This summer we celebrated our 10th wedding Anniversary. To mark this most beautiful milestone we traveled to Crete (among other places).
Crete is the largest island in Greece. It is well known for its varied terrain, which spans from beautiful sandy beaches in Elafonisi to the White Mountains. On our drives at night, I especially enjoyed seeing the mountains as they lit up the sky. I like to describe Crete as “where rustic meets beauty and where beauty meets rustic.” The island is simply spectacular and so was the coffee🤗
Lyarakis Winery
The Cretan coffee I had in the Village of Hersoniss was very nice and smooth. It had the consistency of hot chocolate. I am told that it is cooked on the stove in a small saucepan. In fact, the process for making coffee is very ritualistic and its preparation has been preserved for over 500 years. The coffee is always lightly roasted and finely ground. Equally important to this preparation is the temperature of the water being sure to never allow it to boil. I believe this lends to the smooth (never bitter) taste of coffee in Greece.
Nyktaph Coffee and Bakery is located in Hersonissos. We visited this place twice. The second time we wanted an Afagato. The Barista found it interesting and had no idea what it was. So, we showed him how to make it and viola! He made it and served it with much enthusiasm. It may very well be the best ones we’ve had. Kenny had his with two scoops of pistachio gelato. I had a Greek inspired flavor that unfortunately I cannot pronounce😆😆😆. It reminded me of caramel with baklava🤗🤗. Yum!
Although we did not try any of the pastries, I had to take pictures because they looked so tasty!
The temperature was very hot in Greece. I needed something cold to drink. Here I am enjoying this Freddo, which is the Cretan version of an Iced Latte.
The coffee culture in Greece is definitely becoming more and more popular. I hope that on our next visit we see Afagato on the menu.
ειλικρινά δικός σου
(Yours truly),
Alicia
