I didn’t mean to go to Corfu. I didn’t mean to pick the last week of the season where half the island had already shut down for winter. I didn’t mean to wander around aimlessly(although that is one of my favourite past times). And I didn’t mean to find the best coffee shop in the world. But I did.
Visiting Corfu wasn’t specifically on my travel to-do list, but visiting Greece was, ever since I’d read Issue No. 4 of Boat Magazine: Athens, which opened my eyes to the rich culture of Greece that lays beyond the history books and the five-star resorts.
Having been a fan of Boat Magazine ever since receiving a copy of the Sarajevo issue through my Stack Magazines subscription, I value greatly the insight that Davey and Erin offer on their month-long nomadic visits to cities around the world. Greece was definitely on the travel list.
As it happened, October Half-term became our only available holiday time and without children, this meant choosing an adults-only resort to take full advantage of this rare occassion.
With a little help from the fantastic hardback book from The New York Times, ‘36 Hours: 125 Weekends in Europe‘ and a very helpful TUI representative, Corfu became the final destination.
Little did we know that this was the last week of the season, the population of the island had quartered from the lack of tourists and the hotels were running on a skeleton crew. It was quiet, it was empty. It was perfect.
Wandering around Corfu Town to ‘see the sights’ led us towards one of the forts on the two mountains that Corfu is named after.
Fearing that we were about to enter tourist hell and the most crowded place on an empty island, we searched around for a little authentic looking independent cafe where we could pause for a while, take stock of our surroundings, and prepare for the warm climb ahead.
We found cafe perfection in a little yellow-fronted coffee shop on the edge of a public square/grassed area just outside of the old port complex.
What the best coffee shop would include
I’ve often thought through my list of what the perfect little coffee shop would include and I think it would be:
- Own-roasted Coffee
- Coffee Grinding that is adjusted regularly for temperature and humidity
- The ability to provide Turkish/Russian Coffees
- The ability to provide cold-brew coffee
- A comfortable and cosy interior with natural materials
- Branding that is simple, effective, and uncluttered
- Own-brand tote bags and postcards
- An outside sheltered space in which to enjoy the age-old art of people-watching
Cafe Tierra meets this criteria in spades. And it even has a giant wall map – another of my life-goals (but not specifically related to my coffee shop list!).
If you are visiting Corfu, then Cafe Tierra is well worth putting on your to-do list and seeking out. Its incredible coffee from a beautiful small business in the ideal location. It really is the best coffee shop in the world, and if you disagree… then I’m awaiting your invitation to visit yours.
For more information, visit their facebook page Cafe Tierra Roastery
