In this episode, David Fuller and Alexia Amvrazi discuss the unique coffee and cafe culture of Athens. This episode was recorded at Da Capo in Kolonaki – one of Athens’ more upmarket suburbs. Athens has a rich and varied coffee culture that usually involves sipping your coffee for hours and watching the world go by. We look at the evolution of Greek coffee drinking from traditional (originally Turkish) Greek coffee to Frappe to Freddo and offer you lots of insight on these drinks, how they’re prepared & how they’re enjoyed. We take a look at the third wave coffee scene, emerging tea brands and the critical need for ecological alternatives in coffee merchandise. Grab your favourite brew and listen up!
How to order a coffee in Greek… (3:38)
- Plain: Sketos
- A little bit of sugar: Me oligi
- Medium sweet (2 tsp): Metrios
- Sweet: Glykos
- Very Sweet: Poly Glykos
- With milk: Me gala
- With frothy milk: Me afrogala
- With whipped cream: Me Chantilly
All about Frappe, the thick foamy coffee made from instant coffee that is a very Greek invention, but it is not as popular in Athens anymore (5:10). The secret to making a frappe is using a small amount of water – but there are many YouTube videos about how to make one. If you want to know everything there is to know about the Frappe, then check out the Frappe Nation book.
All about Freddo (10:20) – not the chocolate frog! The Espresso based cold coffee that is also uniquely Greek.
All about traditional Greek Coffee (12:46) including health benefits and the experience of sitting and taking some time to enjoy. There is also a tradition of reading the left-over coffee grounds and Alexia has written about the experience (14:12). If you are into having your coffee grounds read – you can do it at this cafe in Athens.
Whatever coffee you choose, the Athens café culture is part of life. (17:17). The cafes are changing with the times and it’s about being out and watching the world go by, helped by the climate… But it’s not as common to see people working in cafes – The Athens Digital Nomad culture is not fully developed (19:29).
Despite the changes, Athens remains a very locally inspired city (22:13). There are very few global coffee chains, instead there are home-grown coffee shops and independent retailers rather than the cloned high streets or malls that you might find elsewhere. Here are some 3rd Generation style cafes.
What about tea? Does tea feature in the drinking habits of Greeks? (27:26)
How much would you pay for a cup of coffee in Athens (29:04)
Single-use plastic – the dark side of Athens coffee culture (31:14). Even though Greece depends on tourism and the promise of unspoilt beaches in the summer, the Greeks don’t seem to be too worried about plastic. Takeaway cups, lids, straws are the default and some of the larger brands should be taking more of a leadership position in this area. There are some solutions including Plastikourgeio Shop & Lab.