Nicosia, Cyprus. Specialty coffee shops in Nicosia are drawing a niche clientele by offering single-origin beans and rotating roasters, even as coffee remains a daily staple for most consumers in Cyprus.
A tip for drinkers with limited options
Christos Soteriou suggested that when faced with poor coffee choices, such as at an airport, customers can order an Americano from Starbucks or another major chain and add a small amount of salt to reduce bitterness.
He said the salt should be fine rather than thick, as thicker salt may not dissolve and can leave the coffee both bitter and salty.
Nicosia’s specialty coffee scene
Starbucks was mentioned during a fact-finding trip with Demetris Michaelides of Utu Coffee in Nicosia.
Soteriou owns Kollaborative, located near Utu, and it sells specialty coffee, some of which it also roasts, unlike Utu.
Coffee consumption in Cyprus
According to World Population Review, Cyprus ranks 20th globally in coffee consumption, at 12.05 kg annually per capita, with much of that consumption likely consisting of Cyprus coffee, frappé, and instant coffee.
Espresso-based chains are described as a relatively recent arrival, with specialty coffee shops emerging more recently.
What specialty coffee means and what it costs
Specialty coffee was described as “a term for the highest grade of coffee available,” quoted from Wikipedia, and typically made from single-origin beans and linked to the entire supply chain.
Specialty coffee is defined as scoring over 80 out of 100 on the Specialty Coffee Association scale, and a double espresso at Utu costs €2.80, which is described as similar to the price of non-specialty coffee at a chain café.
Beans, roasters, and customer base
Utu sells coffee beans for home use, with most bags priced at around €23, and offerings listed from origins including Honduras, Burundi, and Guatemala.
One shelf is devoted to Coffee Collective, a roaster based in Copenhagen, including an Ethiopia coffee called Bekele described with tasting notes of “Red strawberries, wine gums, melon and bergamot.”
Utu is described as the only multi-roaster coffee shop in Cyprus, with Michaelides importing coffee from about 10 roasteries worldwide, with the selection changing monthly.
The shop also sells beans under its own Utu branding, custom-roasted by a company in London that sources the beans and sends samples.
Michaelides said most of his customers are foreigners, including many Russians.
Do you pay attention to how your daily coffee tastes, or mainly to the caffeine effect?
