Cafe Culture in Greece

Traditional Greek coffee

While in Greece I couldn’t stomach the local coffee very much. If anyone has ever tried “Greek style” coffee you’ll know what I mean. It’s a mean brew, all thick with a rich sediment that forms on he bottom of the cup. I personally believe it’s an acquired taste and one that I’m not really keen on enjoying. Still, every house I went to, I was offered this rich brew and I politely accepted.

Greek Iced Coffee or “Frappe”

However, I did get to enjoy the local iced coffee otherwise known as “frappe“. Dark, rich, cold with a golden foamy top this drink is very popular especially in the summer months. People sit at cafes for hours with one of these sipping it very slowly enjoying its rich, intense flavours. The cruel irony for me is, that’s it’s made with instant coffee!!! Shock! Horror! I couldn’t believe it. Apparently this is the best way to achieve the golden foam on top. While I believe instant coffee does serve its purpose (in extreme emergencies) I reckon I could achieve a similar outcome if I used freshly brewed espresso coffee from my machine. There a re numerous ways to order it and I noticed the locals were quite specific about how they wanted it prepared. It’s basically strong instant coffee added to cold water and ice cubes. It’s then vigorously shaken in a cocktail shaker. Modern cafes tend to use electric mixers to achieve that creamy foam on the top.

“Frappe” served with milk

I was just glad that I could order espresso. Phew! That’s my coffee of choice. Actually, a double espresso is my favourite. It kick starts the system like no other. So as you can see there are numerous types of coffees to order in Greece. The frappe was nice but I could probably stomach it better on a hot day. The traditional Greek style coffee is something I would have with relatives out of politeness. Cafe culture is alive and thriving in Greece. Cigarettes optional!

Double espresso for me please

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Tagged as: coffee, Greece