Making Greek Coffee!

I have been making and serving Greek coffee at our annual festival for years. I'd like to share with you some pointers on making a great cup of coffee and some terms you should know when ordering. 

A big "Shout Out" to my girls at the booth; they don't call us 

"The Coffee Ladies" for nothing!

Greek coffee is strong, foamy and delicious. There are 6 things you need for a perfect cup:

• A "Briki" (Greek Coffee Pot) pronounced BREE-KEE
• Greek Coffee
• Sugar
• Demitasse Cups
• Cold Water
• 1/4 cup ladle

The "Briki" comes in 3 sizes -2, 4, and 6 cups. The reason; you don't want to make more that six cups at a time because you will not achieve the right amount of foam. 

Ladle the cold water into the Briki. For every cup you make, add one heaping teaspoon of Greek Coffee and stir. If making sweet, add the sugar as well. If making with Ouzo or milk, add that at the end into the demitasse cup.

There are 6 types of coffee terms to ask for:

1. Unsweetened - Sketos
2. Medium Sweet - Metrios (1 teaspoon sugar)
3. Sweet - Glykos (2 teaspoons sugar)
4. Extra Strong & Sweet - Vary Glykos (2 spoonfuls coffee and & 3 teaspoons sugar)
5. With Ouzo - (anise flavored liqueur)
6. With Crema - (milk)

Now for the good part!

Turn on the heat at medium high and as the coffee boils, the foam (called kaimaki) will start to rise to the top of the Briki. The bigger the foam the better the coffee. Remove from heat and serve. If making more than one cup make sure you pour a little at a time into each cup so everyone gets some foam!

Apolafste!