I am currently working on a guide to Athens’ vibrant specialty coffee scene that will soon be available for all of you to enjoy and a modified version of that will soon be printed in one of the world’s leading specialty coffee magazines too. For now, if you’re traveling to the Greek capital or you’re curious to check out some of the best coffee shops the city has to offer, take a look at our published reviews here.

If one thing is for sure, then it is the fact that Greece has been grossly misrepresented in the media over the past few years. Sure, the crisis hit hard and the country is still struggling to recover from what surely was one of the toughest times in recent memory, but there is also a huge amount of optimism and hope. This is most visible when you meander through the city’s streets and find its many cute eateries, interesting markets, hip boutiques and, most importantly, vibrant specialty coffee shops that often also double as cocktail bars.

One such place is The Underdog, a very funky place that occupies a beautiful villa in a more residential neighbourhood of the city. In other words: you’ll see some tourists here but mostly locals and expats who live in the city and who come here for the excellent coffee, delicious brunch menu and refreshing drinks.

Founded by Tasos Delichristos, the 2008 champion of the World Coffee in Good Spirits competition, The Underdog personifies the exact meaning of the word, i.e. “a person or a group of people, who is expected to lose the battle. In the case the underdog wins, the outcome of this victory is an upset.” For a country that few people would necessarily associate with specialty coffee, Greece has a surprisingly sophisitcated scene that was way ahead of its southern European brothers and sisters. 

It still comes as a surprise to many that guys like Michalis Dimitrakopoulos have continued Tasos’ legacy by bringing the same award back home in 2016 and George Koustoumpardis, also from The Underdog, the year before. It’s testimony to their talent and commitment, something that the guys are very proud of. They’re also extremely good at roasting delicious coffees as proven by the smash hit performance during our December cupping, where their Ethiopia, Yria natural came out as one of the clear favourites for our [1/18] coffee box.

This coffee is, in many ways, a classic natural process coffee, but what it lacks in taste of fermentation it makes up with richness of flavour and a surprisingly thick mouthfeel. Imagine dark cherries smothered in pure chocolate.

We’re proud to welcome Tasos and his award-winning team to The Coffeevine and are looking forward to sharing this delicious coffee that we specially selected for our upcoming [1/18] coffee box with all of you. Our first box of the year also includes coffees from Italy’s Nero Scuro and Norway’s Arctic Coffee Roasters.

For more information, please visit our coffee box page and preorder your box by 15-01 to avoid missing out.