The stone-ground coffee ritual, a medieval tradition of hospitality in Gjirokastër in the southern tip of Albania, has turned into a tourist experience that is enjoyed in the town’s bazaar by dozens of visitors every day.
Ljubljana, the local who leads the slow coffee ritual, accompanies it with explanations and the role of coffee in the life of the city’s people, starting from the period when the drink was seen as a luxury, as well as the sets of equipment for its consumption.
“The coffee-in-stone experience is taken from the old Girokastrite houses. It was a daily ritual. The guest felt appreciated when he was welcomed in the home with coffee. Before the 90s, in the time of communism, coffee was a luxury product for Albanians. We couldn’t have more than 100g of coffee per month, tt didn’t matter if there were four in the family or more. We have brought to a special corner in the market of Gjirokastra the place of the fire where the coffee is roasted, the metal triangle, as well as the famous stone that grinds it. We also have accessories like the copper boiling pot, but also the raki brandy glass as it is an important moment. We enjoyed drinking coffee accompanied by brandy,” says Lubjana Baoja.
The coffee stone that Ljubljana presents to visitors has taken millions of beatings over the past dekades. Morning conversations were held around the coffee stone, as coffee was an important social event and therefore a slow process that had to be enjoyed.
“After roasting the coffee in less than 15 minutes, to grind 100g of coffee we have to hit this iron rod 800 times in about an hour.”
In Gjirokastër, at the neck of the bazaar there is a corner that emits the aroma of freshly roasted coffee and there are constantly groups of curious visitors who enjoy stone coffee at any hour of the day accompanied by a glass of brandy and tales of the past decades.
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