Briki Coffee Pot – Specialty Store for Greek Coffee Lovers

Briki is the traditional coffee pot of Greece for making stove-top coffee. It’s the most essential utensil for making Greek style coffee. The households of mainland  usually have a few of them (various sizes) hanging in their kitchens.

Greek households prefer the contemporary metal of our times, stainless steel for their briki. This material is easy to take care of. It’s machine washable and not expensive. You can also find briki coffee pot in enamel or copper/brass versions.   

Copper/brass briki coffee pots are rare in Greece. The material itself is pretty expensive and not so easy to replace it if there is damage.

Cafeterias and taverns with touristic clientele use them as a part of old Greek coffee tradition. Regular entertaining places use stainless steel briki.

International chain coffee shop.phps steam Greek coffee in the espresso machines! 

Do you know why stainless steel is so much preferable in kitchen equipment?

Stainless steel is a metal that contains a percentage of chromium and nickel. For extra details and in depth learning you can check this article in Wikipedia.

This YouTube video (5 minute length) will also educate you by showing you the process of making sheets of stainless steel in a plant.

18/10 are two numbers that you will come across during your tours in any stainless steel cookware page. They are telling you that the item you will buy consists of 18% chromium and 10% nickel.

Both of them are valuable in your buying decision. Chromium is responsible for the hardness and nickel for its resistance to rust and the shiny look.

For quality briki check the content of nickel if you want to be on the safe side. There are a lot of products (especially those from China) that are not 18/10.

What is the correct size of briki coffee pot?

The size of the briki differs depending on the people you will serve. It’s not a one-size-fits-all scheme.

First check what you understand better in terms of volume; ounces milligrams or cups.

The briki should hold as many cups as you decide to make +1. There is no specific rule for that but a common sense issue.

You need some space for the coffee to rise but on the other hand not too much because you will face some trouble with foam.

If you are an expert user then it doesn’t matter. You will manipulate the rising accordingly. But for best results it is better to follow some kind of rules and not use an extra large pot to make one cup of coffee.

Generally a Greek demitasse cup holds 2.5-3 oz (70-90 ml) of coffee. If the briki manufacturer gives the size in cups then multiply accordingly. Don’t forget to add an extra 2 ounce room for the coffee to rise.

CHECK: Are you going to make 2 cups of coffee? A suitable briki should measure between 8 to 10 oz.

Where to buy stainless steel briki coffee pot

In Greece, briki coffee pots are everywhere. You can find them in  supermarkets or ground coffee selling shop.phps.

For people living abroad It is better to take a look at the “ethnic” section of their supermarket first and then try delis with Mediterranean products.

 AMAZON is another online place to find briki. It has great selection of items in many different price ranges and qualities.

Note: There are a lot more options than those that I show you below. But these are the ones that combine reasonable price and quality.