Coffee Lesson #25

Greek Coffee:

• similar to, at times argued to be the same as, Turkish Coffee
  • a particular way to brew, serve, prepare coffee . . .
    • coffee is prepared in a briki, using very finely ground coffee beans without filtering
      • briki: a small pot with a long handle, traditionally made of copper or brass
  • coffee brewed with very finely ground coffee beans
    • when served, do not drink the entirety of the serving–in this preparation coffee grounds are not removed from the coffee when served
  • coffee preparation style that can be found throughout the world, though it has particular prominence in Turkey/Türkiye, Greece, Armenia, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans

Greek v. Turkish Coffee: similar to one another, argued to be exactly the same . . . however:

• Greek coffee tends to be lighter roast
• Both can be sweetened, but generally Turkish coffee will add sugar directly into the cevze (“briki” in Greek), while Greeks add sugar afterward . . .

• In my experience Greek coffee was larger–had more that I could actually drink. When I ordered Greek coffee I was always asked if I wanted sugar, and then how much or what kind (sketos/black; metrios/semi-sweet); glykos/sweet). When I ordered and received my Greek coffee, it was generally served alone, sometimes an unsweetened cookie might be served with it, it was just the coffee; whereas, in Turkey, Turkish coffee was almost always served with something sweet (Turkish delight).