SO Nespresso #34 Athens - English edition

#34 SPRING-SUMMER 2020

Athens • frappé or freddo • timeless Acropolis • tavernomy revolution • night-time stroll • the meraki philosophy • iced recipes • barista workshop • coffees of hope • sweet treats

S O N E S P R E S S O - U R BA N LI F E & CO F F E E CU LTU R E MAGA Z I N E

city guide inspiring people share their favourite places

Katerina Evangelatou, Artistic Director of the Athens and Epidaurus Festival

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editorial

Soul of a Wanderer Dear Reader, In these unprecedented times, we would like to offer you a window looking out onto the beauty of the world. The magazine you hold in your hands is the gift of travel.

Through these pages, you can explore the fascinating city of Athens. So settle in comfortably and treat yourself to an enjoyable journey.

This new issue of SO NESPRESSO takes you into the very heart of this ancient city.

Climb up to the perch that is home to the Acropolis, where twenty-five centuries gaze down upon you. Sample the local specialities of its colourful tavernas and encounter the newest faces in contemporary creation.

As you dive into the depths of this historic capital, you will detect the entrancing scents and sounds of the Middle East. The roasted aroma of Greek coffee, the bewitching melodies of rebetiko, and the subtle, savoury richness of Corinthian Gulf olives embody the wealth and wonder of this land of myth and modernity. For Athens is not immobilised by its architectural, cultural or culinary heritage – it ceaselessly moves and evolves, drawing in talent from across the globe, witnessing the rise of a generation proud of its roots, yet eager to innovate. Athens is the vibrant, festive “city that never slept”!

You will also better understand coffee’s central role here. In the heat of the Aegean sun, it is most often consumed on ice. The freddo is now ubiquitous, edging out the frappé with its combination of thirst-quenching refreshment and delicate espresso character. Coffee – in Greece, as elsewhere – is the chance to savour a moment with the ones we love.

This magazine is also an opportunity to remind you that Nespresso is by your side, standing at the ready to answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to contact us.

Like travel, coffee provides moments of pleasure – time for you, time with others.

Please take care of yourself and your loved ones.

May your reading offer you memorable moments. Bon voyage.

Guillaume Le Cunff Chief Executive Officer Nestlé Nespresso S.A.

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contents

SO NESPRESSO is published by the Nestlé Nespresso S.A Group.

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3 Editorial 6 Athens in five senses 12 Trend tracker, architects, sandal

designer: the avant-garde of Athens

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Espresso, freddo, frappé, latte: coffee is consumed here in every form

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Acropolis: a living legend

Meraki: the quintessentially Greek philosophy

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The freedom of the night

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This magazine and City Guide are printed on paper that is certified:

© Copyright 2020 Nestlé Nespresso S.A. All rights reserved. Nespresso, the names of the various Nespresso coffee varieties and the Nespresso logos mentioned in SO NESPRESSO are trademarks of the Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. that may be registered in certain countries.

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Food: the tavernomy revolution The people behind sea turtle rescue

contents

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Panos and Thanos Kloutsiniotis: gods of olive oil

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Gourmet coffees

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Summertime chills with the new Barista Creations iced coffees

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Scrumptious creations: delicious flavoured coffees and milk recipes

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Coffee comes home in Uganda, Colombia and Zimbabwe

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Cooking lesson: Fava, grilled squid, coffee oil and espresso made with Ispirazione Venezia

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Ispirazione Italiana: Venetian and Neapolitan roasting captured in two new coffees

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clarity

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five senses

To gaze across the Athenian panorama is to drink in several thousand years of history. The view from the terrace at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, which opened in 2017 in a building by architect Renzo Piano, presents a striking patchwork of ancient and contemporary construction.

Avenues and alleys weave a tapestry of East and West, watched over by Mount Lycabettus and the Acropolis, with the Parthenon crowning this cradle of Western civilisation.

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Sink your teeth into a koulouri, the sesame-strewn bread ring that’s crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside.

Kneaded, seeded and baked by night in downtown Athens, it is omnipresent at mealtimes, large or small. The koulouri is the alimentary ally of Mediterranean flavours, superb alongside olives and feta cheese.

sesame

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five senses

accords

In the Exarcheia quarter, there is a diminutive workshop that belongs to Panagiotis Kafetzopoulos. This luthier crafts one-of-a-kind works that make Athenian hearts sing, such as the bouzouki – a long-necked, marquetry-embellished lute that is the quintessential Greek instrument. It has three or four courses (sets of two strings) that produce the crystalline tones heard issuing from the city’s taverns, accompanying the voices of rebetiko singers.

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caress

It resembles a rosary, but has no real religious role.

The komboloi, a small string of beads that is slid and twirled between the fingers and around the hand, is used to pass the time and relax. These “worry beads” are a commonplace object used almost exclusively by men, meaning it’s not unusual to see and hear them in the hands of Greek gentlemen sitting on coffee shop patios.

Be they of wood, glass, or semi-precious stones, they are nearly inseparable from the hands of many Athenians.

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five cinqsenses sens

Photos Mickaël A Bandassak — By Julien Blanc-Gras and Boris Coridian

aromas

The smell entrances your senses as you pass a doorway or enter a kitchen: the fragrance of elliniko, the ancient, intensely aromatic Greek coffee. It is heated on the hovoli, a sand-covered baking sheet designed to hold the metal pot known as the briki.

This ritual makes any coffee break truly unforgettable. Elliniko is more than a beverage – it’s part of the Greek identity.

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Dimitris and Konstantinos Karampatakis, spontaneous architects.

Katerina Evangelatou, accomplished theatre and festival director.

The AvantGarde of Athens 12

trailblazers

Costas Voyatzis, ardent influencer.

Cristina Martini, perfectionistic sandal designer.

Trend tracker, architect, sandal designer, festival director: these modern-day heroes and heroines are the contemporary core of this timeless city.

By Julien Blanc-Gras and Boris Coridian Photos Frédéric Stucin

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You’ll find all their favourite places in the City Guide.

trailblazers

Katerina Evangelatou newly appointed artistic director of the Athens and Epidaurus Festival, is breathing new life into the Hellenic cultural scene.

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he admits to a fondness for the classics – Euripides, Shakespeare, Goethe.

In fact, she’s putting together a production of Hamlet at the moment. Katerina Evangelatou is an internationally renowned, award-peppered director of theatre and opera who recently added another impressive entry to her unimpeachable CV: being appointed artistic director of the Athens and Epidaurus Festival.

It’s the country’s oldest and biggest festival, with a repertoire of stage plays performed in the exquisite ambiance of ancient amphitheatres. Such an accomplishment seems almost natural for this stylish, 40-year-old Athenian: “My father was a director, my mother was an actress, and both worked on this festival. When I was a girl, I was at Epidaurus every summer.” To the rest of the world, this event – with 70 performances drawing 200,000 spectators – is emblematic of the country’s culture. Though it gives pride of place to theatre, music and dance, the festival is broadening in artistic scope, now embracing painting and photography. It will also be exploring new temporal horizons: “We need to appeal to a wider audience, especially the younger generations, and showcase new artists – bring together creative minds that have different backgrounds and have never worked together. Try to strike a balance between experimental-radical and utterly expected.” This is the challenge Ms Evangelatou has before her: keeping an institution alive and thriving, while remaining in tune with today’s trends, which can include alternative sites. “It’s an Athenian festival, but it’s not just for Greeks. This is a very diverse city; we’ve also seen a wave of foreign artists who’ve settled here in recent years.” So this means Athens could be, as some might say, the new Berlin?

“Yes, that’s right. You can feel that vibe, that energy, that joy. The dawn of a new era.” __

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trailblazers Live performances and visual arts: the festival line-up is increasingly open to new artists from near and far.

In Katerina Evangelatou’s office, posters attest to the rich history of the Athens Festival, created in 1955.

“You can feel that vibe, that energy, that joy.

The dawn of a new era.”

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You’ll find all her favourite places in the City Guide.

trailblazers

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Architects Dimitris and Konstantinos Karampatakis use Athens’ natural spontaneity as an implement to shape the city.

t’s a family success story. A tale of two brothers who were dabbling in architecture – their father’s profession – when they were just children, who then set off for London to study the trade, only to come back to Greece to open their own agency: K-Studio. Founded in 2004, this brainchild of Dimitris and Konstantinos Karampatakis now has more than 50 employees and projects scattered across the globe, from Kuala Lumpur to Panama to Dubai. Not to mention, of course, their hometown, which is still their source of inspiration. “Athens has complexity and depth.

It is village after village piled up to form a single city. It’s ancient, modern, post-modern – and all these layers coexist. For an architect, working in an environment like this entails a lot of responsibility,” explained Dimitris at the agency premises, set

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at the base of Mount Lycabettus. The Karampatakis brothers’ accomplishments – frequently in the leisure sector, such as hotels and restaurants – have been facilitators of the renaissance of Athenian tourism in recent years. “In this city, you can go running near the sea to the south, get close to the deer over by the mountain to the north, be in an historic, picture-postcard setting in the city centre or enjoy a locally roasted flat white in a trendy neighbourhood.” This urban eclecticism forges a uniquely Athenian lifestyle. “This city is impulsive and spontaneous. We Greeks are experts at having a good time and enjoying life. We try to be fun in a sophisticated, relaxing, respectful way, and these values are reflected in our work.”

The Karampatakis brothers’ Athenian architecture is also influenced by local weather: it’s often too hot outside and too dark inside. “We like working with partitions, breezeways, pergolas, interiors that open to the outdoors. That hard-to-define space where inside meets outside is a catalyst – that’s where people meet.” __

The materials the brothers use are a tribute to this many-layered city: ancient, modern and post-modern.

“Athens is impulsive.

This urban eclecticism forges a uniquely Athenian lifestyle.”

You’ll find all their favourite places in the City Guide.

Since the agency opened in 2004, K-Studio has taken on projects across the globe.

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trailblazers

Christina Martini’s leather sandals stand firm in a new vision of luxury.

With the brand’s co-founder and CEO, Nikolas Minoglou.

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n Greek mythology, Thalia is the Muse of comedy, Ismene is the daughter of Oedipus and Ikaria is a Greek island that derives its name from Icarus. But in this noisy workshop, where the air is saturated with the smell of leather, they’re all…women’s sandals. And the men’s models? They’ve been christened Zeus, Homer, Hermes, Socrates. This lightweight footwear symbolises the success of a more modern Greece, even if the shoes take inspiration from white marble statues of epochs gone by. Behind the Ancient Greek Sandals brand is a two-person founding team: Christina Martini is Creative Director, and Nikolas Minoglou is the CEO, responsible for developing the business. “We met in 2008 through a mutual friend and had the same desire: to create top-quality sandals, handmade in Greece for international sale, but rooted in this country’s tradition. To our surprise, we found an empty niche to fill on the market,” they chime in unison. Christina’s experience working for major fashion houses like Balenciaga and Louis Vuitton immediately intrigued consumers, mainly foreigners. The boutique in downtown Athens opened in 2019, selling lightweight sandals

in an array of styles, with just as many colour choices.

Costing about 160 to slip into a piece of this contemporary history, does this price rank them with the luxury heavyweights? “We’re more democratic! Though we do use raw materials that are also favoured by some big fashion names, like vachetta leather, we’re a more affordable form of luxury,” Christina explains, smiling. With a smart blend of reason and ambition, this dynamic duo is aiming for the top. “We’d like to open a number of stores in Europe and the United States,” they announce. “The plan would be to have no more than ten or so locations open over the next decade.”

Before setting off to continue her day, Christina tells us about the boots she’s wearing at the moment.

“We’re always coming up with new products, like these stivania, soft leather Cretan boots that have accordion folds around the ankle,” she says, turning her leg to show off the feature. To have any hope of getting a pair for yourself, though, limited stocks mean you’ll need to visit the Ancient Greek Sandals store in Athens. __

Carven, Marios Schwab, Peter Pilotto, Ilias Lalaounis and Fabrizio Viti at Louis Vuitton were invited to create exclusive models for the Greek brand.

“We’d like to open a number of stores in Europe and the United States.”

You’ll find all her favourite places in the City Guide.

Their star sandal is the winged model based on a logo designed by an Australian illustrator friend. A smash hit that has spawned many copies.

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trailblazers

Plush toys, The Little Prince, Mickey Mouse, comic books: enter the pop-and-vintage world of Costas Voyatzis.

Yatzer came to be in 2007.

It started as a blog before evolving into a vital online resource.

Costas Voyatzis’s design website, Yatzer, has rocketed Athens into the realm of cool.

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trailblazers

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n hour of exercise every morning, from 7:00 to 8:00, topped off with a bracing cup of coffee (almond milk, no sugar).

“It’s my reward,” Costas Voyatzis explains. A balance of work and play is central to the success of the founder of Yatzer, an online design medium that has set the gold standard in Greece and beyond, boasting 2.5 million pages read per month. Forging high-powered collaborations at every turn, Voyatzis has been named by the industry press as one of the 100 most important influencers in the design world. But he didn’t set out to explore that particular realm: “I studied physics, like my parents wanted. In my third year, though, I realised I didn’t want to be a scientist.

I needed to follow my heart, pursue my dreams,” he recounts, smiling beneath his meticulously trimmed beard, a Yatzer-logo bracelet on his wrist.

In 2007, after a few years of working for magazines, he founded the blog that would become Yatzer, getting it up and running with next to no money. “There were already design websites around, but I created the media that I wanted to read myself.” Now it’s a well-curated website where those seeking to be among the Who’s Who long to appear – architects, designers, artists, hoteliers. And not everyone will make the cut: Yatzer doesn’t overload with content, publishing only five articles (in English) a week.

“I prefer quality to quantity.” Costas was born in Piraeus 40 years ago and has lived in Athens all his life. He does so by choice, though he’s a world traveller with internal radar that’s always tuned to pick up The Latest Great Thing. “I have a worldwide audience, yet people often ask me why I’ve stayed in Greece. But you simply can’t imagine how fast things change here.” Yatzer, with its collection of ultra-cool content, reflects this dynamic.

“Every week, there’s a new place, a new hotel, a new restaurant, another start-up poised to launch.

Someday, people will be pounding on the door to get into Athens… but I’m already here!” __

“You can’t imagine how fast things change here.”

You’ll find all his favourite places in the City Guide.

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tastes

For the love of coffee In the land of scorching sun, this beverage’s popularity remains unchanged. Coffee is consumed here in every form – hot or iced, sweet or straight, white or black.

The star baristas serve these modern versions as often as the traditional kafeneio. When in Greece, do as the Greeks do – just follow our guide in these pages!

By Julien Blanc-Gras Photos Mickaël A. Bandassak

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tempo urbain Ximincilitius comnime

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tastes

Ελληνικός - Elliniko

If ever you’re invited to a Greek person’s home, you’re sure to encounter this classic.

It’s the traditional coffee, the one they’ve been drinking for centuries. It’s all in the name: elliniko, which means “Greek.” The recipe?

First, grind the coffee very finely, then mix it with cold water in a briki (see below).

Heat the mixture until it simmers. When a foam develops, remove the coffee from the heat, pour, then wait a few minutes until the coffee grounds settle to the bottom of the cup. To see how it’s done, take a look at the patios around Athens: those drinking elliniko sit and sip slowly, taking their time.

Some add sugar or serve it with a few sweet treats. But never add milk! It’s not a takeaway coffee, because the grounds need to remain undisturbed. It can be traced back to the era of Ottoman rule, which brings us to an important question: What’s the difference between Greek and Turkish coffee? “It’s all in the roasting. Greek coffee is lighter, not roasted as intensely. Turkish is darker,” explains Nikos Psomas, owner of the legendary Mokka coffee shop, where the beans are transported from roasting floor to serving floor by pipes. These days, elliniko is more popular with the older generations – young people tend to prefer espresso.

“But everyone drinks it from time to time – it’s alive and well and will continue to thrive,” says Andreas Stavropoulos, founder of Coffee Dive, one of the specialty-coffee pioneers, where you can sip “grands crus” with a view of the Acropolis. And the statistics prove it: elliniko is still the coffee most frequently drunk in the home and accounts for almost a tenth of coffee consumption in Greece.

Elliniko: the traditional Greek coffee.

Μπρίκι - Briki

It’s a must-see spectacle at Mokka: the making of elliniko. It calls for a briki, a metal pot, often made of tin or copper. This long-handled vessel has a two- to six-cup capacity and adds undeniable aesthetic charm to your coffee experience. It’s placed on a hovoli, a traditional “baking sheet” covered with sand, which heats the coffee evenly (recommended heating time: three to four minutes).

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tastes The Greek coffee signature: finely ground, lightly roasted.

Κατακάθι - Katakathi

The word trips off the tongue, but designates what the tongue rarely touches: the coffee grounds left at the bottom of a cup of elliniko. The grounds you could perhaps read to see the future.

So what’s the future of coffee in Greece?

“Consumers are becoming increasingly savvy – the past decade has seen a clear trend in the quest for quality,” explains Nikos Psomas. This is evidenced by the success of the shops selling sourced coffees. “People care about coffee origins and aromas,” continues this regular espresso consumer, “and a rise in the number of home baristas trying their hand at making creative beverages in their own kitchen.

When coffee is good, you can drink a lot of it.”

Before sipping an elliniko, wait for the grounds to settle at the bottom of the cup.

Καφενείο - Kafeneio

This is the traditional coffee house that’s nearly always found on the village square, where locals spend hours talking about politics or sports. Though the old-style kafeneio is becoming less common in the cities these days, but it can still be found in Athens. They’re particularly prevalent in the Kypseli quarter, where men gather at tables, sipping elliniko and playing dominoes while their fingers fidget ceaselessly with their komboloï, the rosary-like worry beads so widespread in Greece.

The country still has around 7,000 such coffee shops, while modern cafés have now begun carrying the torch as centres of social connection. One of the most common things you’ll hear in Greece is “Let’s get together for a coffee!” And the 50,000 coffee outlets scattered across the country make that fairly easy to do. But purists beware: don’t confuse kafeneio with kafekoptio (καφεκοπτειο), which literally means “ground coffee” and refers to the store where you buy it, not the place where it is prepared.

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tastes Frappé: the everyday coffee that you can drink from dawn ‘til dusk.

Αχτύπητος - Ahtipito James Bond might like his martini “shaken, not stirred,” but certain Greeks like their freddo espresso stirred, but not shaken. When they do, it’s called ahtipito. “If you shake it too much, you lose some of the aromas. When you stir it, you dilute it without destroying the flavour. This trend is on the rise, because the Greeks are becoming increasingly exacting about coffee’s authentic taste,” reports Andreas Stavropoulos.

The barista culture is exploding in Greece.

Φραπέ - Frappé

This iced, frothy, sweetened, milk-free beverage made with instant coffee was accidentally invented back in 1957 at the Thessaloniki International Fair by a Nestlé representative. The gentleman is said to have mistakenly mixed instant coffee with cold water and – eureka! – the frappé was born. Astonishingly, people simply didn’t drink cold coffee before then, but, being easy to make, it started gaining popularity in the sixties. “A cold drink in a hot country? Everyone started drinking this in summertime,” says Andreas Stavropoulos. “It’s the take-anywhere, everyday coffee that you can drink from dawn ‘til dusk.” Taxi drivers often have one on hand on their shifts. But, compared nose-tonose with espresso, its consumption is starting to slump.

“I think that coffee’s more popular today with the tourists than with the Greeks.” Some establishments that feature high-quality coffees don’t even have it on the menu.

“We don’t serve it here,” says Nikos Psomas of Mokka.

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tastes

Φρέντο - Freddo

A shot of espresso shaken with ice – slightly frothy, refreshingly cool, deliciously bitter. That’s the secret to the freddo’s success. In Greece, the espresso culture is still relatively new, but it’s been spreading quickly.

“In the 1990s, many people started replacing the frappé with the freddo.

Now, it’s what folks drink the most, summer and winter, especially outside.” The freddo espresso is even outperforming the traditional espresso.

At the crack of dawn, you’ll even see Athenians on their way to work stop at a coffee counter and order a “diplo”, a freddo with a double dose of espresso.

Studies show that Greeks love intense coffee. The freddo cappuccino has attracted a lot of fans in recent years, as can be seen at brunchtime on outdoor patios in the hipper neighbourhoods. Today, three-quarters of the coffee consumed in the country, be it hot or cold, is made with espresso.

Be it cappuccino or espresso, freddo is the trendy new drink.

Here, one of the most common things you’ll hear is “Let’s get together for a coffee!”

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Ζάχαρη - Zachari

Sugar. “The Greeks were the first to put sugar in their coffee,” says Nikos Psomas. An entire vocabulary exists just to describe the quantity. Sketo (σκέτο) means sugar-free. If you order a metrio (μέτριο), it’s with a spoonful of sugar.

Those with a sweet tooth like the glyko (γλύκο), with two spoonfuls. You can always ask for your coffee to be me gala (με γάλα), with milk. Except for elliniko, which is always drunk without.

the big picture

Living legend It is the shape of ancient dreams, a global architectural icon, the embodiment of history itself: the Acropolis and its masterpieces of old still fascinate tourists and Athenians.

By Julien Blanc-Gras Photos Frédéric Stucin

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grand angle

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the big picture

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t is an ancient edifice that has guarded the city for eons. A temporal and spatial landmark. The Acropolis, literally “the highest city,” towers over Athens from its 156-metre perch, protecting this metropolis since the mythological confrontation between Poseidon and Athena that is said to have happened there. It is one of the most visited places on the planet and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The Parthenon sprawls over this hilltop like a many-columned jewel, ever under restoration, a symbol of the triumph of Athens in the fifth century BC, that famous era of Pericles’ rule, which saw the birth of democracy. But this famed structure shares its space with the Erechtheion, the temple of Athena, Nike and the Theatre of Dionysus, clinging to the hill’s limestone slopes.

From Neolithic to now

In the Plaka district just below the Acropolis, legions of shops sell antiquity-themed souvenirs by the thousands. “The Parthenon is both a blessing and a curse,” muses Eugenia Kokkala-Mela, who runs the Heroes craft shop. “It’s a joy to gaze at

it each day as the sun sets. But it’s also frozen in time and space. It’s hard to generate movement in a city whose centre is occupied by a monument like that.” The Acropolis has been inhabited since the Neolithic era and, before becoming the inescapable tourist stop we know today, sheltered houses, a sanctuary and temples, a fortress, an ammunition depot and a mosque. Up on the hilltop, the never-ending crush of visitors from around the world sometimes becomes unruly, and security staffers keep careful watch. “No, ma’am, you can’t touch the statues,” scolds a guard, whistle in hand. “If you only knew – there are tourists who cross the barricades, or do push-ups in front of the temple for a witty picture, who try to collect the stones to take home. Not to mention those who ask where the Colosseum is…”

Architect Dimitris Karampatakis (see page 16) set up his studio on the slopes of Athens’ other

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Every day, a ceaseless stream of visitors pours up the steps leading to the top of the Acropolis, heading to the Parthenon.

Below, the Monastiraki quarter (right-hand photo) is peppered with bars, restaurants and shops that play host to tourists after their trip back in time.

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the big picture

As a miniature souvenir or majestic sight within the city, and though ever under restoration, the Parthenon remains the top attraction on the Acropolis and in Athens.

hill, Mount Lycabettus, which is blessed with spectacular views of the city. How does he feel when he opens his eyes and sees the Acropolis?

“First, tremendous respect. I go up there regularly – I find it very inspiring. Beyond the site’s sheer romantic beauty, I love the kind of experience it generates. It helps you mentally connect with the world that actually built that.” Some go further and make a spiritual connection. Even today, members of the Hellenistic religion hold ceremonies honouring the gods of Olympus. And a few of these Hellenic neopagans who worship Apollo, Artemis or Athena, went on a hunger strike to protect a temple. Another Pandora’s box…

An everlasting Parthenon

“The Acropolis is a given – everyone knows it.

But the people of Athens are often misinformed about its history,” declares Andronike Makres*, historian and founder of the Hellenic Education

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& Research Center (HERC). “There is no indisputable relationship of continuity between ancient and modern Greece.” A lot of water has gone under the bridge since Pericles, and the country has been subject to a number of occupations over its history, including four centuries of Ottoman rule. “In 1832, after gaining independence, people wanted to recreate a Greek identity. All the monuments on the Acropolis that weren’t from the Classical period were destroyed. There were private homes all over the hill.” More radical still, a 1940s communist intellectual drafted a manifesto suggesting that the Parthenon be demolished. Fortunately, that idea was not warmly welcomed: “The Acropolis without the Parthenon is inconceivable. It’s a source of pride and reassurance,” the historian continues. “Were it destroyed, everyone would go into hysterics. We have to do what we can to ensure it is eternal. If it has survived for 2,500 years, it can go on forever.” Let’s check back in two millennia to see if it’s still holding the world spellbound.

We bet it will be. __ *Co-author of Power & the People — Five Lessons from the Birthplace of Democracy, co-authored with Alev Scott, published by riverrun.

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tempo goodurbain taste In-season, ultra-fresh, full-flavoured: the food at Fita reflects the evolution of Greek cuisine.

The Tavernomy Revolution In Athens, there’s a new spirit creeping into the city’s restaurants, a blend of the laid-back ambiance of traditional taverns and the virtuosity of upscale restaurants. An exciting dining alternative to the timeworn choice between gourmet and everyday.

By Boris Coridian Photos Mickaël A. Bandassak

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saveurs

Thodoris Kassavetis (in white) and Fotis Fotinoglou (in black), the chefs at Fita.

Producers, breeders and fishermen “decide” what’s on the menu based on their crops and stock.

With uncluttered décor in a light-drenched dining room, Fita keeps things simple to focus on the food.

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t’s midday Saturday, time for the street vendors to take down their stands. In this neighbourhood on the edge of Athens, the Fita restaurant – with a patio that bumps up against the weekend market – is just starting to see its first lunch guests. The last ones will leave, well-fed, around 6:00 p.m. In the kitchen are the two chefs, Fotis Fotinoglou and Thodoris Kassavetis, both already in action, with richly scented steam issuing from various containers. You’d think that their decision to hang out their shingle in this quarter – dubbed Neos Kosmos, meaning “New World” – was clairvoyant, as their establishment has been setting the Athenian dining scene alight since it opened in midsummer 2019.

The restaurant elevates the traditional gastronomic culture to unprecedented heights. Like now, at this lunch, staff activity is a veritable ballet, with plates pirouetting and leaping from counter to hand. The menu may be small, but be sure to come with an appetite. The Greek salad abandons the usual feta in favour of xino, a creamy goat cheese crafted on the island of Kimolos. Aubergine caviar (bought at the market across the way that same morning) is paired with marinated sardine fillets. The oh-so-velvety tarama is served with still-warm house crisps. The eel is grilled whole and served encircling a chickpea salad with wild herbs. And this feast manages the astounding feat of combining a tavern’s relaxed spirit

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with the preparatory precision and ingredient quality we usually associate with gourmet establishments.

While Greece is known for its everyday eateries, serving simple, inexpensive, flavoursome dishes (small kebabs of grilled meat called souvlakis are a must-try mainstay), there is another end of the spectrum: gourmet restaurants, often of foreign extraction, be it on the plate or in the kitchen. “The fundamental idea is a simple one – serve high-quality, uncomplicated, in-season cuisine,” Fita’s chefs explain modestly.

“The menu changes daily, depending on our producers, our fishermen, the weather.” A laid-back spirit, but there’s nothing slapdash about it. “We want clear, easy-to-understand dishes,” they explain. Fita exemplifies this dining revolution that’s sweeping the country, paving the way for a new category of restaurants. Could “tavernomy” – a neologism of formed by the words

Once the weather permits, diners at the Varoulko Seaside can sit outside on the quay of the Port of Piraeus.

You’ll find all his favourite places in the City Guide.

The impeccably-grilled cuttlefish is served with a traditional yemista (rice-stuffed tomato).

Lefteris Lazarou is Greek gastronomy’s most ardent ambassador.

“tavern” and “gastronomy” – be the latest culinary craze?

A wonderland of resources

The best way to find out is to stop by Lefteris Lazarou’s restaurant. With his bushy moustache and spontaneous smile, this man is one of the world’s most celebrated Greek chefs.

His flagship restaurant, Varoulko Seaside, made a home on a small quay in the enchanting town of Piraeus. For thirty-five years, Lefteris Lazarou has been exploring the tastes of the sea, and while he’s earned a tidal wave of awards for his skill, his customers’ satisfaction is always the ultimate objective. He knows that Greece has a great deal to offer: “Our country is a wonderland of resources, in great part

because of our combination of coasts and mountains. The coast is overflowing with subtly-flavoured species,” he explains. While the establishment is best known for its gourmet menu and Michelin-starred service, it hasn’t lost its seaside tavern spirit, other than the tablecloths having gone from paper to dense cotton. And the bottles of olive oil on the tables being filled with the most precious nectars. And the dishes being arranged on their plates like contemporary paintings. The “Hellenic” character is identified by the palate, like in the grilled cuttlefish, served with a tomato stuffed with creamy rice and feta mousse. Close your eyes, relish the flavours and be swept back decades to the meals prepared by yaya (grandmothers) that

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keep traditions alive in the villages.

“When I started in this business, there was nothing out there as far as Greek gastronomy goes. Since then, I’ve invented recipes that have travelled around the globe.” Like his celebrity dishes of squid with basil or lobster moussaka. His efforts and talent are rewarded with a clientele that takes the time to discover Attic Greek before heading for the Cyclades. “The visitors initially come for the islands, but now they spend several days in Athens to experience our food and other treasures. For a long time, the most famous restaurants were serving French or Italian cuisine. I was the first Greek restaurant to receive a star in the Michelin Guide.” For the chef, the best is yet to come. “We finally have faith in our own traditions and local ingredients. Even the restaurants in the city’s upscale hospitality institutions have started serving their own versions

Named for its chef, the establishment is celebrating a decade of business this year.

Grilled meat is the star at Vezene.

of everyday dishes. Now you can eat youvarlakia (beef meatballs in a creamy lemon sauce – Ed.) in our luxury hotels!” he recounts with a laugh.

Here, the sea isn’t the only playground chefs can enjoy. Ari Vezene is giving meat equal time in the spotlight. Born in New York, Ari grew up knowing two cultures and, in 2005, settled on the shores of the Mediterranean for good. Last May, his restaurant, Vezene, celebrated its 10th anniversary.

“What I mainly do is mix Greek and American cuisines, a way of expressing my personal journey and travels.

My degree is actually in finance – I’m self-taught when it comes to cooking.

Which explains why I’ve always felt I had to work twice as hard to catch up with others. But I put twice as much heart into the process to do it.” Vezene is the epitome of this personal cuisine, with cooking that will thrill anyone’s taste buds. “I wanted to colour outside

American-Greek chef Ari Vezene likes playing with fire.

the lines rather than open just another Greek restaurant. I’m a New Yorker, my parents are Greek, and I’ve created a cuisine that ably dovetails these two cultures. What’s more, I’ve always respected the French approach to the bistro. I love the bistro spirit, which is very similar to what you find in taverns.” What about the food? “I’ve gotten straight to the point. We love grilling.

Fire is both Greek and universal.” How does the chef define his country’s taste foundations? “For years, Greeks have tried to reproduce original recipes or reinterpret the classics. But the further we go back in history, the more we realise the importance of regional distinctions. For example, there are very clear differences between the cuisine

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of the Ionian Sea, the Cyclades, Crete, Macedonia. They’re each unique. So what do they have in common? Clarity, flavour, simplicity. Greece is all about freshness.”

Parallel universe

Alexandros Tsiotinis named his restaurant simply CTC, an acronym inspired by the Greek word sitisi, meaning “to feed”. The chef, who has been a member of Europe’s most prestigious kitchen crews, has created a parallel universe. In this pretty, contemporary dining room, the tavern spirit is a thing of the past as we rocket to the culinary cutting edge. CTC’s appetisers turn local dogmas and habits upside down.

In its interpretation of a souvlaki, for

You’ll find all his favourite places in the City Guide.

Vasilis Kallidis: king of Athenian foodies.

“Athenians love what the rest of the world eats”

The amuse-bouches at CTC add a new twist to local flavours.

instance, guests are invited to bite into a skewer of raw Peloponnese shrimp served with pita bread made from trahana (a dried food ingredient based on a fermented mixture of grain and yoghurt or fermented milk). His version of the Greek salad is a rose made of tomato meringue, feta ice cream and oregano pesto.

“I get a lot of locals, but also welcome plenty of foreign guests. It’s not easy to deconstruct our traditional recipes, because tourists don’t have the gustatory baggage that resonates with our memories. The fact remains that Greece has many climates that produce exceptional ingredients. Our sea urchins, for instance, have a little extra soul that makes them different – and better – than all the rest. At CTC, we mix classicism with contemporary spirit, high-end products with everyday ingredients. We bring these worlds together.” __

Alexandros Tsiotinis came back to Greece to open an ambitious restaurant.

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He’s a celebrity chef, an entrepreneur, an influencer, a foodie, a traveller. But more than any of these roles, Vasilis Kallidis is ardent lover of Athens. He tests new restaurants faster than you can say “check, please” and his 2019 guide, The Athens Food Guide: a Trip to the Underbelly of Athens, published by Patakis, offers an offbeat look at his city’s food scene. “These days, Greek cuisine is a worldwide success. I think it’s the biggest trend since the sushi fad of the Nineties. But what’s funny is that Athenians love what the rest of the world eats, the cuisines from everywhere else.

I eat everything here – I love lamb chops from traditional taverns –, but, to be honest, I prefer eating Laotian or Swedish food over Greek, especially for dinner. For my last restaurant opening, I could have come up with an umpteenth version of souvlaki and it probably would’ve made me a millionaire!

But I decided to serve bao, small Taiwanese burgers made with rice bread. I like it, the public likes it.

For us Athenians, eating ‘Greek’ means staying home or going to village taverns. It’s mainly tourists who eat Greek!”

The Archelon Rescue Centre treats a hundred sea turtles every year.

rescue mission

Saving the Sea Turtle They like to lay their eggs along the coasts of Greece, but they’re now threatened by human activity. Some humans, though, are their guardian angels.

By Julien Blanc-Gras Photos Frédéric Stucin

G

eorge is from Corfu.

He’s about a metre in size and tips the scale at 80 kilograms. He has been splashing about in his little swimming pool for seven years. He might be a bit bored, but he’s warm, safe and pampered. George is a loggerhead sea turtle, an endangered and protected species known to scientific sorts as Caretta caretta. He lives at the rescue centre operated by the Archelon Sea Turtle Society, set near the shore in Glyfada, a chic, seaside suburb of southern Athens. The establishment has been recovering animals wounded in the waters surrounding this country since 1994. And there’s no shortage of work to do: a hundred turtles receive treatment here every year. “We have 25 at the moment,” says Dimitris Fytilis, an oceanographer at the centre. What kind of injuries? Swallowed fishhooks, flippers torn by fishing nets, skulls smashed by boat propellers. And beatings by humans. “Since turtles eat fish, some fishermen see them as a threat to their business,” he explains. “When someone finds an injured animal, they call us and we arrange the animal’s transfer to our facility, be it by bus, by boat, or even by airplane.”

Once at the centre, the turtles are cared for by the staff and young volunteers from around the world. They treat their

wounds, feed them, help them get back to full strength. One such volunteer is Manon, a young Frenchwoman who is sponging a female turtle’s shell as she talks. “She has a head wound, she was hit by something. But she’ll make it. We’re going to take her over for surgery.”

The site does indeed have an operating theatre. The veterinarian delicately disinfects the animal’s wounds; the turtle’s eyes are covered with compresses to lessen her stress. “We treat them like humans,” says Dimitris. “Some have to be amputated. But they can survive and even nest with only three flippers.”

Many turtles have balance problems as a result of head trauma. That’s why George has been here for so long: he can’t control his swimming direction and wouldn’t survive in the wild.

This isn’t the case for most of the animals that come through the facility, though. After treatment and a recuperation period, they’re released back into the sea. But they don’t simply vanish: three hundred turtles are tagged for satellite tracking. “This gives us a better idea of their movements, helps us identify breeding areas, to better protect them.” Much of Archelon’s work focuses on prevention rather than cures.

“We have around 500 volunteers who monitor 150 kilometres of coastline every day during the nesting period, to

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protect the eggs from birds and to collect scientific data. We also reach out to fishermen with awareness-raising campaigns. The younger generations now understand the importance of protecting the turtles.” This long-term work is paying off: though the Caretta caretta population was in decline, the number of nests increased last year to 5,500. “We’re seeing the fruits of our labours after decades of hard work,” enthuses Dimitris.

A group of schoolchildren on tour meanders through the centre. The pupils observe the volunteers and the gentle care they give this vulnerable, fascinating animal, a kind of living dinosaur that has been on this planet for 150 million years. From a time when there was no plastic in the oceans, no dramatic climate change upsetting the wildlife’s balanced existence. “It’s absolutely paramount to educate children about the environment. The more they know, the less damage there will be in the future.” The children learn that 1,100 turtles have been rescued and released since the centre opened. And that Archelon is an NGO and therefore receives no government subsidies.

“We’ll take all the help we can get,” concludes Dimitris. If you want to help nurse George and his flippered friends back to health, you can adopt a turtle. __ www.archelon.gr

slow life

Meraki, doing, heart and soul It’s a philosophy of life that exists only in Greece, but which could well inspire the rest of the world.

Meet meraki, the art of doing things with passion and patience.

By Julien Blanc-Gras Photos Frédéric Stucin

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Icium queest

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slow life

Maria Kaprili opened her jewellery shop in 2016, both designing and crafting her creations.

Her adjoining workshop gives the store unique charm.

I

n a shop in the working-class neighbourhood of Exarcheia, a man – one might well think a sage of old –is bent over the bouzouki he’s been working on for weeks. This luthier has a twofold objective: to make the most beautiful musical instrument he can, and to satisfy the person who ordered it. “You have to put meraki in everything you do,” he says. On the streets of Athens, any Greek – whether baker, taxi driver or architect – could say the same thing, word for word. Meraki. You might never have heard of this term, but you could well hear it often in times to come. It’s a philosophy of life that essentially means “doing things with passion.” This Greek

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“It’s about being connected to what you’re doing with all your senses.”

passion locale

Her parents’ garment factory was Christina Christodoulou’s playground when she was a child.

She now has her own gender-neutral brand of sturdy clothing.

“You don’t do it to make

a living, but to express your soul.”

term does not translate; it has no equivalent in other languages. So does Greece have its own special way of living and working? We set out to find a few people who might know the answer to that question.

Do everything with care

When you walk into the store of jeweller Maria Kaprili, it’s like entering a parallel universe(1). A jazz tune wraps you in soulful sounds. You’re handed a cup of coffee (or a glass of raki). You’re dazzled by the jewellery collections, designs of timeless elegance. And you’re spellbound by Maria’s enthusiastic voice. “Meraki comes from inside you. It’s about being connected to what you’re doing with all your senses. When I make my jewellery, I feel my heart beat faster. It goes beyond any love of a job well done – it’s a whole approach to life.

Do everything with care, down to the least detail. It’s about knowing that everything has value. When you’re with others, it’s about really living in the now.”

Christina Christodoulou grew up in her parents’ modest garment factory. After studying at Les BeauxArts, Paris’ top fine-arts school, she launched her own clothing brand in 2016 with the unmistakeable name of It’s a Shirt(2). It’s a small-scale, gender-neutral, sustainable business that uses local materials. “Meraki is putting all your mind, soul and creativity into

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slow life

Yorgos Louverdis’ first career path was electronics. Then he set out on a new one: carpentry. But carpentry that reflected his own choices, the desire to recycle, to turn the bad into goodness and beauty.

doing something that defines you. You don’t do it to make a living, but to express your soul – it mirrors who you are. It’s hard to practice it, cultivate it, and also try to sell a lot. It’s almost contradictory.”

Find joy

Yorgos Louverdis embraces this maxim. “I want keep things small, even if it means having less money.” From his calm, even manner of speaking and the warmth in his voice, you can tell instantly that this man is brimming with meraki. He’s a carpenter who specialises in making custom furniture from recyclable materials, giving new life to objects by crafting them into delicate, unique pieces. “When I started working with wood, I found joy. There’s a power in my hands.” So he quit his good-paying electronics job to start his own business, The Three Dots(3). “I like this process that turns bad into good. Meraki means giving your very best. The ancients spent hours in their workshop just to earn a piece of bread. They had expertise that made them unique.

I’m trying to do the same.” Yorgos is also keen to impart

“The ancients had expertise that made them unique.”

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this knowledge, and one way he does so is by teaching carpentry to refugees.

“Be a Romy in a world full of Kardashians.” That’s the quotation handwritten in all caps above the counter at Heteroclito(4), a wine bar run by Marie-Madeleine Lorantos, who is half French, half Greek. The concept: a choice of Greek wines, organic or natural, in a fairly Franco-Italian ambiance. Meraki is not limited

For Franco-Greek Marie-Madeleine Lorantos, wine is a passion, one she nurtures through her meetings with winegrowers, her travels and her bar in the Monastiraki district.

“Meraki is about sitting down together, talking, appreciating good-quality food and drink.” to crafts – it’s expressed in the service trades, too. “Wine is more than a profession, it’s a passion. You have to travel, go see the winemakers. It involves the pleasure of discovering and sharing. This is important in Greece: meraki is about sitting down together, talking, appreciating good-quality food and drink.” Just a few years ago, this street in the Monastiraki district was deserted.

The economic crisis wiped out the old clothing workshops. Heteroclito’s arrival brought a surge of new blood and new life to this this area that is now an essential stop in the city.

A return to sharing and respect

It’s clear now: this philosophy is practiced both within oneself and in relationships with others. As jeweller Maria Kaprili explains, it can have broad impact: “In the hard economic times we’ve seen in recent years, people have gotten back to a focus on meraki. It’s a mindset that helped us through this. It’s about sharing and respect. It’s being aware that someone worked to bring you the food you eat, to allow that water to flow from the tap. Our ancestors knew that, but modern societies tend to forget this. Fast food, for example, is the opposite of meraki.”

A people-centred way of living that’s meaningful and inspiring, showing respect for objects and materials, for oneself and others. This is a value that’s compatible with every culture. It’s a slow-life ethos, at a time when everything is going too fast. An apologia for essentialism

and simplicity in an era that is waking up to the dangers of overconsumption. This is why meraki is becoming trendy, spreading across Greece’s borders to take on the world. It has already been associated with a Danish cosmetics line, candles, shoes, even trickling down into Silicon Valley: IT giant Cisco Systems has named its cloud-managed business-solution cluster Meraki.

And, in 2018, global titan Amazon introduced its own clothing line, “simple, modern essentials for men and women.” You’ll never guess what they called it. __ 1. mariakaprili.com 2. instagram.com/itsashirt 3. ohsosouvenir.com/designers/three-dots 4. heteroclito.gr

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You’ll find all her favourite places in the City Guide.

Icium expedition queest

The Freedom of the Night 48

Icium queest

The narrow streets of the rebel quarter, Exarcheia, are home to patios aplenty – intentional or improvised – where laughter and snatches of banter ricochet through the air.

The moment the sun goes down, an uncommon energy thrums through the streets of the capital.

Just as Athens’ nightlife is famously varied and vibrant, its residents are equally celebrated for their socialising stamina.

By Julien Blanc-Gras Photos Frédéric Stucin

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expedition

T

hey say New York is the city that never sleeps.

And that may be true… but Athens is the city that never slept.” Words of wisdom from someone who knows whereof he speaks: Konstantinos Dagritzikos is founder and artistic director of six d.o.g.s (yes, all lowercase), the Greek capital’s cultural epicentre. It’s neither bar nor restaurant, neither concert hall nor exhibition hall – it’s all these rolled into one. This place is a condensation of the mindset that reigns once night falls on Athens. Freedom, diversity, creativity. “Greeks like to go out. We’re happy, social people. Things really start hopping after dark and there’s lots of dynamic evolution in every genre of music. We’re a meeting point where the various tribes come together,” says Konstantinos. The six d.o.g.s is tucked away on a small street in Monastiraki in what’s called the “Triangle”, an area between the Monastiraki metro station, Syntagma Square and Omonoia Square. Ever beneath the gaze of the Acropolis, the Triangle is home to a substantial portion of the city’s retail and party action. Some of the must-try bars and restaurants are there, like Booze Cooperativa, a three-story rock-andarts underground venue that is, unexpectedly, a non-profit establishment.

Baba au Rum is ranked as one of the 50 best bars in the world and serves astoundingly inventive cocktails. And its rum menu, as the name suggests, is dazzling. The bar boss Thanos Prunarus says his place is about “serious drinks and a relaxing atmosphere, where a suit-and-tie guy can take a seat next to a skateboarder.” At any time of day, to boot: “There are no hard-and-fast rules, no imposed schedules. You can party until the wee hours of the morning.”

As far as European cities go, this is a rarity indeed – taking all the time you need to play. But Greek people take fun

“Greeks like to go out. We’re happy, social people. Things really start hopping after dark.” to heart. As a city, Athens is quite dense – you can change worlds in the space of a few minutes. A few blocks from the city centre is Exarcheia, the rebel quarter, a place where the walls speak.

They’re covered with protest slogans and street-art frescoes. We’re at the beating heart of the alternative culture – bookstores, CD shops, highbrow jazz wine bars. We walk into Aggelos and are bowled over by the husky voice of singer Lena Kitsopoulou serving up the standards of the Greek blues known as rebetiko. The room joins her in chorus, well-versed in these songs designed for drowning one’s lovesick sorrows in a glass of raki and choking one’s melancholy in smoky taverns. The singing starts at midnight and ends at dawn.

Ms Kitsopoulou is a well-known cultural figure – not only a singer, but also a writer, painter, actress. “The Greeks love the night. That was easier to see a few years ago, when the streets were crowded every night, not just on weekends. There were actually traffic jams in the middle of the night. But we still feel this freedom of the night, this wild side of life,” she explains.

Party palette

A few streets away is Kolonaki, the antithesis of Exarcheia, an upscale, more sedate lair at the base of Mount Lycabettus. The perfect place for a chic, pricey dinner. Next, we head for Pangrati and the adjacent district of Mets, where Athens’ new dynamic is more evident as we escape the tourist throngs.

Fashionable outlets are alive and thriving, hipsters have landed around Proskopon and Varnava Squares. It’s a place for dining on more peaceful patios, like the one at Ohh Boy, a hangout for Costas Voyatzis, a game-changer in international design (see page 20).

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On the other side of the city, explore Kypséli, recently ranked as one of the 15 coolest neighbourhoods in the world

by Time Out magazine. The streets are named after Aegean islands and there’s a crush of artists here, irresistibly drawn by the still-affordable rent. Along the tree-lined Fokionos Negri Avenue are restaurants from around the world, cheek by jowl with typically Greek kafenio, where men sit at tables playing dominoes. Beneath the statues on pretty Saint George’s Square, teenagers kick around a ball while their parents sip a retsina wine. In Kypséli, we discover a tiny bar with enormous charm, which also happens to be the oldest in Athens: Au Revoir. It would be an apt ending to our journey, but it’s still too early to go our separate ways. As Konstantinos Dagritzikos reminds us, “There’s no curfew, so people go at all hours, day or night. You can get food at 5 a.m. Night owls do what they want.” And there comes a point when the city’s geography no longer really matters: dance-floor fans will venture to a club like Romantso or Lohan (property of American star Lindsay Lohan). Others will slip off to sites known only to insiders. Places like Batman, a fabulously free-spirited and friendly late-night bar where you end up singing in Greek with all your bar mates, even if you don’t speak a word of the language. We finally zoom over to the Galaxy, where we’re greeted by dignified servers in ties with Hemingway and Beethoven looking down upon us, to call for toast after toast in grand company. A place where time no longer matters. Just like a night in Athens. __

Extérieur nuit

3 1

2 4

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1. The cultural mecca of six d.o.g.s (Monastiraki): a restaurant, a bar, a concert hall, and an exhibition space.

2. Cocktails flow freely at Frater & Soror (Pangrati), far from the tourist frenzy.

3. To truly understand what a local watering hole can be, spend an evening at Batman (Syntagma.

4. Traditional tavern Klimataria (Psiri) cedes the stage to musicians two nights a week.

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harvest

HeavenSent Olives No one would have predicted these brothers would come to embody the very best of the Gulf of Corinth’s olive oil production. But through their label, Ladolea, enthusiastic Athenians Panos and Thanos Kloutsiniotis are burnishing the golden glory of this iconic elixir.

By Boris Coridian Photos Mickaël A. Bandassak

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harvest

A

n ear-splitting racket shatters the stillness of this serene panorama.

On one side lies Mount Kyllini, birthplace of Hermes, messenger of the gods. On the other spreads the sparkling sea of the Gulf of Corinth. And here, on these slopes, a small group of workers operate strange-looking machines that comb the fruit-laden branches. Two mechanical hands at the end of a pole noisily “clap” in rhythm and shake the olive trees, causing the fruit to fall on lightweight, net-like tarpaulins spread on the ground beneath. Warmed by the gentle November sun, Panos and Thanos Kloutsiniotis wouldn’t have missed this season’s first harvest for the world. The two young brothers are the founders of Ladolea, a brand of olive oil from these legendary lands, a lively, fruity, exceptionally fresh nectar.

That said, they never seemed predestined to become olive-oil producers.

“Our father grew up near here,” they explain jointly, “in Melissi, down on the coast, but never worked in the olive business.” The older brother, Panos, had intended to become a chemical engineer. Thanos was poised to start work in marketing for a large company.

In the early 2010s, the economic crisis crippling the country slowed their plans to a near halt, to the point of discouraging them from pursuing them altogether. Their uncle, though, shook Panos and Thanos from their torpor: he owned a few small olive groves and invited them to pick the fruit, rather than passively waiting for Greece’s cloudy economic skies to clear. “He reminded us that our family legacy was cultivating this fruit. Our studies abroad and our professional ambitions had led us to forget this treasure,” the brothers recall. Galvanised by their contact with nature’s nurturing, Panos

asked his younger brother how he’d feel about starting a business producing olive oil. In the space of a few days, fuelled by his conviction that he had nothing to lose, he wore down Thanos’ reluctance and persuaded his brother to join him. In October 2012, after having taken time to reflect and research, they pressed their first olive oil for the Ladolea label. “I remember it like it was yesterday,” says Thanos, grinning.

“We were in the mill. We took pieces of fresh-baked bread and dipped them into this silky oil – it was an unforgettable moment.”

Indigenous varieties

Eleven o’clock. This is the first break in a day that started at dawn on the slopes of the Peloponnese. The five labourers sit down for a snack: feta pastries washed down with coffee.

Indeed, these olive trees are reminiscent of harvest-ready coffee trees, like a nod from nature on the other side of the world. Today’s picking will cover two groves spread across steep slopes.

The surface area is modest – only a few hectares – but two tonnes of fresh olives will set off to be pressed the next morning, producing 300 to 400 litres of oil. The crates contain a mixture of green and black fruits, the latter being the riper of the two. “This variety is called Megaritiki. It takes its name from its city of origin, the Peloponnesian city of Megara. It’s not especially common in Greece,” Panos explains.

Yet this smooth-skinned pearl is

central to Ladolea’s raison d’être. “Our project was based on the idea of producing olive oils from indigenous varieties. There’s another in this region – Patrinia, which comes from Aigialeia, very close to here. We’re harvesting these two varieties to help spotlight them, educate the public about them, because they’re not anywhere near as well-known as the Koroneiki, which covers more than half of the land in Greece used to grow this crop,” says Panos. To the uninitiated, biting into a freshly picked olive is an unforgettable experience of bitterness and astringency. Once pressed, though, these oblong beads release a magical realm of flavour, each with its own personality. “We only use one variety in each oil we make. The Patrinia is very balanced, with a mild, delicate aroma and slightly fruity character. The Megaritiki has more flavour – it’s intensely fruity, with tropical fruit notes, and tickles your throat a bit with a pungent aftertaste. The Koroneiki falls between the two, with notes of fresh-cut grass and green apple,” Thanos describes with enthusiasm. Three personalities that make for infinite combinations when it comes to cooking: “We recommend the Megaritiki for sauces and barbecue marinades, because its intensity and naturally spicy character can hold its own. Koroneiki is perfect for salads, vegetables, fish, poultry. The most delicate is Patrinia, ideal for fish.”

The right temperature

To understand the depths of taste that Greek olive oil can attain, you simply must sample just-pressed oil. We meet with Panos at dawn to follow the manufacturing process in the mill, which is used by all local olive growers. “First, the olives are sorted and washed in water. Then they’re crushed whole, the flesh and pit together. This

Today’s picking will cover two groves spread across steep slopes.

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On this estate, where some trees are more than 150 years old, the entire family helps with the harvest.

Panos oversees production and quality control while Thanos handles sales.

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harvest

What’s the key to quality olive oil? Temperature. Panos monitors it along the entire production chain, from fruit transport to pressing. A substantial portion of Ladolea’s production is also certified organic.

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“Greece is blessed with fruit of exceptional quality.” makes a paste that’s kneaded for an hour or so before being passed through a centrifuge that helps it decant, separating the water contained in the fruit from the oil.” Panos raises his voice to be heard over the deafening machinery. “The oil is filtered and barrelled, then transported to our warehouse, where the oil will be bottled for sale.”

Panos has a thermometer with him at all times so he can test the temperature at every stage. “Remember that olive oil has three enemies: heat, which alters its natural flavour qualities; air, which oxidises the oil; and light, which causes the product to deteriorate. That’s why it’s so important to protect your oil from these three afflictions! Doing so challenges us to keep improving the entire production chain. First, we transport the picked fruit in perforated crates to prevent fermentation from starting inside the closed bags that are usually used. We press the olives daily, while other producers tend to wait three or four days to be sure they’ve got enough quantity to make the pressing cost-effective. We monitor the temperature through the whole process, making sure it never goes above 27° C. That’s the magic number – it’s what’s called cold pressing, which produces the best quality.

At the mill we work with for pressing, we’re the only ones who demand that the temperature be monitored. And that’s why we’re the first people here on a given day – cooler temperatures.

It also means we get the cleanest wash water they have.”

Increasing quality

Things weren’t always easy for the two brothers. Though they achieved their dream of extracting excellence from

their fruits without any experience in the field, “it was hard to convince the pressers to respect our guidelines. But they trusted us. And they understood that the future of our trade will depend on increasing quality. Because olive oil is right in the middle of a fierce battle between producer countries. Greece has fallen behind the competition, even though it’s blessed with fruit of exceptional quality! The proof: seventy percent of production is extra virgin.

That’s twice as much as in Spain and Italy, the European leaders. But our country is struggling to find its place in the high-end market. On top of that, 70% of the oil produced on our land is sold in batches, which means it can be blended with other lower-quality pressings,” the co-founder of Ladolea points out.

As with the grapes used to make wine, olives have their good years and their bad years. The 2019 vintage promises to be extraordinary. That wasn’t the case with the 2018 harvest, which was quite poor, due in large part to a combination of heat and humidity,

which generated a proliferation of insects that love to lay their eggs in the fruit. Ladolea is known for more than the care it takes with its golden-green nectar – it’s also recognised for its flair for design. The oil is sold in earthenware bottles with a graceful, ancient shape and opaque material that protects the precious liquid from the light.

“We took inspiration from a flask we saw on display at the Archaeological Museum of Ancient Corinth. It’s an aryballos that dates back to Antiquity, designed to preserve the oil that the Olympic athletes spread over their bodies. Back then, Corinth was one of the country’s biggest ports. Traders filled small ceramic bottles with essential oils and olive oil for export, and we’re doing the exact same thing, three thousand years later!” the brothers exclaim, laughing. Their high-end products can now be found in Athens’ finest grocery stores, not to mention Europe, Asia and the United States. It’s therefore fitting at this moment to recall that Hermes, born atop Mount Kyllini, is also the god of travellers and merchants. __

A tasting lesson from Panos Kloutsiniotis Every batch of olive oil must go before a panel of testers for sensory analysis, much the way coffee undergoes “cupping” sessions.

“Pay no attention to the colour – it’s not an indicator of oil quality. Besides, we use opaque blue glasses to avoid being influenced by appearances.

The variations in colour, ranging from pale straw yellow to deep green, are due mainly to the variety, as well as the fruit’s maturity and the pressing method. Judges in a tasting session evaluate three positive criteria: fruity, pungent (that tingling sensation on the palate) and bitter. Smell the oil – briefly at first, then more deeply, and try to identify the various aromas.

Bring a small amount of oil into your mouth, keeping it between your lower lip and your tightly clenched teeth. Suck air in through your clenched teeth with increasing force, to create an oil spray inside your mouth and onto the sides of the tongue, where the taste buds are located. Exhale through your nose for even more precise sensations. Each characteristic is rated from 0 to 10. There are two main components that define a high-quality oil: fruitiness (light, medium, intense) and structure, which is made up of bitterness and pungency to varying degrees. Any defects are also indicated on the tasting sheet. Those might be vinegar, acid, sour, metallic, rancid.

To be able to legitimately call an oil ‘extra-virgin’ or ‘virgin’, we must chemically measure the parameters of extracts produced during the pressing phase.”

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coffee cuisine

The Taste of East Meets West These luscious treats of honey, pistachio and orange are perfect with coffee and brimming with the bounty of a country at a culinary crossroad.

By Audrey Cosson Photos Virginie Garnier

Recipe glass, View collection (Nespresso); Datcha bowl, Jars small plate.

Caution: The featured recipes may contain different allergens. Should you have any allergy or intolerance, you are responsible for modifying the ingredients as necessary.

Loukoumades, mastic syrup and Iced Rosemary Latte made with Barista Creations Freddo Intenso

· Prepare the fritters: in a bowl, whisk the yeast in 250 ml lukewarm water and let it stand for 15 minutes. Add the egg, whisk and then add the flour, sugar and salt. Whisk again to produce a smooth, liquid batter. Cover and let it sit for 3 hours in a warm part of the kitchen - the batter should increase in volume and form bubbles · Prepare the syrup: place the granulated sugar, lemon juice and zest in a pan with 150 ml of water.

Bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes. Add the honey and remove from heat.

Allow to cool and add the mastic · Heat the frying oil in a saucepan to 180° C (350° F). Using 2 tablespoons, form dough balls, then place them in the hot oil.

Fry them quickly to a light golden brown, then remove them with a slotted spoon and place them on absorbent paper · Serve the fritters drizzled with syrup and sprinkled with toasted almonds. Enjoy with an Iced Rosemary Latte* made with Barista Creations Freddo Intenso (40 ml). * Recipe on page 79

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Alcohol is harmful to your health. Please drink responsibly.

Serves 6.

Preparation time: 25 minutes.

Cooking time: 15 minutes.

Let sit: 3 hours.

For the beverage: 6 capsules of Barista Creations Freddo Intenso (6 x 40 ml) · 6 x 90 ml cold milk to froth · 6 x 3 ice cubes (6 x 90 g) · 6 rosemary sprigs · 10 ml salted caramel syrup (optional).

For the fritters: 250 g flour · 10 g dry baker’s yeast · 1 egg · 1 tsp. granulated sugar · 30 g chopped toasted almonds · 1 pinch salt · frying oil.

For the syrup: 300 g granulated sugar · 1 tbsp. lemon juice · zest of ½ an organic lemon · 2 tbsp. honey · 3 tbsp. mastic liqueur.

coffee cuisine

Coffee baklava and Envivo Lungo Serves 6.

Preparation time: 30 minutes.

Cooking time: 40 minutes.

For the beverage: 6 capsules of Envivo Lungo (6 x 110 ml).

For the baklava: 500 g mixed shelled walnuts, pistachios and almonds · 225 g filo pastry · 1½ tbsp. granulated sugar · 1½ tsp. ground cinnamon · 1 tsp. ground cloves · extra virgin olive oil.

For the syrup: 525 g granulated sugar · 1 capsule of Envivo Lungo (1 x 110 ml).

· Preheat the oven to 170 ºC (approx. 340 ºF, gas mark 3-4) · Chop the walnuts, pistachios and almonds. Mix them in a bowl with the sugar, ground cinnamon and ground cloves. Oil the bottom of a 20 x 30 cm baking pan and cut the filo pastry sheets to the size of the pan. Place one sheet in the bottom of the pan and brush with olive oil.

Repeat this step twice more.

Next, add a pastry sheet, brush with oil, then cover with the nut mixture. Repeat this layering step until all the nut mixture has been used. Cover the top nut layer with 3 sheets brushed with olive oil. Do not tamp down or tuck the layers so as to keep the baklava light · In the pan, cut the baklava into same-sized diamonds, then pour 6 tbsp. oil over the top before baking for 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown · While baking, prepare the syrup by mixing the sugar, Envivo Lungo (110 ml) and 140 ml of water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer gently for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and let it cool. The syrup should coat a spoon · Remove the baklava from the oven, pour the syrup over the top and let it cool completely before re-cutting the diamonds and serving.

Enjoy with an Envivo Lungo coffee (110 ml).

Marion Graux plate, Studio Arhoj cup, Emery & Cie tiles.

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coffee cuisine

Oat-raisin shortbread biscuits, ouzo and a freddo made with Barista Creations Freddo Delicato · Preheat the oven to 160º C (320º F, gas mark 2-3) · Soak the raisins in the ouzo for 1 hour · In a bowl, mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, diced butter, vanilla seeds scraped from the pod and the egg. Add the flour, baking soda and oats, then mix. Drain the raisins, add them to the dough and mix again · Take 1 tbsp. of the raisin dough and form a ball. Place the ball on a baking sheet covered with baking paper, then do the same with the

Alcohol is harmful to your health. Please drink responsibly.

Serves 6.

Preparation time: 15 minutes.

Let sit: 1 hour.

Cooking time: 12 minutes.

For the beverage: 6 capsules of Barista Creations Freddo Delicato (6 x 40 ml) · 6 x 3 ice cubes (6 x 90 g).

For 24 biscuits: 175 g sweet (unsalted) butter · 150 g flour · 120 g brown sugar · 75 g granulated sugar · 1 vanilla bean · 1 egg · 1 tsp. baking soda · 180 g oatmeal · 100 g sultana raisins · 100 ml ouzo.

rest of the dough, taking care to space the dough balls. Bake for 12 minutes or until the biscuits are golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool. Enjoy with a freddo made with a Barista Creations Freddo Delicato coffee.

Extract an espresso from the Barista Creations Freddo Delicato capsule (40 ml), pour into the Nespresso Barista Recipe Maker with 3 ice cubes (90 g) and select the “ICED FRAPPÉ” function.

Recipe glass, View collection (Nespresso); Kinto Atelier Tete saucer.

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coffee cuisine

Portokalopita, saffron ice cream and cappuccino made with Barista Creations Vanilla Éclair Serves 6.

Preparation time: 45 minutes.

Cooking time: 1 hour. For the beverage: 6 capsules of Barista Creations Vanilla Éclair (6 x 40 ml) · 6 x 60 ml cold milk to froth.

For the saffron ice cream: 500 ml milk · 150 g granulated sugar · 75 g double cream · 5 egg yolks · 1 small capsule powdered saffron. For the syrup: 300 g honey · zest of 1 organic orange · 2 oranges, sliced. For the fondants: 250 g filo pastry · 200 g Greek yoghurt · 100 g brown sugar · 100 g sunflower oil · 2 eggs · 1 packet baking powder · zest of 1 organic orange · 1 vanilla bean.

· Prepare the ice cream: bring the milk to a simmer, remove from heat and add the saffron.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the sugar. Add the hot milk and whisk again. Return to heat and heat until it begins to boil; the cream should coat the spoon.

Whip the cream until stiff and fold it into the saffron cream.

Pour into an ice-cream maker and make ice cream per the machine’s instructions · Prepare the syrup: place all the syrup ingredients in a saucepan with 350 ml of water and bring to a boil.

Let simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat. Prepare the fondants: in a large bowl, beat the eggs with the brown sugar until mixture is frothy.

Add the oil, yoghurt, yeast, orange zest, vanilla beans scraped from the pod and the filo pastry cut into small, confetti-like pieces. Blend into a smooth batter. Let stand 15 minutes.

Pour the batter into muffin tins and bake for 45 minutes · Remove from oven and unmould.

Pour the cold syrup over the tops and garnish each with an orange slice. Serve with the saffron ice cream. Enjoy with a cappuccino made with a Barista Creations Vanilla Éclair coffee (40 ml) topped with frothed milk.

Cappuccino cup, View collection (Nespresso); Lembesis plate and bowl.

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coffee cuisine

Semolina halva, coffee mousse and ristretto made with Ispirazione Napoli

Serves 6.

Preparation time: 30 minutes.

Cooking time: 35 minutes.

Let sit: 3 hours.

For the beverage: 6 capsules of Ispirazione Napoli (6 x 25 ml).

For the mousse: 100 g white baking chocolate · 1 capsule of Ispirazione Napoli (1 x 25 ml) · 240 g double cream.

For the halva: 140 g medium semolina · 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil · 125 g granulated sugar · 1 tsp. teaspoon honey · 1 cinnamon stick · 50 g + 1 handful unsalted pistachios.

· Melt the chocolate in a double boiler. Prepare a ristretto using Ispirazione Napoli coffee (25 ml).

Pour it into a pan with 50 g of the double cream and bring to a simmer. Pour over the chocolate in 3 stages, blending with a spatula until the ganache is smooth. Add the rest of the cold cream and mix. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 3 hours · Prepare the halva: heat the semolina and the oil in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Once the oil has been absorbed, brown the semolina over low heat, stirring regularly · Place the sugar, honey, cinnamon and 750 ml water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.

Let boil for 5 minutes, then remove from heat · Add the crushed pistachios to the semolina and remove from heat. Pour the syrup into the frying pan, mix and return to low heat. The halva is ready once all the syrup has been absorbed and the mass unsticks from the walls of the pan.

Remove from heat, pour into a dish to a thickness of 3 cm, cover and let cool completely before cutting into squares.

When ready to serve, whip the coffee mixture until it forms soft peaks. Serve the halva with a spoonful of the coffee mousse and sprinkle with crushed pistachios. Enjoy with a ristretto made with Ispirazione Napoli coffee (25 ml).

Espresso cups, View collection (Nespresso); Jars plates, Kinto Atelier Tete saucer.

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coffee cuisine

64

Greek yoghurt, Morello cherries in syrup and espresso made with Master Origin Colombia Serves 6.

Preparation time: 10 minutes.

Cooking time: 1 hour 10 minutes.

For the beverage: 6 capsules of Master Origin Colombia (6 x 40 ml).

For the Morello cherries in syrup: 500 g pitted Morello cherries · 500 g sugar · juice of ½ lemon · 500 g Greek yoghurt (10% fat content) · 30 g slivered and toasted almonds.

· Place the Morello cherries with the sugar and lemon juice in a large saucepan.

Bring to a boil. When the sugar starts to melt, skim the foam whilst stirring. Simmer over low heat for about 1 hour; the syrup will thicken. Let cool completely to room temperature before refrigerating.

Serve the Morello cherries in their syrup with the Greek yoghurt, sprinkle with toasted slivered almonds.

Enjoy with an espresso made with Master Origin Colombia coffee (40 ml).

Espresso cup, Origin collection (Nespresso); Lembesis bowls, Laurette Broll small ramekin.

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italian roasting

The Land Where Espresso Was Born In Italy, each region has its own art of roasting.

This variety of traditions is captured in the nine coffees of the Ispirazione Italiana range, including two newcomers inspired by Venice and Naples. In a tale of two cities, learn more about these coffee cultures.

By Nadia Hamam-Marty Photos Romain Guittet

Venice and its Lagoon to the north (left page); Naples and Mount Vesuvius to the south: two Italian cities, two ways of roasting.

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Stefano Stipitivich, artistic director of Venice’s legendary Caffè Florian.

E

xperts say that green coffee is mute – it’s the roasting that endows it with speech. In Italy, a land that is voluble by nature, each city has its own gift for making coffee sing. And the special skills of their coffee-roasters inspired the Ispirazione Italiana range. To develop each of its iconic profiles, Nespresso took to the roads of Italy to meet the artisans who put the soul into the cups of their cities – from Rome to Florence, Genoa to Palermo. The newest arrivals in this kaleidoscope of rich, sunny aromas? Ispirazione Venezia and Ispirazione Napoli.

Venice: coffee as art

Between 7 and 9 o’clock each morning, the toing-and-froing of Venetian vaporettos brings the city’s inhabitants to a gathering place that is more essential than the gothic palaces or avant-garde galleries: the caffè. Piazza San Marco boasts some of the most legendary in the city, each a living museum recounting the birth of not only Italian espresso, but the first coffees in Europe. Kahvé, the Ottomans’ magic potion, officially entered Europe in 1615 by way of the City of the Doges, via an ambassador from Constantinople.

Places for socialising while sipping this nectar sprung up quickly, drawing flocks of artists, writers and wealthier locals.

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Every morning, Tonolo’s regulars come for coffee and a donut stuffed with the day’s fresh sabayon.

italian roasting

At Rio Marin, Davide Ruzzene works directly with a Venetian roaster.

Florian, Quadri, Lavena – “the caffès in the square served as headquarters for major newspapers and political parties,” reports writer Alessandro Marzo Magno.

Seated at a table here at the venerable Caffè Florian, the local author hails a three-century-old protocol perpetuated by servers dressed in white suits in the morning, black suits after 3 p.m. This coffee-service tradition is still a part of the Venetian lifestyle. “Until nearly the end of the 19th century, coffee was brewed Turkish-style here, with the grounds in the cup, which took time to drink. So people sat down, which gave coffee its social dimension,” explains the author. “The houses weren’t heated,” adds Stefano Stipitivich, Caffè Florian’s artistic director, “so people sought out the warmth of the surrounding caffès”. With the arrival of the espresso machine, people apparently spent an increasing amount of time at the counter – with something sweet to go with the coffee, prego!

In the Dorsoduro district, the Pasticceria Tonolo bakery has been delighting sweet-treat connoisseurs since 1953. At the counter, they take their espresso or macchiatone (espresso with a splash of hot milk) with a local specialty pastry: a sabayon-stuffed donut, cornetto alla creme or pallone di Casanova. Add a glass of water on the side and you have a time-honoured ritual. “First, you take

Roaster Luca Artusi keeps a watchful eye and ear on Torrefazione Cannaregio’s coffees.

a sip of water to rinse the palate, then you stir the coffee. You don’t lick the spoon, to avoid any metallic taste in the mouth, which would change how you perceive the coffee’s acidity,” describes Davide Ruzzene, barista at Rio Marin, a wonderful pastry bar by the canal.

The coffee’s brioche-like nuances, born of a roasting style specific to the city, should be savoured pianissimo.

The Venetian tradition has been preserved at Torrefazione Cannaregio for nearly a century. Luca Artusi describes a medium roast process, once dubbed “monk’s tunic”, that is applied exclusively to Arabica coffees. “It lasts about fifteen minutes. The longer the bean is cooked, the more it loses its volatile aromas.

During the process, the coffee bean loses weight, changes colour and increases in volume. The roasting curve has to be adapted to the percentage of moisture and the bean size,” explains the craftsman.

Luca visually inspects the coffee’s colour by examining samples extracted with a probe. He also keeps an ear out for the first “crack”: as soon as one bean swells enough in volume to make a crackling sound similar to that of popcorn popping, he takes out the entire batch. “You have to know the raw material, know the machine, and react quickly,” he explains.

Each bean has its own roasting recipe to ensure it sings with the subtleties of a Venetian-style caffè, as La Serenissima would not have it any other way!

Ispirazione Venezia The Venetian civility of this coffee that rolls roundly across the palate is born of the slow, gentle roasting (a specialty of northern Italy) of Central and South American Arabicas.

The fruity and floral aromas, mild cereal notes and gourmand hint of caramel are expertly protected by a capsule designed as a nod to the coffee beans’ crackling sounds during roasting.

Intensity 8

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italian roasting This is home to the best pastries in town, served with coffee, as local tradition would have it.

At the counter of Caffè Mexico for the 8 o’clock wake-up call.

Neapolitan tasting with Gennaro Ponziani, director of Gambrinus.

Naples: coffee as religion

Other city, other customs. On the sidewalks of Naples, servers weave through the crowd, covered trays in hand.

Beneath the transparent cloches are cups of coffee, protected with makeshift aluminium caps, to be delivered within two minutes to an office, a shop, a construction site. For Neapolitans have notto-be-missed confessionals with their near-sacred coffee at least five times a day. They are generally consumed on the fly and at the counter from thick, hot, white ceramic cups. The nectar, prepared to eye-popping strength, is slurped in small amounts to capture the characteristic aromas – toasted bread, cocoa and a hint of hazelnut.

And here, too, a glass of water rinses the mouth clean. “An ablution required prior to receiving the black liquid host”, says Jean-Noël Schifano, author of a work for the city’s francophone fans, Dictionnaire amoureux de Naples.

The former director of the Institut Français Napoli likens Neapolitan coffee to a “serial communion”.

Be it at the renowned Caffè Mexico, the Gran Caffè Gambrinus rich with 17th-century decor, the superb Casa Infante coffee-and-pastry shop or the Gran Caffè La Caffettiera, where serving from a cuccuma (a wholly Neapolitan

coffee maker) is still the order of the day, the counters are pulsating with activity. Students, policemen and fashionistas intently and passionately savour their coffees. The pastries – rum babas, creamy cannoli – form sensual and incredibly sweet contrast with the headily potent local coffee. The flavour is typical of a morena roast, a process that is more intense and a bit longer than Venice’s version. The Campana family, in their establishment a half-hour from the city, do things the Neapolitan way: “It takes fifteen to twenty minutes at 200° C”, succinctly explains Pasquale, who has handed down this savoir-faire to his children, Raffaele and Paola.

“The parameters depend on the blend and the bean size and origin, as well as on the taste you want the coffee to have,” adds Raffaele. “We stop roasting at the second ‘crack’, just before the sugars burn and the aromas vanish. Not before, not after,” continues Paola. “Neapolitan coffee virtuosity is the art of combining Arabicas and Robustas, which create layers of depth in the local espresso,” reports specialist Jean-Noël Schifano.

“In the old days, each bar bought its bags of coffee and made its own blend, which was always kept secret. Which mean that any given bar served a coffee unavailable anywhere else. That’s why there are very few small roasters in Naples,” said

Ispirazione Napoli The strongest roast in the Ispirazione Italiana range gives this blend of South American Arabicas and Ugandan Robusta all the expressive power Naples has to offer.

The creamy coffee’s character intensifies with each sip, whilst the protective capsule takes inspiration from the crackling sound of the beans during roasting.

Intensity 13

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VENICE

GENOA

FLORENCE

The Gran Caffè La Caffettiera serves from a cuccuma, the quintessential Neapolitan coffee maker.

Ispirazione Italiana coffees: Italy’s finest ambassadors Nespresso has renamed its Intenso range Ispirazione Italiana, but the influence of Italian roasting techniques on the range has remained indomitable from the start.

Try the coffees that take your taste buds on a tour of Italy.

Ispirazione Genova Livanto Genoa’s port has long seen the arrival of superb Arabicas from Latin America. Their gentle, lengthy, medium-strength roasting results in a balanced coffee with superb aromatic complexity with cereal and caramel notes.

Intensity 6

Ispirazione Roma

Raffaele Campana at the controls of his traditional roasting machine.

Gennaro Ponziani, director of Gambrinus.

At the entrance to this Naples institution, a clear donation jar collects money for coffee sospeso – literally “suspended”. This local tradition lets any customer pay for an extra cup of coffee for someone who might be struggling financially who can come in later and request a coffee free of charge. Something similar to the “pay it forward” concept. Jean-Noël Schifano sees it as “a form of communication across time and space between complete strangers.

Courtesy, politeness, respect, friendliness – Neapolitan coffee reconnects people with society”. A tangible – consumable – heritage of humanity. __

A short, light roast brings out elegant, complex aromas for a sophisticated coffee.

The woody and cereal notes sing with a hint of acidity, for a delicious conversation companion.

Intensity 8

Ispirazione Firenze Arpeggio This velvety, majestic Florentine masterpiece has the fruity notes and cocoa accents born of a short, dark roast.

It exudes quiet, easy strength in its creamy-smooth intensity.

Also enjoy the decaffeinated version, Ispirazione Firenze Arpeggio Decaffeinato.

Intensity 9

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ROME

NAPLES

PALERMO

Ispirazione Ristretto Italiano The medium dark roast brings out the intensity of Brazilian Arabica and South Indian Robusta beans.

In this blend, elegant, fruity notes delicately dance with a hint of acidity. Also available in a decaffeinated version, Ispirazione Ristretto Italiano Decaffeinato.

Intensity 10

Ispirazione Palermo Kazaar When Sicilian coffee craftsmanship combines with African and Arab heritage, things heat up fast!

Southern-inspired roasting – long and dark – creates a powerful, wild, spicy coffee blend.

Intensity 12

seaside

Summertime vibe Summer days are sunnier still with the new Barista Creations iced coffees and all their refreshing recipes. Sip them seaside, beneath your beach umbrella.

Photos Virginie Garnier Set design Audrey Cosson

THIS RANGE OF COFFEE AND RELATED ACCESSORIES MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE IN YOUR COUNTRY

The new limited-edition View iced-coffee kit (with 2 glasses and 2 recipe spoons, a Nespresso ice cube tray in its new blue colour), Monin Salted Caramel syrup, a Barista Creations Freddo Intenso capsule and a sprig of rosemary: you have everything you need to make an Iced Rosemary Latte (left). If you prefer bubbles to milk, the Fizzy Iced (right) is made with Monin White Peach syrup, a Barista Creations Freddo Delicato capsule and three Nespresso ice cubes. As refreshing as a dip in the waves!

(Recipes page 79)

Essenza Mini, View Cube capsule dispenser, Nespresso Barista.

seaside

True Thinline Les Couleurs™ Le Corbusier Spectacular ultramarine watch (sapphire crystal and high-tech ceramic), Rado.

Your Iced Rosemary Latte can follow you anywhere, be it on a stroll or poolside, when it’s in a Nomad bottle (small size, 350 ml).

barista iced coffee

The smooth, revitalising White Peach Iced Nitro recipe, served in the View recipe glass, is surprisingly easy to make with the Nespresso Barista Recipe Maker. All you need is a Barista Creations Freddo Intenso capsule, a splash of Monin White Peach syrup and three Nespresso ice cubes.

(Recipe on page 79) Nespresso ice cube tray.

If the sun’s rays are beating down, it’s time to enjoy an Iced Rosemary Latte!

Whether it’s at high noon or sunset, anytime is a good time to enjoy your favourite iced coffee made from the Fizzy Iced recipe.

View recipe glass.

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seaside

Deliciously icy recipes White Peach Iced Nitro Pour 10 ml of Monin White Peach syrup into the Nespresso Barista and add 3 Nespresso ice cubes • Prepare an espresso with a Barista Creations Freddo Intenso, then pour it into the Nespresso Barista.

Add 100 ml of cold water, taking care to stop at the maximum level indicator • Close the lid, select the “ICED NITRO” recipe, then press the start button • Pour your White Peach Iced Nitro in a View recipe glass. Then watch the show!

True Thinline Les Couleurs™ Le Corbusier Spectacular Grey Brown Natural Umber watch (sapphire crystal and high-tech ceramic), Rado.

Iced Rosemary Latte Place 3 Nespresso ice cubes in a View recipe glass and add 10 ml of Monin Salted Caramel syrup • Prepare 90 ml of cold milk froth in the Nespresso Barista by selecting the recipe “ESPRESSO ON ICE MACCHIATO”, then pour the froth over the ice cubes, but do not stir • Next, prepare an espresso with a Barista Creations Freddo Intenso, add a sprig of rosemary • Lastly, pour the coffee over the milk froth • Enjoy immediately.

Fizzy Iced Place 3 Nespresso ice cubes in a View recipe glass. Pour 10 ml Monin White Peach syrup over the ice. Add 90 ml San Pellegrino sparkling water • Prepare an espresso with a Barista Creations Freddo Delicato capsule directly into the glass • Your Fizzy Iced is ready.

All these recipes can be made without syrup.

Limited-edition Monin syrup set with three flavours: White Peach, Blackcurrant, Salted Caramel.

The capsules in the Barista Creations range contain no dairy ingredients.

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the milky way

In Your Barista Workshop At Nespresso, when coffee and milk swirl in the same cup, it’s sure to be a deliciously memorable moment.

Barista Creations Flavoured capsules are the foundations for spectacular recipes that will make your taste buds sing.

Photos Caroline Faccioli Set design Marion Guillemard By Nadia Hamam-Marty

THIS RANGE OF COFFEES AND ACCESSORIES MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE IN YOUR COUNTRY

THE RANGE IS EXPANDING Would you like coffee or dessert?

How about both? The latest recruits in the Barista Creations collection are your chance to try new milk recipes that are as luscious as they are lovely.

From left to right: dark chocolate unleashes the aromatic sensuality of Barista Creations Cocoa Truffle, beetroot brings a blush to Barista Creations Vanilla Éclair and turmeric adds a spicy tingle to Barista Creations Caramel Crème Brûlée.

(Recipes pages 82-83)

View Cappuccino cups and View Recipe glass.

CAPPUCCINO D’AMOUR ROSE Ingredients: 100 ml soy milk • 10 ml beetroot juice • ½ teaspoon cardamom powder • 1 capsule of Barista Creations Vanilla Éclair • Pink sugar crystals for decoration.

To prepare: Pour the soy milk, beetroot juice and cardamom directly into the Nespresso Barista recipe maker. Close the lid, select the “CAPPUCCINO” recipe, then press the start button • Pour the pink milk froth into a View Cappuccino cup

• Prepare 25ml (ristretto) of Barista Creations Vanilla Éclair, then pour the coffee over the milk froth • Stir slightly to create a colour gradient • Decorate with pink sugar crystals. It’s ready!

Aromatic profile: Your espresso hug for the day – Barista Creations Vanilla Éclair is a balanced espresso, tenderly wrapped in a velvety vanilla aroma.

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GOLDEN TURMERIC LATTE Ingredients: 120 ml soy milk • 1 capsule of Barista Creations Caramel Crème Brûlée • 1 teaspoon turmeric powder.

To prepare: Pour the soy milk and turmeric powder directly into the Nespresso Barista recipe maker • Close the lid, select the “LATTE MACCHIATO” recipe, then press the start button • Pour the resulting flavoured milk froth into a View Recipe glass • Prepare a Barista Creations Caramel Crème Brûlée espresso on top of the froth

the milky way

• Decorate with a pinch of turmeric and enjoy.

Aromatic profile: Barista Creations Caramel Crème Brûlée, with its deliciously creamy, old-timey caramel aroma and slightly roasted notes, is the warm and comfy moment of your day.

DOLCE TRUFFLE CAPPUCCINO Ingredients: 100 ml semi-skimmed milk • 10 g dulce de leche • 1 capsule of Barista Creations Cocoa Truffle • 1 teaspoon cocoa powder or a square of Nespresso dark chocolate.

To prepare: Pour the milk directly into the Nespresso Barista recipe maker. Close the lid, select the “CAPPUCCINO” recipe, then press the start button • Place the dulce de leche in a View Cappuccino cup • Pour the hot milk froth over it.

Prepare 25ml (ristretto) of Barista

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Creations Cocoa Truffle onto the froth • Sprinkle the top with grated square of dark chocolate or cocoa powder.

Aromatic profile: Barista Creations Cocoa Truffle is a vibrant espresso with a rich cocoa aroma, reminiscent of the tender sweetness of a dark chocolate truffle.

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CREAMY CLASSICS In addition to its range of flavoured coffees, the Barista Creations collection includes two tasty classics – Barista Creations Corto, Barista Creations Chiaro and Barista Creations Scuro – made especially for milk-based recipes. Another opportunity to express your inventiveness!

CREATIVE DREAM MACHINES In a dairy delicacy factory like yours, the new Nespresso Atelier (pictured opposite), with the View capsule dispenser at its side, is a barista’s best friend. With three extraction lengths and six recipes, the intuitive interface lets you set the rules. The integrated, removable, easy-to-clean nozzle makes it simple to prepare milk froth directly in a cup. Whether it’s hot or cold, animal or plant-based, it will add the silky touch you seek in subtly balanced recipes. And to feel completely confident as the creative chef in this gourmet workshop, slip on the new Barista Collection denim apron and express your artistic skills using the Nespresso stainless-steel stencil with its original design (photo right-hand page).

Three visually enchanting recipes

CORTADO Ingredients: 30 ml semi-skimmed milk • 1 capsule of Barista Creations Corto.

To prepare: Prepare a Barista Creations Corto espresso (40 ml) in a View Espresso cup • Add 10 to 20 ml hot milk using a View spoon. Add more or less hot milk to intensify or soften the contrast between the layers, depending on the visual impact desired • Admire and savour.

Aromatic profile: the balanced temperament and piquant power of Barista Creations Corto guarantees an exciting outcome when paired with milk. The perfect coffee for an intense cortado.

LATTE MACCHIATO Ingredients: 100 ml semi-skimmed milk • 1 capsule of Barista Creations Chiaro.

To prepare: Insert a Barista Creations Chiaro capsule into the Nespresso Atelier machine • Pour 100 ml cold milk into a View mug • Attach the frother to the machine, place the cup on the cup holder and lower the frother into the cup • Press the “Latte Macchiato” button.

Aromatic profile: Born of one of the lightest roasts ever made at Nespresso, with rich, biscuity notes, Barista Creations Chiaro gives your latte macchiato a seductive sweetness.

CAPPUCCINO Ingredients: 80 ml milk • 1 capsule of Barista Creations Scuro • Cocoa powder for decoration.

To prepare: Insert a Barista Creations Scuro capsule into the Nespresso Atelier machine • Pour 80 ml cold milk into a View mug • Attach the frother to the machine, place the cup on the cup holder and lower the frother into the cup • Press the “Cappuccino” button • Using the Nespresso stencil, create a design with unsweetened cocoa powder on top of the foam. Latte art is easy!

Aromatic profile: Barista Creations Scuro is intense, powerful and redolent with nutty notes, to elevate your cappuccino experience.

> You’ll find photos and videos of more recipes on the website: www.nespresso.com/recipes

nouvelles sensations

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renaissance

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commitment

Coffee’s Homecoming Buoyed by auspicious outcomes in Colombia and Zimbabwe, Nespresso’s Reviving Origins programme is now being rolled out in Uganda’s Rwenzori region. The objectives remain the same: revive a crippled coffee-growing culture and give an exceptional coffee a second chance.

Story by Jean Berthelot de La Glétais Photos Gwenn Dubourthoumieu

T

his corner of the African continent has no equal, boasting mountains of such beauty that they have fascinated humankind for thousands of years: the Rwenzori Mountains, on the border between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. Legend has it that they could well be the famed “Mountains of the Moon” of ancient Egypt, spoken of by the Greek philosopher Ptolemy, who lived in Alexandria in the second century. They lent their name to a region of western Uganda, where fertile slopes combined with an ideal climate and clay soils fostered cultivation of a unique coffee, with subtle notes of citrus, dark chocolate and sugar. In the second half of the 20th century, though, production steadily declined before ceasing altogether. Today, with help from the Reviving Origins programme, this crop is experiencing a vibrant renaissance and consumers across the globe will have the chance to sample this rare nectar.

Beyond breathing new life into neglected crops, this Nespresso initiative, part of its AAA Program introduced in 2003, supports local coffee farmers, protects and defends their special savoir-faire and promotes eco-friendly growing methods. And it has had convincing results in places like the Caquetà Department of Colombia and Zimbabwe’s Eastern Highlands (see following pages). In Uganda, this collaboration has

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already brought back an optimal harvest, so that quality, rather than just quantity, can be the true target.

“I farm my coffee plantation in keeping with the highest standards, to ensure the best harvest possible,” recounts Rwenzori farmer Joseph Kirimbwa. And this new know-how has called into question techniques of the past. “My father, like others of his generation, didn’t really know how to grow coffee. I figured this out later, when the Nespresso programme team shared their expertise with me. Our elders used to remove all the cherries from a branch, no matter how ripe they were. But I only pick the ripest, reddest ones.”

A profitable crop

And this quality translates to revenue: producers are earning much more than before. “This better way of working my coffee crop means I was able to earn enough money to start building my house,” continues Joseph, the father of a large family. “I shared my experience with my neighbours, and they went back to growing coffee, too. We’d stopped producing coffee before because it didn’t bring in enough revenue.

There were no ways to sell it apart from a parallel market that involved smuggling it into the Congo, which is not only illegal, but very risky. So coffee was neglected, bit by bit. Until we were shown how it could once again be profitable.”

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The crops are sold to a purchasing office before being transported to Bugoye for drying.

With the revenue earned from their crops, Joseph and Rose Kirimbwa can now pay the school fees for all their children.

Nespresso is helping producers in the Rwenzori region rediscover the profit potential of coffee crops.

Today, more than 2000 producers are stakeholders in the Reviving Origins programme. Most run very small farms on an average of a half-hectare of land. Everyone can benefit from training on a wide variety of subjects: agronomy, sustainable development – even social and environmental matters, since the programme also educates on reforestation and encourages gender equality in its pursuits. Rose, Joseph’s wife, has her own important role in the family business: when it comes to harvesting cherries, for instance, she’s especially efficient.

“We use the coffee money to pay the school fees for our six children,” says the young woman happily. In a part of the world where youngsters’ rights are not always respected, Reviving Origins is on the frontlines of the battle against child labour, helping promote children’s education. The farmers and those around them now live better and work better, and they find well-deserved satisfaction in that. “This is my land, I bought it and I love it. I planted 500 coffee trees here and I take very

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good care of them to produce the very best cherries I can. I put my heart into what I do because I know that love forms a bond with people I don’t know in other countries. They’ll taste this coffee and really appreciate what it means, all it has to offer. I’m really proud of it,” explains Joseph. Once his coffee harvested, it is sold at a good price to a purchasing office, then transported to the village of Bugoye and left at a processing centre founded by Agri Evolve, a local organisation that partners with Nespresso. There, the cherries are dried naturally in the sun, shelled, and the green coffee is then packaged for shipment. As these various steps are meticulously monitored on site, the producers can focus exclusively on growing and harvesting, meaning the entire production chain makes dramatic gains in quality. In the short term, Joseph has already decided what his next investment will be: a motorcycle, so he can travel the 1.5-kilometre distance to and from the purchasing office more quickly. __

The wild edge of the new Amaha Awe Uganda coffee

Zimbabwe and Colombia, one year later Coffee is now an important catalyst for development, thanks to the Reviving Origins programme.

Here’s a look back at two pivotal stories.

Let yourself be swept into the wild ways of this remarkable coffee with subtle notes of sandalwood and elegant flowers. Its two-step roasting process – slower in the second phase – brings out its tropical fruit aromas while preserving the unique mouthfeel and overall intensity. It is best appreciated as a richly flavoured espresso or as a latte macchiato, a sweet, balanced beverage with full, round body heightened with biscuit and fruit notes.

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The fruity freshness of Tamuka mu Zimbabwe Cranberry, berries and grape – an eye-opening blend of fruity flavour and vibrant acidity makes this coffee truly exceptional.

Best enjoyed in a latte macchiato to experience the caramel notes.

Intensity 5

The magnificent mildness of Esperanza de Colombia This is a rounded, balanced Arabica with a hint of cereal. Its pronounced mildness is enhanced by a touch of acidity.

When served in a latte macchiato, the date and plum aromas come to the fore.

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In Zimbabwe, women have an essential role in coffee growing.

In Colombia, Fernando Pedresos was able to buy a farm that’s closer to the school, so his children can easily attend.

The Reviving Origins programme, first introduced in Colombia and Zimbabwe, was recently rolled out in Uganda.

In our June 2019 issue, readers learned the stories of some of the producers involved in this adventure. Now, one year on, things continue to move in a positive direction for them.

Like Fernando Pedresos, a coffee farmer in Colombia. In 2019, he was able to buy a more modern farm that’s also closer to the school, so his children can easily attend.

“This year, selling better-quality coffee means I’ve increased my income and have been able to give my family a more comfortable life,” he relates happily. The improved infrastructure means he has been able to further improve his coffee production. What’s more, after a trip to Europe with the Nespresso teams, he has become a shining example of success for other producers in his region and they freely contact him to learn about best practices: pruning the coffee trees, harvesting only the ripe cherries, using eco-friendly growing techniques. As of today, in the Caquetá Department, nearly a thousand farmers have joined the programme. Agronomists have come to the region throughout the year to help improve growers’ production quality through a combination of traditional

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and innovative methods. Here again, Don Fernando is an excellent role model: “I’m building a solar dryer. Since it rains a lot, I need to thoroughly dry the coffee.”

Over in another land, the Reviving Origins initiative appears to be just as beneficial. In Zimbabwe’s Eastern Highlands, an increasing number of young producers are turning to coffee growing, as the trade has once again become profitable and rewarding. Women, too, are active in this business, making up 47% of the people involved in the programme.

As an example, there are 17 women in the Batani group, which lends money to growers in the event of a cash crunch. Faced with runaway inflation, producers are asking to be paid in dollars – in fact, it’s the only currency accepted by the hospital that cared for Annah Ushamba’s sick child.

“Coffee saved my son,” she asserts with feeling. In 2018, Annah sold 80% of her production – about 98 kilograms – to Nespresso, and at a price that was six times what she used to receive.

She also took part in 11 training sessions. “This all means I can produce coffee that’s of much better quality. I’m a widow, and I sometimes say that coffee is rather like my husband now; it’s the one who takes care of me and my six children,” she says.

Fava, grilled squid, coffee oil and espresso made with Ispirazione Venezia A delicious coffee oil gives this Mediterranean dish greater character.

By Audrey Cosson Photos Virginie Garnier

Serves 6. Preparation time: 25 minutes.

Let sit: overnight. Cooking time: 1 hour 20 minutes. For the beverage: 6 capsules of Ispirazione Venezia (6 x 40 ml).

For the coffee oil: 150 ml extra-virgin olive oil · 1 capsule of Ispirazione Venezia (1 x 40 ml).

For the fava: 500 g yellow split peas · 100 ml + 4 tbsp. olive oil · 6 whole squid, cleaned · 1 onion · 1 carrot · 1 bay leaf · 1½ lemons · capers · coriander sprigs · fleur de sel, pepper.

· The day before, pour the oil and an espresso made with Ispirazione Venezia in a bowl and blend with a whisk. Cover and set aside at room temperature · The day of the meal, wash the split peas several times, changing the water each time. Place them in a saucepan, cover them with water and add the same amount of water on top.

Simmer over medium heat, skimming the foam regularly · In another saucepan,

sweat the onion and carrot, both peeled and coarsely chopped, with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Add them, along with the bay leaf, to the pan of split peas. Cook for about 1 hour, making sure there is enough water in the pan. The peas will begin to fall apart. Remove from heat, remove the bay leaf, onion and carrot. Add 100 ml olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, season to taste, mix and let stand 5 minutes.

Using a hand blender, blend into a textured puree · Cut off the heads of the squid, then halve the bodies lengthwise. Fry all parts with the rest of the olive oil. Sprinkle with the juice of the remaining ½ lemon, add salt and pepper · Divide the fava onto 6 plates, add the squid and drizzle with the whipped coffee oil. Sprinkle with capers and coriander leaves. Enjoy with an espresso made with Ispirazione Venezia coffee (40 ml).

Caution: The featured recipes may contain different allergens. Should you have any allergy or intolerance, you are responsible for modifying the ingredients as necessary.

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Espresso cup, View collection (Nespresso); Reiss casserole dish and pan; Datcha plate.

cooking lesson

Mickael A. Bandassak

PRACTISE THE ART of FINE FOOD.