Coffee and coffee shops have played an important role in everyday life in Cyprus since the introduction of coffee to Europe in the 1600s. While you are in Cyprus, why not enjoy a coffee in the traditional surroundings of a Cyprus coffee shop – we’ll even show you how to do it in Greek.

The Kafenes

The traditional Cypriot coffee house, the kafenes, has long been a feature of life in towns and cities, and especially in the villages of Cyprus. Although it might not be much to look at, usually one big room with a fireplace and tables and chairs (with seating outside too in good weather), it is one of the most important buildings in the village. The coffee shop often doubled up as a small grocery store and sometimes as the post office as well.

You can find the village kafenes either on the main square or on the main street – and there’s often more than one. There is one small village in the hills around Paphos, which has twenty-five inhabitants and five kafenes. One reason for this is that the men choose their coffee shops according to their politics – those who support the village muktar, or head man, go to one kafenes, those who oppose him go to another, and never the twain shall meet!

Men only

The kafenes has always been and continues to be men only preserve. When the men of the village used to work in the fields, they would go to the kafenes at dawn before starting work and again in the evening after dinner, and of course on Sunday after church. The coffee shop would be open all day – for the old men of the village or for everyone on days when the weather was not good enough to work in the fields. The only exception to the men only rule was when the puppet shows were in town – or occasionally a film was shown. As the kafenes was always seen to be the centre of village life, the entertainment would take place there, and it was the one time that women and children were allowed inside. The rest of the time, the women got together in one another’s houses.

How to make Cyprus Coffee

No Cypriot village is complete without a traditional coffee shop, the ‘kafenio’ Its the most important place in the village, the central point of communication, a place to meet friends, to play ‘Tavli’, the Greek version of Backgammon or just pass time by drinking a Greek coffee, tea, fresh juice or a home-made fruit squash. Greek coffee is ordered ‘sketo’, (no sugar), ‘metrio'(medium sweet) or ‘glyko’ (sweet). Here is how to make it.

Using a Cypriot size coffee cup as measure pour water into a small coffee pan. Bring the water to the boil. 
For a ‘sketo’ put 1-2 teaspoons of coffee into the boiling water and stir well, until it froths up. For a ‘metrio’ add one spoon of sugar. For a ‘glyko’ add two spoons of sugar. 
Coffee is always served with a glass of cold water.

Each ‘kafenio’ has its own individual way of making coffee, so be to be sure of what you will receive, it is best to state the number of sugars you want whilst ordering!

In case you are invited to someone’s house to drink a coffee, don’t be surprised if they turn their cups upside down onto the saucer after drinking the coffee. There are some people that say they can read your future from the coffee drains. Don’t be afraid to let them do it… it’s a nice way to start some small talk, and of course it depends on you how seriously you take the predictions!