# Greek Coffee Source: https://dailyextraction.com/methods/greek-coffee/ Last updated: 2026-10-19 > Measure one demitasse of cold water per cup into a briki, add a heaped teaspoon of powder-fine Greek coffee per cup and sugar to taste, and stir until it dissolves. Then stop stirring and heat it gently. When the foam, the kaimaki, rises to the top, take it off just before it boils, pour slowly and let it settle for a few minutes. Serve with cold water. ## At a glance - Ratio: 1 heaped tsp per demitasse (about 60 ml) - Grind: Powder (flour-like) - Water temperature: Start cold, remove just before boiling - Brew time: about 3:00 - Category: Boiled & Traditional (Boiled) - Difficulty: Intermediate - Origin: Greece - Also known as: ellinikós kafés, briki coffee, Greek-style coffee ## Steps 1. **Measure the water**: Fill a demitasse cup with cold water and pour it into the briki, once for each cup, up to two cups at a time. 2. **Add coffee and sugar**: Add a heaped teaspoon of powder-fine Greek coffee per cup, and sugar for metrios or glykos. 3. **Stir, then stop**: Stir until the coffee and sugar dissolve, then stop stirring for good. 4. **Heat gently**: Heat it on a low to medium heat and watch it. 5. **Catch the kaimaki**: As the foam rises to the top, take the briki off the heat just before it boils. 6. **Pour and settle**: Pour slowly into the cup, sharing out the foam, and let it stand for 3 to 4 minutes so the grounds settle. Serve with a glass of cold water. **Greek coffee**, *ellinikós kafés*, is coffee made the old way: **powder-fine** coffee, cold water and sugar heated together in a small long-handled pot, the **briki**, until a thick foam called **kaimaki** rises. It's poured unfiltered into a small cup, left a few minutes for the grounds to settle, and served with a **glass of cold water**. It's ordered by sweetness: **sketos**, **metrios** or **glykos**. Here's how to make it. ## The short version - **A briki**, a small long-handled pot. - **A heaped teaspoon of powder-fine coffee** per demitasse of cold water. - **Sugar in the pot**: sketos (none), metrios (medium) or glykos (sweet). - **Stir once, then never again**, and heat gently. - **Off the heat as the kaimaki rises**, just before it boils. ## How do you order Greek coffee? | Order | Coffee | Sugar | | --- | --- | --- | | Sketos | 1 heaped tsp | None | | Metrios | 1 heaped tsp | About 1 tsp | | Glykos | 1 heaped tsp | About 2 tsp | | Vary glykos | 2 tsp | About 3 tsp | The sugar goes **into the briki** with the coffee, so decide before you brew. ## What do you need? - **A briki**, sized for one or two cups - **Greek coffee**, ground to a **powder** - **Demitasse cups**, about 60 ml - **Sugar**, if you take it - **A glass of cold water** to serve ![Chart of coffee grind sizes from extra fine to extra coarse, with the powder-fine end highlighted for Greek coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/diagrams/grind-size.svg#powder "Greek coffee is ground to a powder.") ## How do you make Greek coffee, step by step? 1. **Measure the water** with the cup: one demitasse of cold water per person, into the briki. 2. **Add the coffee and sugar**: a heaped teaspoon of coffee per cup, and sugar to taste. 3. **Stir until it dissolves**, then **stop stirring**. 4. **Heat gently** on a low to medium heat, watching closely. 5. **As the kaimaki rises**, take it off the heat **just before it boils**. 6. **Pour slowly**, sharing the foam between the cups, and let it **stand 3 to 4 minutes** before drinking. Brew mode on this page times the heating and settling for you. ## How do you get a good kaimaki? - **Make no more than two cups** at a time in a briki. - **Stir only at the start**: stirring again breaks the foam. - **Heat gently**: a slow rise builds a thicker foam. - **Never let it boil**: boiling destroys the kaimaki. - **Share the foam** between cups as you pour. ## Greek coffee vs Turkish coffee They're made in much the same way: powder-fine coffee and cold water, heated slowly in a small pot, served unfiltered. The **pot** is called a **briki** in Greece and a **cezve** in Turkey; the foam is **kaimaki** in Greek and **köpük** in Turkish; and Greek coffee brands, such as **Loumidis** and **Bravo**, sell their own blends and roasts. The name is fairly recent: in Greece the drink used to be called simply Turkish coffee. Wikipedia traces the change to political tensions with Turkey in the 1950s, and says the name **Greek coffee** became even more popular after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in **1974**, helped by a Bravo advertising campaign, "We Call It Greek". The method on this page is close to our [Turkish coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/turkish-coffee/) guide, which goes into more detail on the foam and fixing problems. ## How is Greek coffee served? In a small **demitasse**, with a **glass of cold water**, left a few minutes for the grounds to settle. You drink it slowly, and stop before the thick layer of grounds at the bottom. *General guidance only. Watch the briki closely, as it can boil over in seconds, and take care with the hot handle.* ## Greek coffee vs other methods - **[Turkish coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/turkish-coffee/):** made in a cezve in much the same way. - **[Cypriot coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/cypriot-coffee/):** Cyprus's version. - **[Bosnian coffee](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/bosnian-coffee/):** water first, then the coffee. - **[Armenian soorj](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/armenian-soorj/):** Armenia's coffee, sometimes with cardamom. Explore every boiled method in the [boiled chapter](https://dailyextraction.com/methods/boiled/). ## Words used in this guide - [Köpük](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/kopuk/): Köpük is the Turkish word for the thick foam on top of Turkish coffee. - [Agitation](https://dailyextraction.com/glossary/agitation/): Agitation is any movement of the coffee and water during brewing, such as stirring, swirling or a turbulent pour. ## FAQs ### How do you order Greek coffee? By sweetness: sketos has no sugar, metrios is medium sweet, with about a teaspoon of sugar per heaped teaspoon of coffee, and glykos is sweet, with about two. Some also list vary glykos, very sweet and strong, with about 3 teaspoons of sugar to 2 of coffee. ### What is kaimaki? The thick foam on top of Greek coffee. It forms when the coffee is heated slowly without stirring, and is lost if you stir again or let it boil. ### Is Greek coffee the same as Turkish coffee? It's made in much the same way, with powder-fine coffee heated in a small pot, here called a briki, and served unfiltered. Greeks called it Turkish coffee until the name Greek coffee took hold, especially after 1974. Greek brands such as Loumidis and Bravo sell their own blends. ### How many cups can I make at once? Recipes advise no more than two demitasse cups at a time in a briki if you want a good kaimaki. ### Why is Greek coffee served with water? Tradition: a glass of cold water comes with the coffee, and the coffee is left to stand for a few minutes so the grounds settle before you drink it. ## Sources - [Greek coffee recipe: how to make Greek coffee (ellinikos kafes)](https://www.mygreekdish.com/?p=94812) - [Greek coffee (ellinikos kafes)](https://savortheflavour.com/greek-coffee/) - [How to make the perfect cup of Greek coffee](https://www.dimitrasdishes.com/how-to-make-the-perfect-cup-of-greek-coffee-ellinikos-kafes) - [Consuming Greek coffee all day, every day](https://greekcitytimes.com/2018/10/01/consuming-greek-coffee-all-day-every-day) - [Turkish coffee](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_coffee)