Something that has surprised us in Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia and Greece is the popularity of instant coffee in cafes. It seems out of place somewhere that has a long and passionate history of coffee loving and vibrant cafe culture that "Nescafe 3 in 1" would be such a common beverage of choice. We got over our snobbiness after getting it inadvertantly when ordering from small cafes. It's probably pretty bland for a real coffee die hard but it seems to avoid the usual chemical after taste of bad instant coffee. It dosn't have any richness of a good coffee but is sweet and comforting like a cup of hot milo but with caffeine. You could buy the single serve sachets in shops for about 10c, so it was good for us to have a warm "cuppa" if we were out of the way of towns. We still found it strange that they were priced the same as a proper espresso coffee in cafes when the sachets were so cheap. We never quite had the guts to order a mug of hot water and empty our own sachets in.
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| the frappe |
Hitting Greece we encountered the formidable frappé. The only coffee you can get in some cafes, it's usually without milk, half liquid / half whipped foam and on ice. Refreshing in the Greek heat, they're very popular. Everyone you pass seems to be carrying a frappe in their hand as they walk or ride a scooter. Lots of scooters and cars have special frappe holders. I noticed a policeman in riot gear in Athens and thought he was sporting a frappe in a handy holder on his outfit, only to realise as we got closer that it was a smoke cannister. Such a holder wouldnt have surprised me though. I'm not sure if its official but it should be the national drink.
We initially thought that Nescafe had also crashed the party on the Greek frappe. However, we have since found out they pretty much invented this style of frappe here in Greece back in the 50's and its been the main thing in cafes here since. You cant get the froth of a true frappe without the spray-dried coffee apparently - so quit whining you espresso snobs! Again we were pretty sceptical of the instant coffee but when made well I thought it hit the spot on a hot day. I think the suger and coldness of the ice take away a metallic taste it can sometimes have. We road-tested the instant frappe that can be bought in supermarkets to a much more dissapointing result. Aluminium aftertaste. Yuck! crappé frappé.
Something that has surprised us in Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia and Greece is the popularity of instant coffee in cafes. It seems out of place somewhere that has a long and passionate history of coffee loving and vibrant cafe culture that "Nescafe 3 in 1" would be such a common beverage of choice. We got over our snobbiness after getting it inadvertantly when ordering from small cafes. It's probably pretty bland for a real coffee die hard but it seems to avoid the usual chemical after taste of bad instant coffee. It dosn't have any richness of a good coffee but is sweet and comforting like a cup of hot milo but with caffeine. You could buy the single serve sachets in shops for about 10c, so it was good for us to have a warm "cuppa" if we were out of the way of towns. We still found it strange that they were priced the same as a proper espresso coffee in cafes when the sachets were so cheap. We never quite had the guts to order a mug of hot water and empty our own sachets in.
We initially thought that Nescafe had also crashed the party on the Greek frappe. However, we have since found out they pretty much invented this style of frappe here in Greece back in the 50's and its been the main thing in cafes here since. You cant get the froth of a true frappe without the spray-dried coffee apparently - so quit whining you espresso snobs! Again we were pretty sceptical of the instant coffee but when made well I thought it hit the spot on a hot day. I think the suger and coldness of the ice take away a metallic taste it can sometimes have. We road-tested the instant frappe that can be bought in supermarkets to a much more dissapointing result. Aluminium aftertaste. Yuck! crappé frappé.
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