Greek coffee differs from Italian coffee and other types of coffee not so much for the coffee itself but for the way it is prepared, i.e., boiled.
Greek Coffee, How Is It Prepared?
Greek coffee is prepared using a method that developed in Yemen many years before the coffee filtration method was discovered, which requires the latter to be boiled.
Boiling is helpful in extracting far more nutrients from coffee beans than the filtering process.
Even Greek coffee, like Turkish coffee, is prepared using a particular brass pot called “briki.” As already mentioned, the ” briki ” consists of a brass jug with a narrow neck and a wide bottom and a long handle.
For the preparation of Greek coffee, water is used, which is poured into the pot in cups as many as there are coffees to be prepared. Usually, about 4 cups of coffee can be prepared from the pot, although in other cases, it is possible to exceed this limit, however, affecting the quality of the final product.
The next step requires the addition of sugar according to the tastes of the diners and a generous teaspoon of ground coffee for each cup of water added to the pot, and bring everything to a boil.
During boiling, a foam called by the Greeks “kaimaki” will be created, which gives the coffee a creamy consistency; obviously, the more the coffee is boiled, the more foam will form.
Once the coffee comes to a boil, it tends to rise to the brim of the pot, at which point the coffee is ready and must be served immediately.
In order to distinguish a good Greek coffee from a mediocre one, the amount of foam or “kaimaki” is considered.
Sugar, A Fundamental Element In Greek Coffee
From the moment in which the Greek coffee is sweetened in advance, ie, during preparation, it is considered appropriate to decide whether to drink a “kafe sketo” (without sugar), a “kafe metrio” (with a teaspoon of sugar), a “kafe gliko” ( with two teaspoons) or “diplo” (very sweet).
Furthermore, the Greeks drink coffee in two ways:
The first has very ancient origins and is more traditional, and consists of how the beans are compressed and in the type of coffee roasting.
The second was introduced more recently and involved serving frozen Greek coffee. Obviously, its consumption is higher during the summer season due to its characteristics. Greek coffee has also spread to Europe and the American continent under French tourists' name invented in Greece: "frappé"!
Greek coffee is prepared using an Arabica-type coffee blend. The coffee beans are ground very finely so that the coffee retains a greater amount of antioxidants.
The Benefits Of Greek Coffee And The Health Benefits
Thanks to the type of grinding of the coffee and the way in which it is prepared (boiling), Greek coffee offers many health benefits as it contains less caffeine than that contained in a cup of American coffee.
Moreover, thanks to its benefits, Greek scholars propose and recommend drinking Greek coffee in order to prevent cardiovascular diseases.
This also explains why the island of Ikaria (Nicosia) residents enjoy a long life.