Cretan residents can not live without a good feast and tasty brewed coffee. Coffee is without a doubt the most popular drink in Crete and in Greece. In addition, coffee will not be tasty enough if its preparation does not happen in a company of friends. It can be said with certainty that almost all Greeks are inveterate coffee lovers. Therefore the inhabitants of Crete have at their doorstep all kinds of taverns, coffee shops and cafés. By the way, the coffee shop and the café have distinct differences.

The café is a modern establishment more for young and middle-aged people with diverse selections of coffee drinks, food, dessert, alcoholic cocktails and other beverages accompanied with modern music, Greek and foreign one.

The coffee shop is usually a small place where they served Greek brewed coffee or an instant one with ice and little choice of food, and dessert – all are very tasty. In the coffee shop everything is more modest and cheaper. There is Greek and Cretan music, and its regular visitors are often pensioners.

An essential feature of a coffee shop is a rare presence of women in it. Each man has at least three of them as his favourite establishments and he goes there almost every day. For him, the coffee shop society is like his big family to discuss here the latest local news and gossips. But for any age, the coffee shop is a rescue from boredom, where you can play cards or backgammon, participate in a common conversation or just silently listen to music.

It’s difficult to imagine a Greek without a cup of morning coffee, without an afternoon cup of coffee, and that it’s too much to hide, without a night cup of it. They are drinking coffee both in winter and in summer. In winter they prefer it hot – a Greek one or Cappuccino, in summer a cold one – Frappe or Freddo.

The Greek coffee drink is a fragrant coffee, served with an obligatory glass of water: a favourite one for elderly Greeks sitting in a local coffee shop and discussing for hours politics, prices, and neighbors. For the Greek coffee, it is used only very fine grinding coffee. Sugar is added before cooking, so when ordering, the waiter will certainly specify which coffee you prefer: a skate (without sugar), metrios (semisweet) or glycys (sweet).

Frappe is another purely Greek drink, but much younger than the Greek coffee: it’s instant coffee, beaten in foam, served with water, ice and straw – that’s all! A refreshing summer drink is ready.

It’s interesting how this drink was invented. In 1957, a Greek, a Nestlé employee Dimitris Vakondios wanted to drink coffee at the International Trade Fair in Thessaloniki, but could not find boiling water in the pavilion. He has so long stirred instant coffee with cold water and sugar that received stable foam. Who would have guessed that this random invention would become so popular in Greece, and his name would go down in the history of Greek coffee drinks.

Another symbol of the Greek summer is Freddo coffee – a cold espresso with foam. If you are not a fan of instant coffee, it’s a good alternative on a hot summer day. In Greece, two of its varieties are popular: Freddo espresso (stronger) and Freddo cappuccino (less strong).

And of course, the famed Italian cappuccino is also one of the most popular coffee drinks in Greece. The recipe is the same as in Italy: espresso, hot milk and hot milk foam. It’s all that you need.

For those who like to travel by car, we recommend to pay attention to the network of roadside cafes “Grigoris”, which is very popular not only in Crete, but also in mainland Greece. Inexpensive coffee of excellent quality and taste!

Enjoy coffee and your travel around the sunny Crete!