Here I am in Nicosia in Cyprus, to give a seminar about espresso and also to promote Taf Coffee in the local market. One year before I had visited Nicosia because a new espresso bar opened its doors for the first time, it was the Brew Lab. I am glad to return and so satisfied to see this coffee shop actually gained reputation only by insisting in quality.
Chris, the owner is devoted in Taf quality, he takes the right steps in preparation so that the beverages have
standard taste and hight quality.
Nicosia, like Athens, is currently facing economic crisis, however coffee services are not influenced. There is no quality discount. It reminds me a lot of the first months back in 2009 when Taf was launched in the Greek marketplace. We were in the middle of an economic hurricane; we had to insist again and again that even in hard times you must chase high quality. Today we are sure that it was worth trying.
The coffee I am trying is a single estate espresso from La Bandera farm, a red Catuai variety, from the region Copey de Dotta, in Tarazzu Costa Rica. The red beans have matured in altitude of 1850- 1950 m. above sea level. This was the lot I had chosen on March 2014 for its genuine cup profile and especially the intense sweet acidity, the brown sugar finish. I bought it for Taf and now here it is in my cup in Cyprus on a shiny day of 20° C, accompanying me in browsing the coffee book “The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee”. Chris prepared the espresso shot using 21 gr. of fresh coffee in the double portafilter of La Marzocco Linea, water temperature was 92,5 °C and extraction time 23 seconds.
The seminar of the ideal espresso preparation is about to start.
The coffee pursuit 