To connect coffee lovers and professionals from all around the world, to inspire others, to make new friends.
Today we feature the story of :
NIKOS ANTZARAS
Please tell us about yourself.
- Im Nikos Antzaras, Im 30 years old
- I’m from Greece and I live in Athens
- I have studied Medical technician
- Im a Q Arabica Grader and Q process Level 1 and also an AST trainer.
- 2nd place at Greek Barista Championship 2020
- 2nd place at Greek Brewers Cup 2017.
- I work in the coffee industry since 2010 as a barista. Nowadays I work as a roaster at Samba coffee roasters since 2016.
What is your vision and goal?
Our vision at Samba coffee roasted for the coffee industry is to move coffee forward, for us this means to help the coffee producers by sharing our knowledge. Last summer we visited Colombia and we established “The Farmers Camp”, an education program for the producers about sensory skills, cupping protocol and basic brewing skills.
How did you get started in coffee, what made you fallen in love with it?
I started to work as a barista in a small coffee shop, the first thing that I loved in coffee was that you can provide happiness through a cup of coffee, and with a smile you can make someone’s day better.
If you weren't a coffee lover or professional what would you have done instead?
As a coffee professional I’m always in a research for better roasting profiles, better extraction and that is my motivation. If I wasn’t in coffee industry, maybe I would be a chef or a pastry chef, because they have the same passion about their product and they are always in a research for their recipes.
What is your favourite coffee beverage ?
My favourite coffee beverage is espresso, because be changing a very small parameter you can have a different cup profile and also you can enhance even more the aromatic of the roasted beans
What do you see as the major challenges facing the coffee industry?
The major challenges for the coffee industry I believe is the climate change. We see that every year coffee producers are facing big problems with weather and we know that rainfall and humidity are very critical for the coffee trees.
One tip to improve the coffee industry ?
My opinion to improve the coffee industry is to help the coffee producers. Make even more people to appreciate the product that they have in their hands because for us is not just a cup of coffee, is a chance for them to improve their quality of life and improve their coffee quality.
What is your favourite quote ?
“ You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy coffee”
“No story lives unless someone wants to listen
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