flipKafés — Greek Coffee, Foam and Grounds
Kafés — Greek Coffee, Foam and Grounds
Why this dish? Cavafy frequented the cafés and tables of Alexandria where black, thick, frothy coffee marked the hours; this tiny cup was the companion of his meditations and endless conversations.
Finely ground coffee, boiled in a small copper pot until a hazelnut-colored foam forms, served unfiltered in a tiny cup. Bitter or sweet to taste, sipped slowly, with the grounds settling at the bottom.
I took it métrios — sweet just enough, neither too much nor too little, like myself. You bring it three times to the brink of overflowing, never more, so that the fine foam called kaïmaki is born. Drink it in small sips, without haste, and leave the grounds at the bottom: there are, they say, things to read there — but I preferred to read in the past. A cup, a cigarette, and the hours of Alexandria passed by.
- •Very finely ground coffee — one spoonful per cup (base)
- •Fresh water — one cup per person (infusion)
- •Sugar — to taste (sketo, metrio, glyko) (sweetness)
Kafés — Greek Coffee, Foam and Grounds
Finely ground coffee, boiled in a small copper pot until a hazelnut-colored foam forms, served unfiltered in a tiny cup. Bitter or sweet to taste, sipped slowly, with the grounds settling at the bottom.
Why this dish? Cavafy frequented the cafés and tables of Alexandria where black, thick, frothy coffee marked the hours; this tiny cup was the companion of his meditations and endless conversations.
I took it métrios — sweet just enough, neither too much nor too little, like myself. You bring it three times to the brink of overflowing, never more, so that the fine foam called kaïmaki is born. Drink it in small sips, without haste, and leave the grounds at the bottom: there are, they say, things to read there — but I preferred to read in the past. A cup, a cigarette, and the hours of Alexandria passed by.
Ingredients (period version)
- Very finely ground coffee — one spoonful per cup (base)
- Fresh water — one cup per person (infusion)
- Sugar — to taste (sketo, metrio, glyko) (sweetness)
Ingredients
- Very finely ground coffee (Turkish grind) — 1 heaped tsp per cup (base)
- Cold water — 1 small cup (≈ 60 ml) per person (infusion)
- Sugar — 0–2 tsp to taste (sweetness)
Method
- In a small coffee pot (briki or cezve), pour cold water, coffee, and desired sugar. Do not stir once on the heat.
- Stir initially at cold, then place over low heat.
- Watch carefully: let the foam (kaïmaki) rise gently without boiling over. Just before it overflows, remove from heat.
- Spoon a little foam into each cup, then pour the coffee slowly.
- Let rest a minute for the grounds to settle, and serve with a glass of cold water.
How it was made : Greek coffee (identical to Turkish coffee) has been prepared this way throughout the eastern Mediterranean since Ottoman times. It was cooked over embers or a stove in a copper briki, and the quality of a coffee was judged by the fineness and persistence of its foam. It was ordered by sweetness: sketo (unsweetened), metrio (medium), glyko (sweet).
The contemporary twist : Served with a mastic loukoumi and a square of dark chocolate on the saucer, a Viennese literary café twist.
Constantine Cavafy · Charactorium
