There is a special coffee culture in the Balkans as every foreigner will notice. Coffee is drunk slowly in company of family, friends or business partners. The cafes are always full, no matter what time of day. A Serbian always finds a reason to go for coffee and rarely turns down an invitation. It might be just to catch up or to do business. In Serbia, it's more about the company than about the coffee. You can see people engaged in coversations, sipping as they talk, looking as if they were actually solving a problem or closing a business deal. There is a special word in Serbian called, "kafenisanje" - meaning, coffee talk.
It's part of the Balkan hospitality to offer guests with coffee at home. The most consumed coffee is black/turkish coffee or in Serbian "domaca kafa". As the name says, it originates from Turkey but the preparation process is slightly different varying from country to country. Turkish coffee is the backbone of Serbia's coffee culture and still stands strong next to espresso, instant and filter coffee.
Espresso coffee is rare in Serbian households for many reasons. Even though it's of better quality, it's not practical for household use. First, it's such a small serving. No matter how much water or milk you add, it's not enough to get you through the first 15 minutes of conversation. Secondly, espresso machines and grinders are pricey for our financial conditions and espresso coffee is more expensive and hard to come by. Thirdly, it takes skill to make a good espresso. This is why we leave it to baristas. For us, this is just another reason why we need to go out for coffee. There is also this myth, that espresso is stronger than turkish coffee, even though a cup of espresso has three times less coffein than a cup of turkish coffee. I can only pressume that younger generations will be leaning toward the many variations of espresso coffee in the future.
Instant coffee is also popular amongst younger generations but also gained acceptance from older generations in the past years probably because the preparation is quick and simple. There is quite a wide variety of domestic and international brands on the market offering instant coffee in powder or granulated form.
Filter coffee is very rare in Serbia as it's considered to be an insult to coffee.
It's part of the Balkan hospitality to offer guests with coffee at home. The most consumed coffee is black/turkish coffee or in Serbian "domaca kafa". As the name says, it originates from Turkey but the preparation process is slightly different varying from country to country. Turkish coffee is the backbone of Serbia's coffee culture and still stands strong next to espresso, instant and filter coffee.
Espresso coffee is rare in Serbian households for many reasons. Even though it's of better quality, it's not practical for household use. First, it's such a small serving. No matter how much water or milk you add, it's not enough to get you through the first 15 minutes of conversation. Secondly, espresso machines and grinders are pricey for our financial conditions and espresso coffee is more expensive and hard to come by. Thirdly, it takes skill to make a good espresso. This is why we leave it to baristas. For us, this is just another reason why we need to go out for coffee. There is also this myth, that espresso is stronger than turkish coffee, even though a cup of espresso has three times less coffein than a cup of turkish coffee. I can only pressume that younger generations will be leaning toward the many variations of espresso coffee in the future.
Instant coffee is also popular amongst younger generations but also gained acceptance from older generations in the past years probably because the preparation is quick and simple. There is quite a wide variety of domestic and international brands on the market offering instant coffee in powder or granulated form.
Filter coffee is very rare in Serbia as it's considered to be an insult to coffee.