This is the traditional coffee you will find in Greece and has many enthusiasts. It is called Greek coffee here, but you will also find it in other countries of Middle East, Balkans and North Africa as well, under different names like Turkish, Cypriot, Lebanese, Syrian or Albanian coffee etc.
When you look deep into the gastronomy of a place you discover things about the culture, so when I first started searching for the Greek coffee I just had another proof that our culture has been closer to the one of the Middle East and the Balkans than the other European countries, especially in central Europe or Scandinavia.
The idea for this post and shooting came from Qurator's Photo Contest by @qurator and since it is a theme I love I decided to dedicate a post about how to brew a Greek coffee.
There is a certain way to make it and by following the traditional way and not the machine way, you will have the best taste result. Actually there is no comparison between the two methods.
You are going to need a briki. Any small coffee pot will do, but the shape of the briki is made this way so that the kaymak is rich. And when the kaymak is rich, the coffee is succesful.
A small coffee cup, the size of the espresso cup, with the difference that the Greek coffee cups usually are not wider on the top - that could destroy the kaymac.
One cup of water, one spoon of coffee and as much sugar as you want. You add the coffee in cold water and you stir. When you brew this kind of coffee you don't look around, it will puff up in no time. It shouldn't boil. It is just a moment after the kaymak rises that is the right time to serve it.
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And you serve.
If you just love coffee and you can't get enough, you can have a double one. The traditional portion is the single one.
The cup is quite small compared to a hand as you can see. But the pleasure is great!
The smell of it makes me instantly happier. Especially today that I had to make three different coffees for the shooting. Cause, I told you, it puffs up in no time :)
In the old days, and still in some deli café, it was brewed on the Embers.
It is said that it was the Beduins that first started it by covering the metallic pan they used to make coffee into the sand and letting it there to brew slowly.
Isn't this image impressive? source
Quality taste, quality time, quality life. At least, once upon a time before everyone started running... Although it still has its glory and for our culture meeting with friends for a coffee means long conversations and sharing.
Happy coffees everyone!
PS. I would like to thank @fotostef for being my hand-model and a great assistant!
Oh I LOVE this! Greek coffee is one of my favourite types of coffee. And Arabic although I think the basic preparation is the same. I must admit I don't use sugar and when I first began my travels in my much younger years the sweetened coffee took some getting used to. But I love the flavour of the strong brew done in its unique way over the fire.
Sorry for the belated comment @traisto! I missed this tab but HAD to comment on your fabulous post
Thank you so much @buckaroobaby!
Same here, I cannot drink coffee with sugar, or cocoa now that I have quit coffee :)
I love the bitterness and the clear taste.
This is also the way we are making the cocoa we were talking about a few weeks ago.
Lots of love! xxx
I can almost smell the aroma from here! I remember that brewed coffee this way when I lived in Guyana and Suriname many years ago and it was absolutely divine! These pictures are amazing as well. Thanks!
Thank you for the lovely comment @papacrusher! Glad it brought back memories :)
I had no idea that they brew the coffee the same way in these places in South America, how interesting! I thought it was quite local, eastern Mediterranean way, but apparently not!!! Thank you for sharing!
I think the word "divine" is the best description you can give, haha!
I think it is probably because of the large amount of descendants of the African and Indian slave trade that remained in Guyana. There is quite a bit of influence from those regions in the religion, cuisine, and culture of Guyana.
Thank you! I was hoping that wasn't your hand. Big relief knowing it is his. :)
I know it as Greek/Turkish coffee, but, I will happily drink it by any other name too! I actually have a briki and got it in Greece, although Turkey had some very ornate-looking ones. I wanted to not use it because it was too pretty, so I left it behind except for pictures.
I love this post, the step-by-step and the helpful hints on how to brew. I really did think that picture with the embers was pretty awesome!
Thanks so much! Beautiful. Informative and great pictures!
Ahahaha! Me and my hand-model laughed so much with this dear @dswigle! Luckily it is not mine :)
So nice that you have visited both countries. And you have your own briki, I guess it is not hard to find greek coffee there, to bring back memories from your travels from time to time :)
I also found the photo with the embers amazing. It tastes even better when it is brewed this way, but hard to find nowadays.
I am so glad you enjoyed it and thank you for the wonderful comment!
Hello @traisto,
What a lovely post🙌
It's like I could taste the coffee from looking at it. I like the step-by-step guide that you have shown, and at first, I instantly thought this was just like Turkish coffee.
This is such an interesting point here... wow!
I love the vintage look of the briki:)
Thank you so much for stopping by to share this with us☕️💐
Thank you sweet @millycf1976!
Isn't it funny that the same coffee has different names, depending on where you drink it? Officially the Greek version has a slightly different blend than the Turkish one, but actually it is the same thing, same ritual, same pleasure :)
Glad you enjoyed it! And a great pleasure to be here!
It's great to have you onboard.
Wishing you a relaxing weekend :)
You too @millycf1976 :)
😄
When looking at your photographs my heart was filled with joy; how inspiring to look at the way you prepare your coffee; the color looks delicious, nothing compared to the black coffee that I drink. 🙈
Thank you so much @alinsonchangir! Really glad you enjoyed it!
I always thought that you have superior quality coffee in Venezuela. I guess it only has to do with the blending and the roasting of the coffee. There was an interesting comment that in Guyana and Suriname they brew their coffee this way. I didn't expect it for South America, I thought it was a local way :) Maybe you would be interested in some research!
Hello @traisto,
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Thank you for the warm welcome :)
You're right, the coffee culture is similar between the Balkans, Southern Europe, North Africa and Middle East. I like to call it the "Mediterranean" culture. I think that in those days, nations were based around the sea, not the land, so cultural exchange happened quite a lot between nations connected by the same sea.
I love the photos, I can almost smell the coffee though the computer :)
Yes, you are right, I would say mostly eastern Mediterranean. The coffee is quite different in Italy and Spain. Not sure about Morocco and Tunisia though:)
Sea is an amazing transporter of knowledge and raw materials. From the Bedouins of the desert to a whole region, always fascinating.
Thank you so much for the wonderful input @adetorrent!
The only problem is the cup is too small😁😁
I have been to Greece often, and had the pleasure of seeing this coffee being prepared in the same way by friends.
Hahaha! Yes, it is too small! But you can always have a double one :)
So nice that you come often and you know all the details!
Thank you for stopping by @tengolotodo!
heh yes yes yes maybe a treble, I did that before 🤣🤣🤣
Hahaha, awesome!
😁
Thank you :)
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Oh, God. I've just had lunch; would be awesome to sip one of those now. The sky is dull today, perfect to appreciate coffee.