“You’re from Melbourne? Here, try this,” says Nikos Anemos as he pushes a steaming cappuccino my way.
It’s single origin Kanya coffee, farmed by the residents of a single village in Rwanda and ground fresh in Nikos’ Athens café.
“The first sip is very important,” he says.
“You’ll destroy your day, or make your day, with a cup of coffee.”
Duo Goulies Kai Duo Boukies is a kafeneio for the new Athens. Nestled in the Panepistimio district, just off Stadiou, there’s a constant stream of customers through the door.
Many of them seem to know Nikos and his barista partner Tania, though it’s entirely possible they’re just loyal customers who bring with them the familiarity of being regulars.
Interestingly, I’m the only tourist in the place, despite it being July. Well-dressed office workers and sharply groomed university students rush in, grab their loyalty card from a rack on the wall, and order their daily fix.
As with any other kafeneio in Athens, three men sit on separate tables shouting at each other about football and politics, while slowly sipping their coffees.
But this kafeneio is different.
It’s brilliant white, with padded bench seats and hanging retro light globes that would be right at home in a Fitzroy bar.
It has a glass case full of fresh, healthy food options, including homemade flavoured yoghurts sprinkled with dried fruits, nuts and chia seeds.
Its counter is lined with glistening silver espresso machines. Next to them, four coffee grinders, full of beans sourced from far-flung countries across the globe.
And instead of the traditional Greek mud or the whipped instant frappe, the three men are sipping cafe lattes and cappuccinos, which before this moment, I had never seen in Athens.
It’s not surprising though that such an establishment has been set up by a character as interesting as Nikos. He’s part Melbourne hipster, part circus entertainer, and all about the Greek hospitality.
The walls of his kafeneio are festooned with greyscale photographs of him and his team dressed in their best cabaret garb, while on the front counter hang magazine covers on which they’ve featured.
They’ve also won countless awards, and it’s no wonder, as they take great pride in serving the best quality coffee.
“The café has been open for five years,” Nikos says, explaining that Greeks are slowly coming to appreciate the distinct flavours and textures of espresso.
“The first grader has coffee that’s closer to the traditional Greek type, with less acidity,” he says. “That’s what I give people who come in and say, ‘give me a coffee’.”
The others are all different beans, single-origins and blends, sourced from all over the world and served to the more adventurous coffee connoisseurs – and the Melburnians.
It’s a different sort of service to what Greeks are used to. Customers order at the counter and their order is brought to their table, but each delivery is accompanied by a beaming smile through Nikos’ think grey beard, and almost certainly a chat about something or other.
“More and more people come in each day,” Nikos says.
Perhaps it will be the start of something big.
Duo Goulies Kai Duo Boukies is located at Dragastaniou 8, Athens. Find them on Facebook.