Valantis Lambrianidis, the Coffee Expert
How likely is it that a man who has literally dedicated his life to coffee finds room in his taste palette to enjoy a glass of retsina? Very likely – especially since retsina will probably help him recall fond memories of his youth, childhood friends and the value of neighborhood in a way that coffee could never…
"The happy moments that come to my mind with retsina and good friends from the old days are the past that I would gladly like to taste in the present".
ENJOYMENT DOESN'T (SHOULDN’T) HAVE LIMITS.
Many times, those who have specialized in a field hardly get out of it. Or, at least, we can hardly imagine them doing anything else. One such case is Valantis Lambrianidis, authorized SCA trainer, coffee consultant, WCE certified judge and owner of "Valenio" on the pedestrian street of Iktinou, a real "temple" for coffee lovers in Thessaloniki - and not only. With a resume like that, it would be hard to imagine Valantis enjoying anything other than good coffee, in any form. But is it really so?
"When I hear the word 'retsina', the first choice of wine we had in our youth comes to mind. The truth is that it may no longer be our first choice, but every time we put it on our table, we miss all those moments when it accompanied us at happy tables, in the company of friends" confesses the coffee expert. And the truth is, his experience is no different from the experiences of most of us. For what reason, however, is it no longer his first choice, despite the fact that it is an extremely Greek wine, but also tasty? "Many people think of retsina as an economical wine, while some others consider it to be of low quality..." says Valantis Lambrianidis. "That's probably why we don't see it on many wine lists out in the shops anymore. I would love for the people working to reintroduce retsina to us as a more refined type of wine to help restore its image and learn more about the production of this Greek product".
FLASHBACK.
Σε κάθε περίπτωση, με διάφορες απόψεις ή ακόμη και προκαταλήψεις να την περιβάλλουν, η ρετσίνα φαίνεται ότι αποτελεί για όλους ανεξαίρετα μια «χρονοκάψουλα», ένα «διαβατήριο» για την επιστροφή μας σε παλιότερες, όμορφες στιγμές από τα νεανικά μας χρόνια: «Ως Θεσσαλονικείς, χρησιμοποιούσαμε πολύ συχνά για τις εξόδους μας τη φράση ‘Πάμε για μια ρετσίνα;’» θυμάται ο Βαλάντης Λαμπριανίδης. «Αυτό σήμαινε παρέα, συζητήσεις, τραπέζι γεμάτο μεζέδες, γέλια και, φυσικά, άφθονη ρετσίνα. Βέβαια, αν έπρεπε να επιλέξω μία περιοχή που τη χαρακτήρισε η ρετσίνα, θα ανέφερα σίγουρα την περιοχή τής Τούμπας, με το δημοφιλές κοκτέιλ τής εποχής, το ‘Τούμπα Λίμπρε’. Όμορφες αναμνήσεις, παιδικοί φίλοι και η αξία τής γειτονιάς μού έρχονται αμέσως στο μυαλό».
"The palette of flavors and aromas of wine is very large. So do the choices we make: they change according to each occasion, but also our mood" adds the coffee expert. "The only thing that is certain is that retsina goes well with good company and an appetite for conversation. The happy moments that come to my mind with retsina and good friends from the old days are the past that I would happily like to taste in the present – especially with a more refined taste, which will pique our interest”.
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