1. In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring the syrup to a boil.
2. Stir, and once the sugar dissolves, lower the heat and boil for 7-8 minutes. Add the lemon juice, orange blossom water, and kioúli leaves. Boil for another minute and remove from the heat.
3. Let the syrup cool down.
For the Pombes (Doughnuts):
1. In a bowl, combine the flour and semolina and mix. Add the sunflower oil and rub it in (ryziázoume). That is, rub with your hands until coarse crumbs form. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for at least 2 hours, or preferably overnight (this will help our pombes be crispier).
2. Peel the potatoes and cut them into cubes. Place them in a small saucepan. Add the water and put them on the heat. Let the water come to a boil, lower the heat, and cook for 20 minutes or until our potatoes are tender. Remove from the heat. Drain, reserving the potato water. Add 1 cup of the reserved liquid to the hot boiled potatoes and mash them with a fork or an immersion blender until you have a fluffy mashed potato. Let them cool slightly until lukewarm.
3. Add the salt, sugar, yeast, vanilla, and mastic to the flour-semolina mixture. Mix and add the mashed potatoes and ½ cup of the lukewarm potato cooking water. Knead well. The dough should be firm. Cover it well and let it rest for 1 ½ hours to rise.
4. In a saucepan, heat the sunflower oil. Put a large star tip on a pastry bag and fill it with enough dough. Lower the heat to medium and, over the hot oil, press the pastry bag to extrude the dough, making the pombes the size you want, and cut with scissors. If you have trouble with scissors, dip your hand in water or oil and carefully cut the pombes. Let them brown for 2-3 minutes, then turn them to brown evenly on all sides, about 6-8 minutes, depending on their size. Remove them onto a platter lined with kitchen paper towels.
5. While they are hot, place them into the cold syrup. Leave them for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove them with a slotted spoon, and once drained, place them on a nice serving platter. To keep them crispy, do not cover them; place a net or a cloth over them.
