Make my coffee Redd, please!

Coffee is loved by millions across the globe in all its various types, hot or cold, instant or 'real', even decaffeinated. From humble beginnings in Ethiopia, Arabia and the likes, refined and 'reinvented' in Italy, it has now invaded the chicest parlours the world over. Strong, sometimes massive brands have been created on the strength of coffee's popularity over the years, dominating the market and marginalising the smaller, independent producers, until recently.
Globalisation and an increased interest in the character and quality of what we ingest has helped create a novel trend, that of 'gourmet' coffee. This is coffee made from beans bought from small independent producers, usually fully identified, and roasted in small batches according to their individual characteristics by specialists working in small or small-ish independent set-ups. These coffees do not conform to the stereotypes of taste laid down by the big boys; rather, they are complex and characterful, wildly different depending on their terroir, much like fine wine. They are different and, when they come from a top little roaster, they are good, really, really good. Suddenly your standard coffee tastes, well, ordinary.

Greece has never been thought of as a coffee pioneer, other than 'inventing' Frappe (a shaken instant coffee drink usually made with Nescafe), but there has been lots of activity on the coffee front recently, some of it very creative. One of the top little set-ups in Greece is a company called Redd Coffee, based in Athens and with a retail shop in one of the northern suburbs of said city, where they sell not only beans, but grind them to specification according to how you drink your coffee (filter and what type thereof, espresso etc.). Furthermore they can make you a coffee on the spot to drink there or take away, though they do not run a cafe per se - there is no service, few seats and no real tables. It's all about the coffee here and it's WONDERFUL!

In order to fully appreciate their coffees you must first divest yourself, dear reader, of your preconceptions about how your coffee should taste, which is not an easy thing to do, at least initially. Not only are we used to certain styles of coffee but typical roasting also tends to emphasise a house style for a type of coffee, something which is completely absent here. At the same time Italians have favoured a rather heavier roast for espresso, again with an emphasis on a general style (with 'house' undertones) and not on the individuality of the beans. Redd does the opposite, assessing and roasting depending on the beans themselves, their provenance and whether they are to be used for filter coffee, espresso or... The results are notable for their complexity, individuality and depth of flavour, making the daily cup of coffee not only enjoyable but interesting.

One thing you will not find here is coffee that is red in colour, as the name is derived from other influences (perhaps the raw beans...) and is not, as far as I can see, related to the colour of the coffee. Their premises do tend to make rather a lot of the colour, and very stylish they are too, but this is by the by as far as I'm concerned. As beautiful as the design may be, I go there for the coffee and so should you, so never forget that - so just allow your senses to open up, take in the stimuli and enjoy the various offerings, including the trendy, right-on cold brew.

The main drawback I have found since becoming a Redd aficionado is that suddenly all 'normal' coffees taste one dimensional and dull (for espresso and cappuccino), with the ordinary supermarket branded filter coffees assuming a sludgy and gritty profile. As with most everything superb quality spoils us and our tastebuds, and we yearn for more of the same; to my mind it's a price worth paying, despite the beautiful but for my taste superfluous designs made with milk (in the cappuccinos that I favour in the morning) perhaps as a result of North American stylistic influences. The other drawback is cost, which, alas, is of course higher than the more industrial counterparts but still value for money in my book And not only is every cup of coffee - or almost every, anyway - an adventure in taste but just by drinking it I am helping small coffee growers survive and thrive and not be ground down (sorry...!) by massive corporations; I'm practically a philanthropist damn it, thanks to Redd, and even you, dear reader, can become one too.