Tag Archives: coffee shops

Gesha in Berlin

Posted on by under The places

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Coffee is not just a beverage. Everything begins with a plant, the cultivation of which depends on many factors so that this beverage can be special. One of the major factors is the variety along with the terroir.

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A really special variety of coffee is Gesha. Particularly in case of Arabica grown in Panama highlands, there is a unique complexity. Ninety Plus is a producer from Panama, that has succeeded in giving different profiles in Gesha variety. They cultivate coffee in area Volcan, in Panama, each and every one claims its sui generis character that cannot be compared to other Gesha varieties. The next important factor is processing, which can be natural, washed, honey, or hybrid, with various characteristics.

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Our team and me visited Berlin -in the first picture I sit at Chapter One Coffee shop. We organised an event so that the local coffee geek community would have the opportunity to get to know “Natural Perci Red” and “Washed Narkissus”, two of the coffees we import.  The coffee was roasted skillfully at Taf Roastery in Athens, by my brother Ilias two days before its presentation.
Roast is the next important parameter.

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Last but not least, “the making” is of course really significant. In the event the baristi that have prepared the beverages areinternationally awarded. Stefanos is this year’s World Champion in Brewers Cup, Nora Smahelova, owner of the cafe and among other things a member of the World Barista Jury and Chris, 3rd in World Barista Champion of 2014 and primar World Latte Art Champion. Their job is to put in the cup all those exclusive characteristics coffee has gain up to now – aromas, its taste and flavor formed during the cultivation, the processing of the mature cherries,  also affected by the roast profile.
The utensils fthey used were Hario V60. The recipe for the brew is 15 gr.
of freshly ground coffee in 250 ml of water, in about 92 – 96 Celsius degrees.

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The right (and fair) price for those amazing coffees was 10,00€ for Perci and 20,00€ for Narkissus, per cup.
We sold more that 50 Narkissus cups in brew that day.

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Some things (never) change.

Posted on by under The places

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Some things change and some things don’t. 

In the picture on the left, here I am in Italy, 22 years ago, in the centre of Milan, via Vittorio Emanuele II, at the central café Bar Ba del Corso. It was my very first pursuit for espresso. I can still remember its bitter taste, I surely was influenced by the fact that I was having my coffee in the centre of Milan, moreover because that period (and many years later) espresso was supposed to be an italian matter.
In the picture on the right, here I am again, 22 years later to the very same table. The only thing that has changed is my age. The café still holds the same name, same decoration, serves the same coffee in the exact cup, color and shape. It is so boring and bitter that the only thing that kept me there was the memory of the moment.  
 
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The real reason for being in Milan this time was not the coffee pursuit, but the promotion of my coffee, Taf handcrafted coffee. So, instead for a boring, bitter shot in Milan you can have speciality & single estate coffee in Taglio, Via Vigevano 10, at the famous Navigli area.
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Raffaelle will welcome you and show you around in this temple of flavors. Guila, the barista will prepare espresso in this amazing sophisticated La Marzocco machine, one shot won’t be enough.
Well, some things change. 

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