Visting TAF in Athens, Eharcheia downtown district and finding out the secrets of the finest coffee in the city!
by Kon Hans
At a recent article in Buzzfeed.com, a big praise was given
to the coffee culture (among other things!) of the Greek capital: Athens has more cafes than Paris
and Rome have, and even a greater worship towards the fresh aroma of the coffee
and its strong flavor. After being to TAF
at Benaki Street, a small café and a coffee grinder at the same time, and
meeting Christos Loukakis, an awarded barista, I could only agree to the above
statement after drinking the third espresso!
Q. How long have you
been a barista?
A. I have been a barista for about 14 years. It has been a
conscientious choice; I have even abandoned my studies to follow my vocation, as
I believed it to be back then.
Afterwards, I have realized that it was the right choice for me, and TAF
has played a significant role in this.
Q. What is being a
barista for you, what is your inspiration?
A. Coffee for me has always been a constant game of changes,
of flavors, of aromas, of the constitution itself of the coffee, and its
essence. It is like chemistry; in fact
it IS chemistry, a coffee-chemistry which I adore and which I always try to
bring one step beyond. My passion is
the mixing of new flavors and varieties and bringing to life a coffee with a
perfect body and aroma. It is definitely
an art for me. Here we have many varieties and each month we try to bring a new
one.
Q. How TAF exactly
works? From what I understand there is also a brand named TAF.
A. Exactly. TAF is at the same time a coffee shop and a
place where even the most hardcore coffee connoisseur can find the good quality
he is searching for. I mean, we trade
with over 30 farms from all over the world, from Latin America to Africa and
India, though our main providers are from Brazil and Africa. We have a system
of trade, named “direct trade”, where we try to build a direct relationship
with the producers evading the middleman and thus keeping the prices low and
awarding the producers for their work, seems only fair to me. We have two main varieties, and you can check them out if
you want (Of course I want!), the Rose Bud with notes of honey and the Estate
Blend, more strong and with dark chocolate undertones. After that, you name it, we have Ethiopian,
Brazilian and Guatemala coffee varieties, all of the best quality.
Q. Thank you, I will
surely try!
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