Greek Coffee

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

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 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: made in a cezve in much the same way.
• Cypriot coffee: Cyprus’s version.
• Bosnian coffee: water first, then the coffee.
• Armenian soorj: Armenia’s coffee, sometimes with cardamom.

Explore every boiled method in the boiled chapter.