Five years ago I was a guest speaker at Coffeebiz 2001, the first ever Greek specialty coffee tradeshow. The exhibition was held in Athens, and after the show ended I spent three weeks touring Greece in search of great espresso and cappuccino. Much to my surprise, the beautiful espresso machines I saw in caf� after caf� were virtually unused, and many of the shots I ordered weren't even drinkable. Instead of a mature caf� culture, I found a society that drank frappes made with instant coffee. I was mystified to find the country's specialty coffee industry in a state of such infancy considering Greece is only a relatively short distance from Italy, the homeland of espresso.

In 2006, I returned to Greece for Coffeebiz 2006 in Thessaloniki, a city in the northern part of the country. I am happy to report that in only a few short years Greek coffee has grown up.

Before the show, I spent a couple of hours exploring the caf� scene on my own. At each caf� I visited, I ordered a straight shot, and to my surprise, most of them were nearly perfect. I was amazed by the warp speed at which good coffee had exploded in Greece. Not only were there caf�s everywhere, but some of them were among the most beautiful I had ever seen. It was apparent that the Greeks truly understand ambiance - he interiors were beautiful. But these caf�s had more going for them than the perfect setting. The drinks I consumed in each of them were some of the best I have ever experienced. Anywhere. Ever.

I spent the following days on the tradeshow floor, which was packed with attendees hungry for information about the exploding specialty coffee industry in Greece. In contrast, at the show five years ago in Athens, few people were curious enough about coffee to attend.In my 15 years in the specialty coffee industry, I have never seen a country update their coffee culture as quickly as Greece has done. Much of the credit for this amazing transformation must be given to Alexis and Mira Gerantonaki, the owners of Coffeebiz and the Nextmedia Barista School, the show's training center. In my opinion they have almost single handedly been responsible for this sea change.

In addition to offering a state-of-the-art tradeshow floor, Coffeebiz 2006 was also host to a World Barista Championship [WBC] event. I was selected to be on the panel of judges, which also included Alf Kramer, the first president of the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe and Tim Wendelbo, the 2004 World Barista Champion.

I was awed by the passion and professionalism shown by the participants, and after the competition I took advantage of the opportunity and got to know many of these baristas and also the trainers of the Nextmedia Barista School, whose penchant for quality and perfect advanced training and preparation techniques I admired.

After the award ceremony, I was told that the winner of the event confided in a close friend that he woke up the day of the finals and wanted to cry. He had become so focused on his art that the competition had become more than a competition - it had become a quest for perfection. This is the kind of passion we are seeing not only in Greece, but all around the world as young baristas begin to take coffee and the drinks they serve so seriously that they have begun to elevate their jobs to the level of art. I saw this same enthusiasm at the WBC finals at the Specialty Coffee Association of America show in April.

I look forward to experiencing this infectious energy once again in Berne, Switzerland, where the world's best baristas will vie for the distinction of World Champion. At this event, I fully expect the professionalism and intensity of the Greek finals to be multiplied by 100. I hope to report on my experiences and observations of

I returned from Greece excited by the Greek coffee community and its eagerness to embrace coffee education and the hard work it takes to reach perfection. In the early years of this industry I remember telling people I was involved in "coffee education." I also remember the blank look on their faces and the question that usually followed: What exactly do you mean by "coffee education?" Today it would be difficult to find anyone in this industry who could not define the term, including those in the wonderful country of Greece, who are broadening their understanding of coffee and helping to elevate the sophistication of coffee worldwide.