Coffee is not just a part of a daily routine that serves to wake you up and get you through the day. Actually, selecting your preferred coffee is a careful choice you make, which can make your every moment a little more unique. So, it’s really important to know which blend you choose to accompany your morning, in the car, at work, while shopping or hanging out with friends.  

Who is going to assist you?

The coffee grinding specialist! He/she is the one who is ready to offer you the advice that will help you make your home-brewed cup as full of quality as the cup prepared by your barista. You will be surprised to learn the distinct differences between a coffee blend and a single origin variety as well as the factors that determine the flavor, aroma profile, body, and the aftertaste of your coffee. Love, professionalism and passion for coffee; these are the values that your coffee grinding specialist acquired at the Coffee Island Coffee Campus and that guide his/her work. It’s worth listening to what our specialist can share with you about the secrets behind your cup of coffee.

Man holding an espresso Coffee Island cup.

What you are about to meet at our coffee shops

Before you entrust yourself in the experienced hands of the specialist, take a little sip of what awaits you inside a Coffee Island shop. Coffee is among the beverages you can prepare with the proper guidance. But which one are you going to pick? Why are you going to pick that one? What is its story, the different options it offers and its distinct characteristics? Follow our lead on this short but unique journey.

Greek coffee: Our culture in a drink

Greece under Turkish rule. That was the time that coffee first came to our country We Greeks were the first ones to taste coffee, before anyone else in Europe.

The first “tasters” are the Greeks from Istanbul, Thessaloniki and Northern Greece. Athens and southern Greece soon followed the North’s lead.

The first coffee shops were small and the regular customers were mostly Turks. But later, inside these shops you would hear some Greek conversations, as Greek locals started to frequent these shops, as well.

From Turkey to the grocery stores

What was Coffee’s journey to its early consumers? The starting point for Greek coffee was in Turkey, following the same path as sugar, cocoa, tea and other foodstuffs took before ending up in the groceries’ shelves.

The housewives and coffee shops, bought the green coffee beans, roasted them by themselves at home, and added a bit of wheat, barley and chickpeas as natural preservatives. Coffee was very expensive for the meager family incomes and no effort was spared to keep the coffee fresh for as long as possible.

Our coffee shop: home of the new age Greek coffee

At our coffee shops you will find 3 blends of Greek coffee in silos: Special, Traditional and Dark. You can also pick from the 2 blends of packaged ground coffee: Special and Traditional. For those of you, who want to know every small detail, you can inquire about each blend’s characteristics from our specialists!

The Special Blend has an aromatic profile consisting of Tobacco, Chocolate and Earth Tones. With the Traditional blend, you will experience the aroma of Chocolate, and Dried Nuts, while the Dark blend will intrigue your senses with a Chocolate, Earth Notes and Smoked flavor profile.

How is Greek coffee packaged?

In pouches of 100 and 200 grams and using nitrogen gas which displaces oxygen before the pouch is sealed. The percentage of oxygen is below 1% thus preventing the ground coffee from oxidizing. The flavor and aromatic profile remain intact. So, the quality of our coffee is preserved even if you are in a hurry and want to buy pre-packaged ground coffee from our grindery.

Espresso: One coffee, endless options

From 1880 to this day, espresso has transformed into a coffee that one can enjoy in many different ways. With the invention of the espresso machine in 1903, the coffee industry was fundamentally transformed and espresso in its many forms, became a valuable part of our daily life.

Espresso beans

Smell, feel, taste

Two espresso blends for you to choose by, in… a silo. Master Blend with an aromatic profile of Citrus Fruits, Chocolate and Dried Nuts and Silk River Blend with an aromatic profile of Orange, Dark Chocolate and are 100% Arabica.

Insider’s info: Master Blend drink has a slightly lower acidity and higher sweetness.

For those of you who are always in a rush, we managed to combine the uniqueness of 2 blends in a pouch, effectively creating a new unique blend: Volcano Blend, with an aromatic profile of Spice, Earth Notes and Cocoa. This is the perfect choice for those of you looking for intensity, not only in your daily life but also in your cup of coffee as well. A coffee with very low acidity and a high level of sweetness.

Mugs filled with filter coffee.

Filter Coffee: Europe “enters” Greece

1920: An order placed by the famous Grande Bretagne Hotel, led Misseyannis coffee to bring French roast coffee to the Greek public for the first time. Despite the widely-held belief, the so-called French roast is not of French origin. French roast is named for its dark roast. Others choose to call French roast “filter coffee”, after the particular brewing process which was used in its preparation.

The first coffee filters were made of cloth and were used until paper filters, which deliver better flavor results were invented.

1930: The industry of coffee was flourishing in Greece and many new coffee grindery shops were opening for business.

1940: During the occupation, coffee was in decline. The coffee grinderies that managed to survive, were engaged in processing coffee substitutes (chickpea, wheat, lupin) alongside trading several – unrelated to coffee – goods.

2019: Our own Coffee grindery is celebrating 20 years from its establishment and offers a wide variety of filter coffee blends of unique aromas and flavors.

Day Dream Blend & Déjà Vu Blend

The Coffee Grinding Specialist will assist you in choosing the blend that fits you. You will find your blend in a silo, and also in a 250-gram ground coffee packaging, ideal for paper filter use.

The delicious Day Dream Blend has an aromatic profile of Cocoa, Dried Nuts and Vanilla, while the intense Déjà Vu Blend has an aromatic profile of Chocolate, Dried Nuts and Fruits.

French with an…aroma

Vanilla, Chocolate, Hazelnut and French Caramel. Each available on its own or in different aroma combinations, depending on your taste.

Don’t forget…

For whatever else you may need to know, ask your Coffee Grinding Specialist. He/She is the one to match you to your preferred coffee so that you can give yourself the unique specialty coffee experience.