It Takes Two To Tangle

It was touch and go there for a while, but, in the end, the odds-on favourite pipped all the other contenders to the post.

Yep, Mr Chuckles himself, Tommaso Spenato, won the Greystones’ Best Coffee 2018 crown, having bagged this coveted title ever since it began, way back in 2015.

Which is actually good news for runner-up Barry at Eleven Deli, given that this new kid on the block was hot on Caffé Delle Stelle’s heels for the last five weeks. Had they actually won, well, Don knows where Barry might have ended up by morning.

The Italians don’t take kindly to people muscling in on their turf. Especially notoriously grumpy Italians.

Which is why we brought together the reigning champ and this year’s Honorable Mention for a little group hug. Which almost turned into a foxtrot. Or was it a tango…?

Being the raving heterosexual that he is, Tommaso wasn’t going to allow that to happen. He only tangos with one person in this world, and that’s Nadia, sitting pretty and patiently inside Caffé Delle Stelle, relieved that, with a fourth win, her beloved hubby wasn’t about to turn that grumpiness all the way up to 11 for the next 12 months.

His winning smile, gentle persuasion and a flash of his ever-present switchblade made sure of that.

Congrats to both Tommaso and Barry, and commiserations to Claire and the Bear Paw Deli gang, who put in a late sprint that didn’t quite manage to catch the two early leaders of this race. And much love to The Wood Group Home for once again sponsoring our annual coffee love-in.

You can check out Tommaso’s wins from 2015, 2016 and 2017 here. In the meantime, we caught up with Greystones newest and bestest buds this afternoon to try and find out the secrets of their success…

Keep an eye out for this year’s Greystones Rocks photography competition, launching this week. Send your grooviest Greystones shots to info@greystonesguide.ie.