Barista Magazine

JUN-JUL 2013

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SD: They are being in my grandmother's kitchen smelling the fresh brew. But also, they are walking in the narrow streets of Athens where small coffee roasters are in every corner roasting the traditional Greek coffee. I use to stay there for hours just to smell the coffee. SA: When did you frst have a truly great cup of cofee? SD: It was 2004, and I was 23 years old and competing at my first World Barista Championship in Trieste, Italy. I tried coffees from [Norwegian champion] Tim Wendelboe [who would go on to win that year], and that was a wakeup call. I got to try so many different coffees and bring them home with me from all the other competitors. They opened my eyes to the specialty world. Then I knew that I had to keep competing, and I had to become better. SA: When and what were the circumstances when you frst got hired at Taf? SD: I got hired in Taf just before the opening of the café in the beginning of 2009. I had met and knew the owner, Yiannis Taloumis, some years ago before that. I had interest in quality coffee back then, and I had made my mind to move away from Greece in 2009. But when Taf came along, I changed my mind, and I stayed to be part of the team creating the best coffee shop in Greece. Money was not the point at that time. Our goal was to make great coffee and go to the next level every single day. SA: What are your responsibilities at Taf? SD: My basic work at Taf is training. This includes the training of the baristas at the retail shop. Taf 's main business is wholesale, therefore I also train Taf 's customers [baristas and coffee shop owners]. I also spend quite a lot of time in the operation of the retail shop. In the beginning it was quite difficult to convince wholesale customers to attend seminars, but now we do trainings all the time because our work is being recognized and we have created fans. Therefore, the education that we offer expands more and more. "Barista competition for me is something that I love very SA: Tell us about what specialty cofee is like in Athens. much," says Stefanos. "I have won and I have competed SD: In Athens the café scene is dominated by large lounge cafés with nice and elegant seating areas that do not focus in many different championships. I admit that this year on coffee quality. There are also smaller espresso bars that I miss it deeply. You never know what tomorrow brings. focus on Italian espresso. The concept that we have at Taf One thing is sure about me, I never say never." is totally different. Specialty coffee is relatively new in Athens—it has is stronger than a family. Christos and I met many years ago at a café show only existed for three or four years. We were a pioneer in Athens, when a common friend brought Christos over to introduce him in the Greek market. People are not so reluctant to have great coffee to me. Two years later, he came for work at Taf, and that's where everything anymore. I think that they just need more time to learn about it because started. as I said the market is dominated by low quality coffee and Italian blends. Christos—like Stavros, my older brother who works at Taf as the head barista, and Small Stefanos (his last name is Paterakis, and we call him SA: Your team at Taf is so unifed. Why is that? SD: Christos is my brother. We might not be blood related, but he is very "Small" so we can differentiate between me and him)—we are one team and important to me like the rest of my team at Taf. We created the best coffee we are very united and very close to each other personally and work-wise. My place in Greece all together with hard work and a unity of a brotherhood that brother Stavros, though, he is probably my hero. 56 barista magazine

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