Coffee Dive began in a coffee shop in Concord, a suburb of Sydney, where its founder Andreas Stavropoulos discovered that coffee has flavour. He went back to the shop every day to taste and learn, roasting and tasting with its owner, Tom, everything from simple Brazilian coffees to Cup of Excellence lots. Some years later, back in Athens, he opened the first Coffee Dive in Petralona in November 2014. The name comes from American slang: a dive was once a disreputable place, often in a basement, and the dive bar is now a badge of honour for authenticity.

Every coffee is single-origin, and at least 14 specialty coffees are available at any time, from single estates, cooperatives and microlots. They are roasted every day inside the shops and ground fresh for each cup. Among them are coffees certified Organic, Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance, Bird Friendly and UTZ, and the brewing methods include the French balloon of 1780 and the Belgian royal siphon of 1830 alongside espresso. The current coffees include a San Bernardo from Javier Rubio in Tolima aged 20 days in rum barrels, a Tabi from Jairo Arcila fermented with lemongrass, a lactic anaerobic microlot from Tarrazú and a Mountain Water decaf from Mexico.

There are Coffee Dive shops in Kato Petralona, where it started, below the Acropolis and in Agios Dimitrios, and the beans are sold in 250 g, 500 g and 1 kg bags, whole or ground for espresso, moka pot, AeroPress or filter. Coffee Dive also offers its format as a franchise.

Coffee on the shelf

Photograph: Coffee Dive