# Greek Coffe Maker - electric briki



## alexio12 (Aug 20, 2010)

I have just returned from holiday on the Greek islands where I experienced greek coffee for the first time. The coffee was fantastic, nice and strong with a very distinctive taste and the coffee was made quickly and with very little fuss in a little coffee pot called a briki. The coffee was quite unusually made in the pot with the water and in a number of places they were using an electric briki.

Has anyone else experienced the delights of greek coffee, and more importantly has anyone ever used an electric briki or know where to get one from?


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## DonRJ (Apr 3, 2010)

like this perhaps

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Greek-Coffee-maker-Electric-BRIKI/dp/B003XN5EOS

or this

http://www.electricbriki.co.uk/default.htm


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## alexio12 (Aug 20, 2010)

Thanks DonRJ, that is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for. I've just ordered one and will let you know how I get on..


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## RolandG (Jul 25, 2010)

I love greek/turkish/other coffee - although I've always avoided the electric makers. You can get ibriks/briki/cevze from amazon and also try http://www.algcoffee.co.uk (Algerian Coffee Stores, London). If you decide to try that, it's very simple. If you want to grind fresh rather than preground, consider a turkish hand grinder - they are a bit of exercise, but I've never found an electric grind that's as fine as you need really. I'll try and remember to post a few extra links when I get a chance - let us know how the electric fairs when it arrives


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## alexio12 (Aug 20, 2010)

Well, my electric briki arrived on Saturday morning and over the weekend I've been happily experimenting with making cups of Greek style coffee. The briki came with an unexpected but much appreciated free sample of greek coffee so I was up and running immediately. I found a couple of useful 'how to make Greek coffee' videos on YouTube and away I went. The process was very quickly just as straight forward as I had seen while on holiday and as I'd hoped it would be. I can now make two cups of coffee in less than two minutes, in fact in about the same amount of time as it would take to boil a kettle. Over the weekend a few friends have also discovered a taste for Greek style coffee but it would certainly appear to be an acquired taste as initially it is not for everyone. The briki is well built and very easy to clean as it had been described and all in all one of my best buys this year. The whole process is just so straightforward and I'm beginning to wonder if this really is one of the best kept secrets in the coffee world..


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

Hi @Alexio. I have been making Greek/Turkish/Cyprus coffee for years. I have always made mine with an old fashioned Ibrik which has to go onto a hob. I have ordered one of the Electric Briki and loom forward to having a cafe metrio in a day or two. I live relatively close to North London so there is no shortage of suitable shops to buy my coffee in. Thank you for reminding me how much I enjoy that style of coffee. Now ... To buy a suitable coffee mill and grind my own .....

David


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## DavidBondy (Aug 17, 2010)

My electric Briki arrived this morning and, as noted above, I was pleased to get a 50g sample pack of Cyprus coffee included. I have made a cup of delicious coffee but I found that it is so powerful that the water has a tendency to boil very quickly and thus my coffee was almost devoid of foam. It would be an insult to serve coffee without foam to a Greek or Cypriot so I am going to have to see how best to get used to this gadget. With a traditional Briki and a gas ring it is quite easy to control the heat!

David


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## alexio12 (Aug 20, 2010)

Hi David

I found the same but I'm sure you will get used to it very quickly. My tip would be to start with cold water and once you've added the coffee and turned the briki on, stir continuously for the first 30 seconds as this helps to dissolve the coffee. Once you have finished stirring just let the briki warm the coffee. It is very important that you keep an eye on the coffee during this stage and you will notice the cream start to form. As soon as the foam starts to rise around the edges, whip it off the base and it's ready. I got the hang of it after a couple of tries and found that if you let the coffee boil then you have certainly missed the moment.

My first few attempts were not the best but as with any process it can take a little practice. I now think I'm quite good at making this type of coffee and certainly enjoy making the coffee for friends, especially as there is an element of skill involved which adds to the 'ceremony' of coffee making and is certainly more fun and hands on than an automated coffee machine. In fact the little briki has become quite a talking point amongst friends and family as they all want to try their hand at making the 'perfect' greek coffee..


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## alexio12 (Aug 20, 2010)

Can anyone recommend a good Greek coffee, I've been using Loumidis http://www.mysupermarket.co.uk/tesco-price-comparison/Ground_Coffee/Loumidis_Greek_Coffee_200g.html but fancy trying another type, any suggestions?


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## RolandG (Jul 25, 2010)

It depends a bit what kind of thing you're looking for:

My first supplier was:

http://www.freshcoffeeshop.com/en/coffee-products-1/

Very reliable, but a little pricey because of the postage. The FCS Mocha blend really is worth a go though - great for winter nights.

After there, I went to:

http://www.algcoffee.co.uk/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=1222

Again, they've been very reliable. They're London based, and any of their coffees can be ordered as Turkish ground (use drop down box when ordering).

I now grind at home, so any whole beans are fine for me. Many roasters will do the grinding for you, but you may have to e-mail them to let them know that you want a Turkish grind. My favorite roaster is http://www.hasbean.co.uk , although there is a big exhaustive thread of recommended roasters in the UK somewhere on the forum.

If you'd like a more specific recommendation, what kind of thing are you looking for? Fruity? Traditional? etc.


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