Harry's Greece Travel Guide
Coffee and Tea Tips

Greeks love coffee, and many hours of their day can be spent nursing a cup or two. They'll drink first thing in the morning and at midnight. I guess they love coffee, maybe they just like to hang out. It is a Cafe Society for sure. Inside in winter and at out-door cafes in summer.

Most Greeks are not excessive alcohol drinkers but that doesn't stop them from driving like maniacs sometimes, maybe they're too tense from all the coffee?

However, you can't order "ena Folgers" or "ena Tasters Choice" in Greece because they don't have those brands. Instead Greece has Italian, Spanish and other international coffee companies brands and fresh roasted beans from all over the world.

Greek Coffees & Tea Tips for the Greek Traveler

I don't know about you, gentle reader, but my morning ritual is pretty sacred no matter where I am in Greece, on a Greek island or in Athens, and a cup of something warm is usually part of it whether its Greek style or international style.

I used to drink filtered Greece bought coffee every morning but then started a homeopathic regimen and switched to tea. I stopped the regimen but stuck with the tea. Partly because I quit smoking again and partly because it keeps me feeling more continuous somehow. Whatever your personal preference, you'll be in luck in Greece, where the art of coffee is a refined one and the art of tea can include locally grown herbal varieties or more typically Asian blends as well as brands you are all familiar with like Lipton, Twining's and Tetley.

We'll get to tea a little later in this section.

American globalization giant Starbucks has opened in 2 locations in Athens' Kolonaki area. Bah! There goes the neighborhood. Thank goodness they are finally here so they can teach us how to make coffee properly.

Types of Coffee Available to the Greek Traveler

Filtered Coffee in Greece = Cafe Filtro

Filtered coffee is a bit different here. Its stronger and fresher as they don't make a big pot of it and pour you your cup out of it 3 hours later if business is slow.

Instead they serve you individual cups  with a removable self contained filter apparatus on top and you pour the water thru yourself  so it can drip into your cup beneath. Fresh every time.

Instant Coffee in Greece = Cafe Stig-may-ous or 'Ena Ness'

Instant coffee perhaps, needs no explanation, so I'll just tell you that to order it, ask for Nescafe, (ena ness) a Nestle's brand of packet instant coffee I am sure you have drunk at least once in your life.

Espresso & Cappuccino Coffee in Greece = Ka-Poo Chee-no & E-spre-sso

This need little explanation and is readily available and made with real Italian style machines. Its not the cheapest coffee on the menu however and no matter where you go a cup of joe seems pretty damn expensive to me!

4.50 euros for a cup of coffee? But if you are going to sit there and nurse it all day taking up that table and chair with a view, what's a bar owner to do?

Cold Frappe Coffee in Greece = ena fra-ppe

The summer alternative to hot coffee in Greece is the iced frappe and if you like iced coffee you have to try the Frappe. This is not an American style Frappe consisting of ice cream and milk but a Greek style coffee drink which may consist of filtered coffee or instant coffee depending on the establishment. Greek frappes may be ordered with or without milk.

A Frappe is whipped in an old style soda-fountain blender, with the long spinning arm, like a Waring blender and then served in a glass.

Stateside, if you want to copy the recipe, you can still buy this type of blender at stores if you look. (Sam's, BJ's, Wal mart, Service Merchandise., etc.)

They are delicious, especially on a hot afternoon!

More Greek Coffee & Tea Related Words for Travelers to Greece

• with sugar = meh Zachari
• with honey = meh meli
• medium sweet = metrio
• with milk = meh Ghala
• plain = skheto
• very sweet = vari gleeko
• with lemon = meh lemoni
• very hot = poli zesto
• spoon = coo-talee

Traditional Greek Coffee or Turkish Coffee Now a traditional Greek coffee isn't really a Greek coffee at all, its a Turkish style of coffee and if you get a Greek drunk enough he'll finally admit it. Its made by putting the coffee and water together and boiling. Its is then poured directly into a demitasse cup with out being filtered so don't drink it all the way to the bottom. After you are finished, turn the cup upside down, and after letting the finely ground coffee grinds do their thing, read your fortune within the cup. Its like those ink blot tests sort of.

You can order them as a Greek coffee:" Ellinko Kafes" or as a Turkish coffee:" Tourkiko Kafes"

You can even do this backward: "Kafes Elliniko" or "Kafes Tourkiko"

Its unheard of to add milk to a Greek coffee but do it anyway if you feel like it. Upon ordering you inform the waiter as to how sweet you would like it; skheto, metrio or vari gleeko.

Where to Buy Bulk Coffee in Athens Greece to make Yourself or Take Home

There are specialty stores that sell coffee beans for you to grind at home, Loumidies in Athens 2nd major Square, Omonia is a good one, Bravo is another. They also sell ground coffee or will grind it for you on the spot. Other areas of Athens have coffee stores too which you can usually smell. The main place to find a large selection is the area between Omonia sq. and Syntagma Sq. and near Athens Central market. There are scores of coffee and tea stores.

Greek and International Teas for the Greek Traveler

If you want to order TEA in a cafe or restaurant say "Tsai". Of course there are different types of teas depending on the establishment. Some have extensive selections and some just have Lipton tea-bag style tea available.

More politely say 'ena tsai parakalo' or one Tea please.

Chamomile tea is called "Kamo-meeli". Greek Mountain tea is very good as well and called Tsai Vouno.

Elixir in Downtown Athens

My favorite place to buy bulk tea for the home is just off Athinas Street in downtown Athens center and called ELIXIR. Within you will find over 500 items from all over the world including the loofas you see hanging outside. Loofas are dried gourds imported from Tunisia and Egypt and make good washing implements for your body.

I just returned from Elixir and purchased 1 kg of Sri Lanken orange pekoe tea for 5.50 EU, 1 kg of Chinese Green tea for 10 Eu and half a kg of Nepalese tea for 10 Eu. Its a bit dark in the store as sun light harms the products so these pictures could be better.

I think you'll find the selection and prices  excellent if you are a tea drinker. 

The owner is getting a web site together and I'll let you know the URL when its ready.

He also has an all natural cosmetics store a couple of blocks away too!

ELIXIR: EVRIPIDOU 41, ATHENS GREECE
TELEPHONE: 210-3215141