Saturday 26 August 2017

Coffee culture

Frapé -  iced coffee


Frapé was invented by a greek rep for Nescafe in 1957 and soon became the most popular summer drink in cafeterias all over Greece.  After the small demitasse cup of gritty Greek coffee this has to be the most well known coffee concoction and this is where coffee culture started.  With a frapé in front of you the table in the cafeteria is yours for the day.

It is made either in a shaker or with a hand held mini-mixer.


This is the old style shaker we used for making iced coffee.  It has a hole in the top for a straw and can be closed tightly and taken aboard a small boat or in the car.  If you haven't got a shaker then a small glass jar with a tight lid will do.


This is the way we make our iced coffee
all on a summer's day

Put about an inch of cold water in the bottom of the shaker.  Add 1-2 tsps instant nescafe or espresso powder.     Now is the time to  add sugar if desired.  Put the top on the shaker. Shake like mad till the sugar has dissolved and it has an inch of froth on the top. Pour into your glass , add cold water, milk and iced cubes.

or



Use a newfangled electric gadget.

Put the gadget straight into your glass with a little water, nescafe and sugar.  Flip the switch and the little rotor blade will make a loud buzzing noise, mix the coffee, water and sugar and give it a nice frothy head.  The photo above is the coffee after mixing.





Fill up with iced water, milk if you want it, 2 or 3 ice cubes, a straw and enjoy a cool coffee.

When home in NZ I can't drink my coffee fast enough.  My kiwi friends order the coffee, sit down, drink it and leave.  I'm still on my first sip.  At least the hot coffee down under is piping hot and cold coffee is cold.

On the other hand, here in Greece, I drink it too fast.  I'm almost at the bottom of my glass, slurping up the dregs and my greek 'parea' (company) will only just now be taking their first breath after a long 'discussion'  and be picking up their glass or cup and contemplating whether or not to wet their tongues with coffee or have a glass of water instead.

In Greece hot coffee is luke-warm and iced coffee icy in a glass full of ice cubes.  Luke-warm coffee is annoying. I want my coffee piping hot, even if I have to wait five minutes for it to cool down!





22 comments:

  1. I enjoy a good iced coffee. Thank you for sharing how you make yours. Enjoy the summer.

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    1. Thanks. We can see signs of change now. Autumn is a coming and some nice cool weather

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  2. I use a milkshake maker to make my frappes
    And I use lots of ice. Perfect on a hot day
    An daughter yes my hot coffee is hot!

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    1. An my hot coffee. Don't know where daughter came from lol

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    2. Lol!!! My daughter has a milk shake maker, makes really frothy frapé. Greay

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  3. I had my first iced coffee on Cape Cod in about 1978. I had never heard of iced coffee before. I assumed it would be horrible but there was nothing else I recognised on the menu like a cup of tea which is what I really wanted. It was fantastically refreshing on a very very hot day. I can still see it, and taste it, in the cafe and all the surroundings. I have never had one since! Interesting info on coffee in Greece. Thank you.

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    1. Iced coffee is so enjoyable in the hot weather but I do prefer hot....when it's cold

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  4. Iced coffee is popular even on fast food menus here. In Tim Horton's (a chain of coffee / doughnut shops) they serve something called an ice cap. It is cappuccino made with crushed ice, usually with sugar in it. You drink it with a straw. It's kind of like a coffee milkshake and it is wonderful! -Jenn

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    1. I've heard of Tim Hortons, very popular over there and great muffins too. Iced cappuccino here is called Freddie cappuccino. Very popular in the last few years. My favourite summer coffee when I'm out. Sure is wonderful

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  5. Ice coffee is very popular here, we also make it at home from time to time.

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    1. We have iced coffee at home all through the summer. Just too hot to drink anything else

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  6. We drink black coffee every morning in a cafetiere.

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    1. That's my winter drink. Cafetiere or coffee machine. Alas I've broken quite a few cafetiere and they make it so easy to brew a good cup

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  7. We use a Cafetiere too. Freshly ground beans (kept in the fridge), and a splash of milk. In the Cafés here the coffees are so small, they are finished in one sip!

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    1. We keep our coffee in the fridge too but alas it's not often the beans are freshly ground

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  8. I shall give it a go! The sun is just rising over the old railway line, time I got out and walked the dog. Coffee will be my reward, when we get home.

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    1. Nice and refreshing on a summer's day. I'm looking forward to hot coffee again though.
      A little coolness in the air now

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  9. I like my coffee either Greek/Turkish coffee with sugar where you can stand the spoon in it, it is so strong. Or an iced coffee. No in between with milk for me, I dont like the taste if it even with almond milk.

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    1. Often the coffee made at cafeterias here is very strong. I have to put sugar in it or its undrinkable....for me. You'd love it.

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  10. I'm with you on the HOT coffee - coffee shop baristas have a temperature they work to (luke warm) and aren't happy to be asked for extra hot even though most oldies like it that way.
    At home we use a plunger (same as your cafatiere) wih coffee from Queensland. No ones ever been able to prov whether coffee stays fresher in the fridge so it has its own little airtight bag in the laundry which believe it or not is the coldest room in the house (this is Melbourne remember 😊)
    And frape is my favourite way to have iced coffee - not the sickly milky drink they sell in the milk bars. You have to go to a greek cafe to get a good one unless you make your own. ~ Cathy


    Cathy @ Still Waters



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    1. Hi Cathy. Sounds as though you enjoy your coffee. Why Luke warm for goodness sake? I'm obviously an oldy lol..I want hot coffee and if they call themselves a barista they should darn well make the coffee to the customers taste.
      Here they serve something called a frapuccino which sounds like that sickly milky drink you talk about...a coffee milkshake. Hasn't caught on here
      Oh for an Australian, in Australia of course!

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    2. Ooof, an Australian Coffee!

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