Coffee culture on Cyprus streets

By Philippa Tracy

Having binge-watched the latest episodes of Netflix’s Emily in Paris, I still love the blatant romanticisation of Paris as a city and Emily’s ever-expanding good taste in gorgeous men, plus of course her wardrobe. For anyone who has not seen it, it’s a real treat. Emily, a 20-something marketing executive from Chicago is living an idyllic, no-expense-spared, dreamy existence in Paris. But, as they say, you can take the girl out of Chicago but you might not be able to take Chicago out of the girl. After four whole seasons of living in Paris, Emily still wears incredibly loud clothes and, when it comes to coffee, unashamedly identifies as a Starbucks girl – they’ve even just launched a collaboration.

Romance and romanticism aside, let’s focus on coffee for a minute. In one of the final episodes, Emily says, “you haven’t lived until you’ve had a hot apple crisp macchiato with a pump of caramel.” Despite the generation gap, I obviously felt the urge to try one. However, until someone makes a drama called Emily in Nicosia, that doesn’t seem to be an option. I asked for one at Starbucks in Ledra Street but the barista didn’t have a clue what I was talking about. I ended up with a hot caramel macchiato instead, at a cost of €5.75. I assume this included a pump of caramel, given the name, but who knows? I then thought I would try going all Gen Z and order the apple crisp version for a home delivery on Wolt or Foody. But that didn’t work either. So, being forced to live without made me question the current state of coffee culture and coffee shops in Nicosia.

Earlier this year, Nicosia was ranked as the fifth-best city for coffee lovers in Europe, according to a survey by Ubuy, an online shopping website. The study took account of the weather, the number of cafés and the average price of a coffee. I am not sure what can really be taken from this information in terms of global coffee culture. But over two billion cups of coffee are consumed in the world every day and quite a few of them must be consumed in Nicosia. At least, there seems to be a café on every corner, and many are busy at any time of day or night even if people sometimes seem to sit there for an awfully long time staring at a screen with a single frappe in front of them. I know they are meant to be drunk slowly, but you have to wonder how some of these places survive, with people using their wifi and not necessarily buying lots of drinks.

According to Eurostat, coffee prices in Cyprus fell between March 2023 and March 2024 while they rose across the EU during the same period. I am assuming we are talking averages, as there is a marked difference between the independent or traditional coffee shops and the more recognisable global coffee chains. Much as I love a salted caramel or a pumpkin spice latte, who can afford to go out regularly and drink one or more of these? This week with a friend, in one of the chains it cost nearly €10 for two cold coffees. Surely, it’s cheaper to go to the pub. In my younger Baby Boomer days, people used to moan about the cost of buying a round of drinks. In a pub, obviously. These days, the average cost of a pint of beer in the UK, at £4.80 (according to the British Beer & Pub Association) is about the same as a frappe latte in some of these places! I guess if you need €20 to buy a round of four coffees, people will sit and nurse one drink for a long time.

The thing I find amazing in the bigger coffee chains dotted around town is the strange dissonance between the coffee-to-go culture and restaurant vibes. You basically have to queue up, as if grabbing a coffee to catch a train, even though your intention is then to sit down for a long time. So you are massively inconvenienced in a long queue, pay a lot and don’t get any service. And not only that but the default position seems to be that you get a disposable cup instead of a glass or a mug. If I am not paying attention, I always have to ask them to throw away the disposable receptacle and pour my coffee into a glass. It’s not so much that I have an environmental objection to the single-use paper or plastic cup, but I do object to nearly being bankrupted every time I go out for coffee while being served in a cheap cup with a paper straw. I exaggerate of course, but not only does it make you feel like you’re in transit, it affects the taste of the coffee. And let’s face it, from an environmental point of view, are disposable paper cups and straws any better than plastic?

I will repeat, I like going out for coffee and being served. I have noticed that there are definitely some cheaper independent cafés closer to the centre of town. And I had an iced mocha in a glass for less than €4 in one café in Pindarou Street, even though I had to queue for it. Those cafés inside the walls of the old town are sometimes less busy but always good value with a good vibe. From Pieto in Ledra Street to Kafeneio 11 near the Archbishopric, these are cafés with good service that are quirky and definitely cheaper than the chains. They usually serve excellent cake too. My particular favourites, which are within a few metres of each other a minute’s walk from Famagusta Gate, are Apomero and one that did not appear on the Trip Adviser list of best cafés in Nicosia, Erma. I do love a café with a beautiful outdoor space, particularly a courtyard garden, surrounded by books and bougainvillea. And if you can get a frappe for €2, even better!

So much for frappes, frappuccinos, frappe lattes and freddo expressos. One thing I have not yet seen here is a dog café. Please enlighten me, if there is one. I once went to a pug café in London where they served pupccinos for the dogs. I have since learnt that pup or puppuccinos are a real thing. Must be a Millenial or Gen Z thing; they love a pet. This is, naturally, a dog treat of frothy milk usually in an expresso-sized cup. It is an ‘off-menu item’ that you can get at some chains in the UK. I did try asking for one here. Not at Starbucks. A different café, but the same reaction as when I tried asking for a hot apple crisp macchiato. I feel though, it is only a matter of time.

Back to Emily in Paris. Will there be a Season 5? Who knows? Surely there must be. She still has to choose between hunky French chef Gabriel and her new Italian love interest, the equally handsome Marcello, who runs his own luxury cashmere business. Oh to be young. Oh to be Emily. I just have to decide where to go for coffee!