Epsima

Version A 
Put the must in a pot and boil well until it reduces and turns to red wine colour. Then cover it with a cloth and leave aside to cool. Put the epsima into glass containers. (Panagiota Mikkeli, Kyperounda)

Version B 
“I grind the grapes, squeeze them with my hands. I take their juice and pass it through a strainer. Then I boil it in the hart žin (big bronze pot) over wood fire. We let it boil, we skim it. I let it boil. I remove the hart žin from the fire and leave it to cool. Then I strain it using kouroukla (cheesecloth) to get rid of the impurities and get pure grape juice. Then I put it in the hart žin to reduce and become epsima. I store it in glass bottles”. (Marina Kattou, Vouni, Limassol)

Version C 
Press the grapes, usually black, and then separate the must from remains at the bottom and boil it in the hart žin (big bronze pot). When it boils, skim it o ff with a slotted spoon to remove all impurities. Then remove from heat, allow it to cool a bit and put it back on to heat and add fine white soil (special soil from calcareous soils). Adding white soil forms quite a lot of foam, so you need to add a little at a time and skim the juice o ff. After skimming it and allowing it to cool, decant it into other containers three times and discard the dregs. This is repeated three times. With the addition of this special soil, the must is cleaner and sweeter. Then put the liquid back in the hart žin and cook without stirring it. It is very important that it cooks well, otherwise it will not be preserved and will turn sour after a few months. When the syrup thickens (becomes almost as thick like honey but a bit more fluid and has a black colour and a sweet and sour taste).epsima is ready. (Kyprianou 1974, 296)

Version D' 
Put the grape juice in a hart žin (large bronze pot) on the fire, after having strained it. Then pour in white soil (special soil that you have passed through a sieve to turn to flour like), which serves to clean the juice. Keep re-boiling the juice, skimming it o ff until it is clear. Then remove from the heat and allow the juice to cool down and the soil to sit at the bottom. This juice is called moustari. On the following day, strain the juice and put it back on the fire. Let it thicken into a syrup. When it cools down, put it in glass bottles and close them tightly. (MANRE 2006, 53)

Version E 
Press the grapes and get only the grape juice which you will put in a hartžin (big bronze pot) to boil. Next, do the skimming (cleaning) process, that is, put white soil (soil with lime) and stir vigorously until there is too much foam so as the juice becomes clean. Leave it aside. On the following day, strain it and get the pure juice (must). Out of the juice take about 10 kilos. Put the juice in the hartžin to boil until it becomes a black thick juice. When it cools down, add the rose geranium to scent it. In order to know when epsima is ready, put some on a plate. When you see that it stains the plate then it is ready. (Spyroula Christodoulou, Potamiou)