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Home » Beverages » Coffee

Greek Coffee (Ellinikos Kafes)

Published: Feb 3, 2023 by Emma · This post may contain affiliate links, which can earn us a commission.

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Want to enjoy traditional Greek coffee at home? Fortunately, it's super simple to make! You only need three basic ingredients and a few minutes to whip up this tasty beverage on your stovetop.

If you want more delicious recipes, check out these recipes for brewing with a moka pot and making Cuban coffee.

two cups of Greek coffee with Turkish delight
Jump to:
  • About
  • Why This Recipe Works
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make
  • FAQs
  • Store
  • Serve
  • Expert Tips
  • Recipe
  • Comments

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About

The Greeks have a rich coffee culture in their country. Cafes are meeting places to sit and chat with friends over a cup of Greek coffee (Ελληνικός καφές) and enjoy a small dessert like Turkish delight. The drink is sipped slowly and savored.

This beverage was brought to Greece when Turkey occupied the country under the Ottoman Empire, and once Turkey left Greece in the 1830s, the locals opened their own cafes. These community gathering places have been a fixture in Greek culture ever since.

Why This Recipe Works

  • It's made in a briki. This tall, narrow pot is the traditional cooking vessel used to make this beverage. You don't absolutely have to use one, but you'll get a better foam on top if you do!
  • It's made with the right coffee. It's crucial that you use super finely ground beans here--not a moka pot or espresso grind. It's best to buy ready-ground Greek coffee such as Venizelos to make it easier.
  • It makes a good kaimaki. The kaimaki, or foam, on top of the drink is the hallmark of a good Greek coffee. Don't stir when the coffee boils, or you'll spoil the kaimaki!

Ingredients

glass bowls of ingredients for Greek coffee

You don't need any fancy ingredients to make your own Greek coffee at home! Let's talk about each ingredient.

  • Greek Coffee: This is the most important ingredient! You'll want to use a good brand that's been finely ground to an almost flour-like consistency. We used Venizelos (affiliate).
  • Sugar: All you need is standard white granulated sugar. The exact amount can be adjusted to your taste in future batches.
  • Water: You don't need a lot of water; if you're making two servings, you'll only need enough to fill two demitasse cups. We used filtered water.
  • Equipment: To make this authentically, you'll need a briki, which is a small copper pot with a handle, but you can also use a small saucepan if you don't have one. You'll also need two demitasse cups.

How to Make

Gather all the ingredients.

stirring Greek coffee in a briki
  1. Pour the filtered water into the briki, then add the sugar and coffee.
  2. Place over medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
Greek coffee in a briki and in a cup

3. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat until it barely begins to foam.

4. Divide the foam between the demitasse cups, then pour into the cups. Let them stand for 3-4 minutes to allow the grounds to settle, then enjoy!

FAQs

What is in a Greek coffee?

It is made with only three ingredients: coffee, sugar, and water. It's unique because the drink is served with the grounds in the cup, but as long as you sip it slowly, you won't get any grounds in your mouth. That's also why the drink is traditionally served with a glass of cold water.

What's the difference between Greek coffee and regular coffee?

Greek coffee is brewed in a small pot. All the ingredients are mixed together and brought to a boil, then the mixture is poured into demitasse cups with the grounds still in the mixture. American drip coffee is brewed with quite a different process; the hot water drips through a filter filled with grounds into a vessel below. It's also quite different from espresso, which is a concentrated beverage made by forcing hot water through the grounds at a high pressure.

What is typical Greek coffee?

The most popular variety in Greece is Ellinikos Kafes, or Greek coffee. It's brewed by boiling water, sugar, and superfine coffee in a small pot called a briki, then it's poured into demitasse cups and sipped slowly.

Is Greek coffee stronger than espresso?

Greek coffee is brewed very differently from espresso, and has a much lower caffeine content. Espresso is brewed by forcing hot water through grounds at a high pressure, while the Greek favorite is simply boiled in a pot.

Store

Make Ahead: You can't make this drink in advance; you must prepare it right before serving for the best flavor and texture.

Freezing: Although you technically could freeze this, there's no need to do so. It's quite and easy to make right when you want to drink it!

Serve

It's traditional to serve this drink with a glass of cold water in case some grounds get in your mouth. Also, try serving this beverage with a spoon sweet, Greek delight (very similar to Turkish delight), or some other sweet treat.

Expert Tips

  • There are different levels of sweetness. Unsweet (sketos) has no sugar, while metrios is lightly sweet (1:1 volume of coffee to sugar). Glykos is made with a 1:2 ratio, while vary glykos is made with a 2:3 ratio.
  • This recipe is metrios, which is lightly sweet. Feel free to try sketos, glykos, or vary glykos if you like!
  • Don't make more than 2 demitasse cups at a time if you want a nice kaimaki (foam).

Other Brewing Methods You Need to Try

  • Cuban Coffee (Café Cubano)
  • How to Make Moka Pot Coffee
  • How to Make French Press Coffee
  • How to Make Pour Over Coffee

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Recipe

cup of Greek coffee with a piece of Turkish delight

Greek Coffee (Ellinikos Kafes)

Learn how to make traditional Greek coffee in a briki. Whether you like yours medios (medium) or glykos (sweet), this easy recipe shows you how to make an amazing cup of coffee like the Greeks do!
5 from 3 votes
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Course: Beverages
Cuisine: Greek
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 2 demitasse cups
Calories: 16kcal
Author: Brooke & Emma

Ingredients
 

  • 2 demitasse cups water, approx. 60 ml per cup
  • 2 rounded teaspoons Greek coffee
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
  • 2 glasses cold water, for serving

Equipment

  • briki
  • demitasse cups

Instructions

  • Pour the water into a briki or small saucepan and set over medium heat. Add the coffee and sugar and stir until both are dissolved.
  • Leave to boil over medium heat without stirring. As soon as the mixture boils and foams, remove it from the heat.
  • Divide the foam (kaimaki) between the cups with a spoon, then pour in the coffee.
  • Let the coffee stand for 3-4 minutes before serving to allow the grounds to settle, then serve with a glass of cold water.

Notes

  • There are different levels of sweetness. Unsweet (sketos) has no sugar, while metrios is lightly sweet (1:1 volume of coffee to sugar). Glykos is made with a 1:2 ratio, while vary glykos is made with a 2:3 ratio.
  • This recipe is metrios, which is lightly sweet. Feel free to try sketos, glykos, or vary glykos if you like!
  • Don't make more than 2 demitasse cups at a time if you want a nice kaimaki (foam).

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 16kcal (1%)Carbohydrates: 4g (1%)Fat: 0.01gSodium: 3mgPotassium: 0.1mgSugar: 4g (4%)Calcium: 2mg

Serving sizes and nutritional information are only an estimate and may vary from your results.

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This post was originally posted on February 3, 2023.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alex

    February 06, 2023 at 7:18 am

    5 stars
    The coffee is sweet and full of rich flavor. The coffee has a hint of nutty flavor, and is nice and warm. Very good!

    Reply
    • Emma

      February 06, 2023 at 7:22 am

      Thank you, Alex! I'm glad that you enjoyed it!

      Reply
  2. Beth

    February 06, 2023 at 7:18 am

    5 stars
    Very interesting brewing method and delicious coffee. I love its unique flavor!

    Reply
    • Emma

      February 06, 2023 at 7:22 am

      Thank you, Beth!

      Reply

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Welcome to our kitchen! We're Brooke & Emma, the mother-daughter team behind Savor the Flavour. As self-taught cooks and bakers, we love to inspire you to cook from scratch with real food! Increase your kitchen confidence with our recipes, instructional photos, and helpful tips and facts.

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