Taf Coffee — Restaurant in Athens

An all round great coffee experience.

We walked in at Taf around 17:00 in the afternoon. The cafe sits comfortably tucked away in a neat corner off the busy main street.

The staff were both extremely helpful and knowledgable regarding their offerings and guided us through their menu with lots of detail and patience until we made our choices.

We ended up going for a double espresso split in two singles, a Costa Rica, La Clemencia Natural Geisha as a hot filter and an iced Ethiopian coffee.

Everything arrived promptly, the espresso was delicious, full, round, medium to high levels of sweetness, low levels of bitterness, complex acidity and a long lingering finish that made every sip inviting you back for more.

We went for our hot filter next, again a great all rounded cup, juicy complex with floral notes, hints of dark fruits and undernotes of plums. What really stood out though was the iced ethiopian filter. It had to be my favourite iced filter coffees of the last few months.

At that point the barista came out, with a warm smile and sincerity to ask how we found everything.

We couldn't have asked for more, we will definitely be back.

An overall great...

So, I heard so many good things about the coffee in this place and I had to try for myself. Now, when comes to coffee I am peculiar and kind of demanding with my espresso. Great espresso is not done with a press of a button, it needs a proper roasted Arabica bean grinned just right and an experienced barista to pull the perfect shot. I am pleased to say that these guys know their trade. Not only they have specialty blends which they cherry pick exclusively for them but they are professionals who love what they do. The place is quite small but it is just right. Go there for the excellent coffee, don't be shy to ask for a customized suggestion and don't limit your taste experience to just one variety of espresso! Have I mentioned that they have grabbed a few international awards? Well they have but they are not going to make a big deal about it and they will always greet you...

The coffee here was top quality. As a former specialty coffee barista this was above and beyond my standards and made the coffee such a joy to drink. I had a Colombian filter and Panamanian natural espresso. This was among the smoothest of coffees I had while in Greece visiting specialty shops.

However it should be noted that this was also the worst service I received at any coffee shop I have ever been to. The barista seemed angry when I asked a straightforward question about the menu and annoyed in general that she had to deal with customers. The wait staff was professional but distant and seemingly uncaring about if I wanted to order more coffee and kept bringing multiple checks. Not sure if I came on an off day for them or how this vibe came to be, but as someone who had been looking forward to visiting this shop in particular for a long time, it felt like a slap...