several factors including the mastery of its maker.  

The traditional handmade Greek coffee kettle is the briki, originally brass but nowadays stainless steel or aluminum.  It is conical and tall with a narrow neck and comes in various sizes depending on the number of cups to be made.  The briki design helps circulate the heat throughout the mixture and create a richer froth.  The size used should fit the cups to be made plus one.  Using the wrong vessel or size will result in an inferior quality beverage.

In the past Greek coffee was simmered in hovoli, embers or hot sand and brought to a boil gently and slowly.  Today a gas burner at low heat is the best alternative. The slow boiling in combination with the briki design helps make a velvety froth that characterizes the Greek coffee and makes it special. The ingredients are standard, cold water, finely ground coffee beans and sugar optional. 

• Select the correct briki size and pour in cold water, measured empirically with the cups that the coffee will be served.
• In low heat, allow the water to warm up a bit before adding the coffee and sugar.
• Add the coffee and sugar depending on the strength and sweetness desired.
• You can optionally add various herbs and spices to the coffee to flavor it according to your tastes. Common spices are cardamom, mastic, cinnamon and vanilla. The Arabs added a little salt to make it more aromatic while the monks in Greek monasteries added two or three drops of ouzo.
• Once the coffee grounds start to move, use the handle of the teaspoon to stir it once, briskly for a minute or so. Use a circular motion, from the center to the sides and back, avoiding sudden and jerky moves.
• As soon as the coffee starts to foam, stop stirring and pour a tiny amount of cold water into the briki to prolong the process.
• After the second boil raise and lower the briki from the heat several times to create a rich and creamy froth.
• Pour the coffee from the briki starting at the height of the cup. Then raise it higher and lower it again at the end.
• If making more than one cup of coffee alternate the pouring between the cups so to distribute the froth equally.

Dosages are a matter of taste, the following being a rule of thumb based on one cup, 75ml of water:

•        Sketos – 1 tbsp coffee
•        Elafris – ½ tbsp coffee, sugar as needed
•        Metrios – 1 tbsp coffee, ½ to 1 tbsp sugar
•        Varis – 2 tbsp coffee
•        Polla varis – 3 tbsp coffee
•        Glykos – 1 tbsp coffee, 2 tbsp sugar
•        Vari glykos – 2 tbsp coffee, 3 tbsp sugar
•        Glykis vrastos – 2 tbsp coffee, 1 tbsp sugar

If your coffee does not have froth, it means either that you overcooked it, or that you did not put a sufficient amount of coffee, or because you stirred it more than once.

The other Greek coffee

Frappé is the iced coffee drink that, along with Greek coffee, can be found almost anywhere in Greece. Made from instant coffee, sugar, ice cubes and water (and sometimes with milk), it is very popular, especially during the summer months.

Greek frappé was invented in 1957 at the Thessaloniki International Fair. A representative of the Nestlé company, Giannis Dritsas, was exhibiting a new product for children, a chocolate beverage produced instantly by mixing it with milk and shaking it in a shaker. Dritsas’ employee Dimitris Vakondios was looking for a way to have his usual instant coffee during his break but could not find any hot water, so, he mixed the coffee with cold water and ice cubes in a shaker.  In 1979 the drink was officially named frappe. Like Greek coffee, it is available in different levels of sweetness, ie plain, medium and sweet.