Coffee Art® | Announcements

February 3, 2010
We have just returned from an exciting and very successful exhibition in Athens, Greece! We were invited by the CoffeeXpert to exhibit and demonstrate our Coffee Art® at the HO.RE.CA Expo from January 22-25. It was a wonderful and unique experience. It was our first time to Greece.

We created a short film of the event, click on 'play' to view. Or to view the film in high definition, click here.

This is the fifth annual HoReCa Expo and it has been getting bigger and bigger each year. Tens of thousands of people from Greece and abroad were expected to attend the event.

We planned on creating about six or so original coffee paintings at the HoReCa Expo. Greek influence and coffee themes were a source of inspiration for our paintings.

This painting captures the excitement of us being here in Athens at this event. It was our first time in Athens and we were hoping to make a big splash.

We were approached by a kind gentleman who asked if we take custom requests. We said that we most certainly do and he inquired about creating a special painting for him. The painting was not for him, but for his fiancée, Anna. He wanted something romantic and coffee related. So, we pondered for a few minutes and sketched out an idea for Dimitri. He smiled and said that would be perfect.

He spends the afternoon watching us painting. He smiles and takes short video clips with his camera and he documents the paintings progression. He loves the completed painting and exclaims, "Ah, the things we do for women.....!" We hope that Anna will appreciate Dimitri's romantic gift.

Greece has such an extraordinary history with its art, architecture and accomplishments. We were inspired by the Acropolis area, and the Parthenon. Our thought was to have a reflection of the ancient ruins in a cup of coffee.

Here is the completed painting of "Reflection of Ancient Greece"

We had a great area to paint. Many Greeks would stop and watch us paint with coffee. At first, they were a little apprehensive or confused with what we were doing. But after a few stops back and checking on our progress, they warmed up to notion that art can be created with coffee and appreciated our works. It was an experience to witness the Greeks enjoy our Coffee Art®.

In our Athens adventure, we continue to explore and experience new coffee cultures. We were introduced to the Cappuccino Freddo and the Espresso Freddo. In order to make espresso freddo you need an espresso machine, some good espresso coffee, ice cubes, sugar and a couple of minutes time. Prepare a double shot of espresso and put in in a tall narrow glass. So, after you pour the espresso, add some sugar (if you want) and stir a bit. Then, add 2-3 ice cubes and use a milkshake mixer to stir it vigorously until it becomes dense and creamy. If you don't drink you coffee strong you can add some cold water.

For the cappuccino freddo you basically prepare an espresso freddo and then you top it with frothed cold milk. In order to prepare this milk add some cold milk in a small container and use the milkshake mixer to froth it until it becomes creamy enough. Then just add it on top of the espresso freddo.

Both freddo drinks are usually summer drinks, but we had to try them out. Straws are used to drink them. Both are quite delicious. Angel prefers the espresso freddo and Andy likes the sweetness of the cappuccino freddo.

So, inspired by our first experience with the cappuccino freddo, we created the "Cappuccino Freddo" Coffee Art® painting.

We were inspired with all the coffee around us and the bold coffee aroma. We were inspired to create this bold "Coffee Bean" painting.

Here is the completed "Coffee Bean" painting -

Peter is truly the CoffeeXpert. He gave us a great education on coffee and the Greek market. As well as his coffee consultant/distributor business, he also owns to coffee houses. It is fascinating how coffee can connect people across continents and cultures.

Panos was one of the baristas we met. He makes wonderful latte art and whips up a mean cappuccino freddo!

Maria, Chris and Johanna were other people we met at HoReCa. They were all so nice and accommodating. It was especially nice to converse with Chris. We are the same age and are sharing similar life experiences. He has a small boy at home and it was interesting to note the similarities and differences in raising a family in Greece compared to the States. He had many great stories to share.

When we were not exhibiting and painting, we were out exploring the city of Athens. We arrived at the end of the tram line to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, just in time to witness the changing of the guard.

It was the coldest day in Athens in the past five years, and we didn't think we needed to pack our hats. Boy were we wrong! We eventually wandered the side streets and found a clothing store with hats. We founds some fun, quirky hats from a little Greek lady. She was very fun and we had to photograph her.

Angel is happy now that we have our warms hats on! We received quite the looks from the Greeks, it was hilarious.

Andy thinks that Angel wears the hat much better.

After finding our hats, we proceeded to the Acropolis area. It was quite the hike up the hill, but it went quickly. After climbing the steps you are at the entrance, or the Propylaea, which was completed in 432 just before the outbreak of the Peloponnesian wars. The main architect was Mnesicles, a colleague of Phidias. To your left is the Pinacotheca and a Hellenistic pedestal and on the right the tiny temple to Nike Athena or the Athena of Victory which commemorates the Athenians victory over the Persians. This small temple stands on a platform that overlooks the islands of Saronic Gulf and used to house a statue of Athena. It was dismantled by the Turks in 1686 so they could use the platform for a large cannon. It was rebuilt between 1836 and 1842 and again taken apart and rebuilt in 1936 when it was discovered that the platform was crumbing.

If you looking from the propylaea towards Pireaus on a clear day you can see ships waiting outside the port of Pireaus, the islands and the mountains of the Peloponessos beyond.

The Parthenon and other main buildings on the Acropolis were built by Pericles in the fifth century BC as a monument to the cultural and political achievements of the inhabitants of Athens.

The term 'acropolis' means upper city and many of the city states of ancient Greece are built around an acropolis where the inhabitants can go as a place of refuge in times of invasion.

It's for this reason that the most sacred buildings are usually on the acropolis. It's the safest most secure place in town. As little as 150 years ago there were still dwellings on the Acropolis of Athens.

Even though it was cold and windy, it was still an amazing site. The weather kept most tourists away and it was just us and some Frenchmen at the site. We basically had it all to ourselves!

The Erechtheum is an ancient Greek temple on the north side of the Acropolis of Athens in Greece. On the north side, there is another large porch with columns, and on the south, the famous "Porch of the Maidens," with six draped female figures as supporting columns, each sculpted in a manner different from the rest and engineered in such a way that their slenderest part, the neck, is capable of supporting the weight of the porch roof while remaining graceful and feminine.

We had a wonderful experience in Athens. We hope that our Coffee Art® will have a lasting impression on the Greeks. We also learned a lot about the coffee culture in Greece. We met many warm people and hope to have life long relationships with these people.