Some European Coffee Cultures

My parents drank coffee when I was a child. My dad’s was black drip. My mom’s was black with just enough cream to color it tan. I, myself, made it through college without developing a liking for coffee. Then, when I was 32-years old, a boyfriend handed me a beverage and said, “Here, have a mocha”. Sugar that’s flavored with coffee? Score. From that point onward I was a fru-fru coffee drinker. And when workdays were difficult, I carried that warm soothing beverage throughout my day. Greg has been a coffee drinker since he was in the Marine Corps. He needs an IV of straight black coffee.

We are all thoroughly aware of the MEGA-coffee culture in America. It started with a little thing called Starbucks. They initiated the skill of making 8 decisions in 5 seconds. “I want a double, tall, half-caf, skinny, vanilla, blended, latte with whip.” And in some towns it feels like there is a Starbucks or other type coffee shop every few blocks. Americans drink their coffee slowly for hours as they read the news, drive to work, carpool kids, or run errands. The average coffee beverage costs $5-$10 depending upon the number of decisions you add to it.

In Italy we learned a few different ways to make their rich espresso at home too. First, many of our stays had a Nespresso coffee machine that used pods similar to the Kuriġ. With water in the reservoir, you push the button and wait as the ultra-condensed, one micro-cup of coffee/espresso was produced (about 4 tablespoons almost not even liquid form). As an American coffee drinker who needs the wake-up juice, the first time he made it Greg looked at that little cup of coffee, looked at me, and nearly wept.

The second method of coffee making is a Moka Pot. If you don’t need the steamed milk of an actual espresso machine for a cappuccino, then the Moka Pot is a good addition to any coffee drinker’s kitchen. We had to watch a few YouTube videos to figure out how to use the pot and that’s where we began to understand the passion behind the “RIGHT” cup of coffee. The Moka Pot has 3 pieces. Water goes in the bottom. Then you place the sieve piece, which is filled with coffee grounds. Finally, you screw on the top of the pot where the final liquid is pushed when the pot boils. Well, depending on who you ask, the passions arise with these controllable factors: Hot or cold water to start the pot, Position the lid up or leave it down when boiling, take it off the heat immediately or let it cool slightly… Any way you serve it, the Moka pot produces a strong cup of espresso and we found it difficult to make back to back pots of coffee for two drinkers. So, Greg bought a french press that travels with us. It still only produces one good mug of coffee, about 8ozs, but it gives him that volume and flavor combo he can linger over for 10-15 minutes.

Our next destination was Albania. We were unprepared for the coffee culture of Albania. Like the Italians, their drink of choice is the espresso. They seem to like it hot, slow, and often. Starting from the wee hours of the day and going to the wee hours of darkness, Albanians (mostly men) gather at the coffee shops to talk, drink, play board games, and smoke. It could be 100 degrees outside and they are dinking their espresso. Alongside their coffee, they may also be drinking Raki, a traditional distilled beverage of 40- 95% alcohol by volume. Believe it or not, this was not the surprising factor. In the Albanian towns we visited so far, there are coffee shops within 200 feet of each other. For example, near the bus stops we counted 5 coffee shops right next to each other (with shared walls). There are coffee shops at the base of apartment buildings. Currently, we have a breezeway by our apartment that opens up to the main road. There were 3 coffee shops facing each other at the opening of that breezeway. Even with so many coffee shops, they almost always have customers drinking coffee all day and into the night. Some serve food, some serve alcohol, some only serve coffee. The cost of an espresso in Albania €0.80, cappuccino €1.40 (USD $0.94 and $1.64)

We aren’t certain what other coffee traditions we will encounter in this world, but it’s clear to see that while Starbucks leads the show on USA soil and has a presence in the major cities of Italy, there is not a single Starbucks shop in the entire country of Albania.

Before traveling to Italy, we heard about the coffee culture of the country. Italians take their coffee very seriously, just like they do the food. Here they call the coffee shops Bars where they prefer to drink a small cup of very strong espresso in a shot gun style, like tequila, or with 1-5 small swallows while standing at a counter. Then, they continue about their day. They do not linger over the cup of coffee, and they DO NOT carry it around with them all day. If they don’t drink it quickly, it gets cold. Many Italians will run into a bar several times a day for their java fix and it’s easy to do because the bars are located on just about every block. Sometimes you can observe a small group of locals sitting outside B.S.-ing and smoking while gulping several cups of their thick black fuel. Espresso cost €1.30, Cappuccino cost €1.80(USD $1.52 and $2.11).