The custom of coffee spread at 1750 in the Greek communities throughout the region where they operated. Since then, it is a habit and an opportunity for socialization. Coffee time in Greece is far more valuable from the coffee itself, is the time that relations happen. It is the divine time indeed.
This way of being has been criticized many times, perhaps because critics do not know the true identity of the Greek, and they certainly do not know the magic of coffee.
Coffee is a fruit that looks like a cherry becomes from the coffee trees, which can grow up to 10 meters. Generally, coffee plants like other fruit plants require a relatively dry and hot season when it comes to fruiting.
The yellow or red coffee fruit contains two beans, covered by the flesh of the fruit and the outer skin. The colour of the seeds is white, and most of them are endospermic. Each fruit has two seeds, but they are fruits which contain only one seed, and they called peaberry and believed to taste better.
When the fruits ripen the fruits are picked by hand and then patiently, the defective beans are separated, and the rest are selected based on the size the thickness, the shape and the colour.
Next step is to separate the precious beans from the rest of the fruit, and then to reduce the moisture inside the beans, so that the beans are ready for roasting.
the criteria that significantly affect the price are also the area of cultivation, the Coffee tree species and the Processing method
The higher the area where the coffee tree grows, the slower the ripening of the fruit. Thus, the coffee beans are thicker and larger, which is a characteristic of quality. Also, the Coffea arabica is more valuable than the Coffea Robusta because of the aromas and the elegant taste that provide, it has lower level caffeine, and the cultivation is much more expensive.
In recent years, the trend of speciality coffee is spreading more and more. Still, not all participants in the production of the final result understand that speciality coffee requires consistency and dedication of all involved to make the highest quality, from cultivator to barista. This phenomenon often eliminates the hard work that done, when the inadequacy has overlooked the victim being always the final consumer.
Our collaboration with the Samba Cafe https://www.sambacafe.gr
allows us to taste some of the best coffee beans currently on the market. This time three Coffee from Africa Ethiopia, Kenya and Rwanda one from Indonesia and last but not least from Guatemala.
The quality of all coffees is at a high level; all had a clean finish with a pleasant aftertaste. The Indonesian emerges pleasant tobacco aroma and sweet low malic acidity. It has the same a menthol-like aftertaste with Guatemala's which gives sweets floral and ripe yellow fruits aroma. In contrast, Kenya's has very elegant tannins with a nice body and very balanced sweet tobacco aroma and acidity. Hemp and citrus terpenes are presents in Ethiopia with nice lemony acidity which gives saliva to mouth. And Rwanda's coffee gives a very balanced and pleasant ripe citrus acidity and aromas.
All coffees have a nice body except maybe Guatemala's, which is the only one produced by the "Honey" method. Ethiopia is Natural which means that dry out under the sun, and the enzymatic fermentation happens in ''dry'' conditions. Kenya, Indonesia, Rwanda are produced by the 'Washed' methods, which means that the beans are submerged underwater, and the enzymatic fermentation happens in wet condition. The ''Honey'' method starts with the ''natural'' process and finishes with the ''washed'' one.
A daily ritual savoured reading a newspaper, or with friends in a noisy cafe. During a summer with ice cubes by the sea, or in a cosy lounge. Good ideas are born on a table with a few cups of coffee.
Coffee breaks in Greece are serious and will last.
Comments