# Cyprus Coffee



## SunnyPaphos (Jul 25, 2016)

I just tried some for the first time today. I brewed it in my regular filter coffee machine. It tasted quite "woody", and I wondered if I would get better results using a proper Cyprus coffee maker.

Or will it always taste woody?


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

SunnyPaphos said:


> I just tried some for the first time today. I brewed it in my regular filter coffee machine. It tasted quite "woody", and I wondered if I would get better results using a proper Cyprus coffee maker.
> 
> Or will it always taste woody?


I think you will find this "coffee" is boiled and never filtered.

If you observe Cypriots drinking it in coffee shops you will see that it is always served with a glass of water. I've always thought this is because it tastes so awful!!

Pete


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

PeteandSylv said:


> I think you will find this "coffee" is boiled and never filtered.
> 
> If you observe Cypriots drinking it in coffee shops you will see that it is always served with a glass of water. I've always thought this is because it tastes so awful!!
> 
> Pete


It also tends to block up filter papers as it is so powdery. The only way to make it is to boil it. You can do that in a small milk pan.


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## SunnyPaphos (Jul 25, 2016)

Does the coffee dissolve then?


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## PeteandSylv (Sep 24, 2008)

SunnyPaphos said:


> Does the coffee dissolve then?


No. It is served in tiny cups the bottom third being grounds.

Pete


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## SiAnDem (Jan 8, 2016)

SunnyPaphos said:


> I just tried some for the first time today. I brewed it in my regular filter coffee machine. It tasted quite "woody", and I wondered if I would get better results using a proper Cyprus coffee maker.
> 
> Or will it always taste woody?



You don't need a Cyprus coffee maker; as Veronica says, a small pan will do just fine (though if you intend to make it regularly, the coffeemakers are very cheap and sold everywhere).

There are 3 standard ways of serving it: plain, medium and sweet, and the method is incredibly simple.

You measure out the amount of water in cups that you want to make and put the water in your pan.

Put in 1 heaped teaspoon of coffee per cup.

For plain, that's it.

For medium, add in 1 flat teaspoon of sugar per cup.

For sweet, add 1 heaped teaspoon of sugar per cup.

Then turn on the heat, stir constantly until the coffee boils and begins to rise up in the pan.

Turn off the heat and pour out immediately.

If it's made properly, far less than 1/3 will be grains at the bottom, and I can't agree with Pete on this: I think it tastes brilliant!


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## JonandGaynor (Jun 8, 2009)

Its:
Sketo which is unsweetened
Metrios with one sugar
Gligi with two sugars

I always have sketo which is my favourite coffee but for the life of me I can never remember the Cypriot for double so end up asking 'ena megales (large) sketo parakalo'.


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## SiAnDem (Jan 8, 2016)

JonandGaynor said:


> Its:
> Sketo which is unsweetened
> Metrios with one sugar
> Gligi with two sugars
> ...


Just in case you need it, double is (phonemically): thiblo (soft "th" as in "the").

And - hoping to be helpful rather than a grammar nazi - it should be megalo to agree with sketo, rather than megales (which is feminine plural).

Simon


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## SunnyPaphos (Jul 25, 2016)

Given that you actually express a fondness for the coffee I shall perservere and try making it the way you suggest. I take it milk isn't used?


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## SiAnDem (Jan 8, 2016)

SunnyPaphos said:


> Given that you actually express a fondness for the coffee I shall perservere and try making it the way you suggest. I take it milk isn't used?


No milk in a 'proper' Cyprus coffee, though there is a variation where you change the proportions and substitute the water for milk (2 heaped teaspoons of coffee, 2 of sugar, plus a mug's worth of milk). I think this is like the kids' version, as my mum used to make it for me when I was little.

Personally, I still love that version too, though given I've been brought up with Cyprus coffee, maybe my tastes are warped by long exposure rather than discernment!


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## Talagirl (Feb 24, 2013)

Health benefits of Greek coffee:

The Greek coffee, it seems, improves endothelial function. Endothelial cells line the inside of blood vessels and help to control inflammation, blood pressure, clotting, and the transit of materials and white blood cells into and out of the system. Better endothelial function, then, means a better likelihood of maximizing the health potential of all those functions. And the subjects who drank Greek coffee had better endothelial function than the other subjects, and that held true even among subjects who had high blood pressure.

https://jonbarron.org/herbal-library/foods/greek-coffee


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