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Expanding coffee tastes in the Med

More famous for their love of retsina and meze, Greeks and Cypriots are developing their tastes from coffee enjoyed at taverns to appreciating more international flavours, as their love affair with stylish coffee bars grows.

Caffè Ritazza has identifi ed this new trend as it has swept across Eastern Europe and into North Africa, and has added to its estate an additional seven outlets in the fi rst six months of 2007 in Greece, Cyprus and Egypt alone. The new units mean there are now three in total in Greece, four in Cyprus and fi ve in Egypt.

"All three countries are strong in tradition and enjoy coffee in similar ways - local variations have been around for many years and it is extremely popular, however, international brands that offer a new experience are changing the way locals think about coffee and the different tastes are appealing," said Savvas Katsaris, Caffè Ritazza Brand Guardian for SSP Eastern Europe and Middle East.

"Cappuccino is becoming one of the most requested drinks because of the creamy, milky taste but also because it is from another country and they like the name – it sounds exotic!" Savvas added.