Russian Coffee (Кофе) in a nut shell: The world champions of instant coffee become Third Waver
- The tradition of coffee drinking begins in Russia historically at the time of Peter 1st (the Great).
- He discovered coffee in the Netherlands and brought coffee to Russia at the beginning of the 18th century.
- Even though courtiers described the new drink as a “smut syrup“, the Tsar campaigned for the drink until it spread to the countryside.
- The first coffee house was opened in 1720 in St. Petersburg and was called “Chetyre Fregata” (in English: Four Frigates).
- Although the Russians were mainly “tea drinkers”, coffee became more and more popular.
- Due to the high price, coffee remained a drink of the upper class until the 20th century.
- Today, coffee is especially popular in the big cities.
- 2/3 of all Russian coffee drinkers live in Moscow and St. Petersburg
- The St. Petersburg inhabitant drinks 1 or 2 cups of coffee daily.
- While the market was still $ 750 million in 2001, it’s already $ 3.7 billion in 2014.
- Approximately 85% of Russians drink instant coffee instead of coffee beans. But coffee beans are finding more and more sales.
- This is certainly due to the growing number of specialty coffee shops and high-quality coffee.
- The main suppliers of green coffee are 38% Vietnam, 23% Brazil and 16% Indonesia.
- Imported instant coffee comes to 25% from India, 19% from Brazil and 12% from Germany.
Traditional Preparation of Кофе
While coffee to go is a trend in Western countries, the Russians prefer their café. They like to take time for their coffee or have a snack with it. The most popular beverage in Russian coffee houses is with 70% share of cappuccino. At home, however, coffee is usually brewed Turkish.
Oriental coffee (Кофе по-восточному)
- Also called Turkish coffee (Кофе по-турецкому) in Siberia
- Mix 1 coffee spoon fine coffee powder, water and 1 tsp sugar and bring to boil in a small mocha jug, which is called Jezvea (Джезва).
- The Кофе is often mixed with milk, cream, spices, chocolate, berries, lemon or liqueur.
RAF
- The name stands for Rafael, who is said to have invented the drink.
- 320ml: frothy double espresso, 2 tsp sugar and cream
- Raf is available in different flavors such as vanilla and citrus.
- Outside Russia, you get the Raf in Double B branches.
Mead RAF
- In This version of RAF coffee honey is used instead of sugar.
- By first making a double shot of espresso
- Then adding a tsp of honey and a couple of ounces of heavy cream in a milk-frothing pitcher and frothing until it reaches 60°C
- There you have your very creamy Mead or Honey Raf Coffee.