India Coffee Bar

[Geetha]

I've been ever experimenting the ways in which to prepare coffee the way my mother makes it at home.

I am never tired of it and even though I have a stable version of coffee available, I not completely at home

Pleasae give me some way of preparing coffe the way it used to be at home. I think this especially goes for the people of south India. I know many others too have a love of coffee, but nothing beats the home coffee. Please share your tips for ethereal coffee land today...

[Geetha]

I am never tired of it and even though I have a stable version of coffee available, I not completely at home    

especially goes for the people of south India.

←

Allow me to expatiate on what I have revelled on above there..

I have travelled along here to United States after many years of stay in South India capital for coffee Chennai people all over south india are great coffee lovers and everyone has their favourites. Although north indians are more of tea or chai lovers, here in south people relish their cup of coffee at really all times of the day, well at least two times morning and evening. So after relating this soporific tale I'd rather jump in to the details of my query here. Since coming to NY especially, I've known to experiment to ge details of coffee right (The way I used to savour in India). Sadly for lack of proper intuitive guidance I've stopped way short of one, even though my moka or stove top espresso gives me a quality of home coffee some times when I brew the liquid strong to my taste. But in all I have learnt to cope with it, thanks to my recently discovery of eG I've almost flown back to my earlier stage of rediscovery and in trying to find out what suits best.

I had a remotest idia that if some one familiar to south India type of coffee brings to

this blog some bits of valueable wisdom it might help me a lot on my way home away from home

Thanks

[FaustianBargain]

good grief! the south indian coffee! aka filter coffee..

i believe the south indian roast is special because of the addition of 'chicory'*...i dont do the brown stuff, but i have been told by people who enjoy coffee far more than i tolerate its wafting smell that its the addition of copious amounts of chicory...the ratio is staggeringly higher than anyother type of chicory coffee blend...i am not sure its healthy(but then again, is caffine really healthy for you?), but the adds much to the flavour.

chicory is a root and related to the radish family. not to be confused with chicory, the salad green..aka endive in europe..endives in north america is called chicory...to make things more confusing, chicory in north america is also a little known 'roadside, rank weed'. chicory root has been a substitute for coffee and also as a flavouring...the root is dried and ground as a powder...chicory, the root of a herb is completely different from the chicory, the salad green...chicory, the coffee flavouring herb is native to north america...

edited to add: there is nothing special about south indian coffee except the roast and the chicory content...ground coffee+hot water > percolates to coffee..south indian coffee is always had with lots of sugar and rich milk(read that as full fat)...the south indians have perfected the art of drinking cloyingly sweet coffee topped with foam...and wax lyrical..ad nauseum..some say that serving the coffee in silver cups enhances its flavour. i am positive that such claims are exaggerated.

Edited September 7, 2004 by Lalitha (log)

[Geetha]

Ofcourse chicory was a rave in India back in 80's 90's even mid-late 90's, but here is where I beg to differ, I do like chicory but then I am not addicted to it, but yes I'm in love with the purest form of coffee, I love it here too in US but I'm just running the race to match my home coffee somethings just change very slowly..

Coffee I had at home ususlly is a blend of peaberry and some other one I can't remember bought from a company called coffee day and sold under brand name supreme blend..

I know I should look out for this option here too in the US but have been too fazed out in doing it myself I don't fancy losing my apetite for coffee by just looking around so I'd rather seek some expert advice on the things I don't know much about.

It would be relatively wrong to say that south indian coffee is more chicory taste .. I know a lot of brands still ue the product by that name but I rather got over chicory and went over to pure coffee but then instant coffee always has to do with chicory I think.. not so sure in that point there..

But I still want to know what coffee type would closely match south indian coffee brew.

[phaelon56]

Geetha -

It's a pleasure to have you here and I hope we can help. Until relatively recently, very few Indian coffees made it to the US. Even today, most of those go to the independent roaster market such as local micro-roasters and regional specialty roaster.

Dr. Joseph John and his wife Urmila operate the Josuma Coffee Company and offer the best selection of Indian coffees generally available from a single source here in the US. They offer a trademarked low-acid blend and also a shade grown single varietal that is said to have very spicy overtones in the flavor but the coffee they're famous for is the Malabar Gold espresso blend. Josuma Coffee is a wholesale only operation but there are a number of suppliers who roast and sell the Malabar Gold blend in small quantities.

The lowest price I've seen is $9.95 per pound not including shipping at Coffee Wholesalers (they do sell retail). Other suppliers charge anywhere from $12.95 to $17.95 per pound.

Malabar Gold is comprised of all Indian coffees including Monsooned Malabar, which has a very distinct and rich taste, as well as at least a small percentage of high quality Robusta. The Robusta adds to the amount of crema produced when making espresso and adds a bit of bite. I have not personally tried Malabar Gold but hear good things about it from others. I do use Indian Monsooned Malabar and also Indian Pearl Mountain Peaberry in one of my home roast blends and enjoy it greatly.

Apart from info on where to obtain Indian coffees, are you looking for advice on best methods for coffee preparation, apart from Moka coffee? There are widely diverging opinions on this topic but a good place to start if you want good quality with minimal investment is a manual drip system such as Melitta or Chemex.

Can you share with us what you know about typical coffee preparation methods in the south of India?

[Monica Bhide]

Yes - Geetha- Indian filter coffee is my favorite drink. Do tell us more about this.

[Geetha]

Hmm I have only one favourite from back home it is definitely the famous filter or drip coffee. Oddly enough to say it, since I hold a high-nose for my all other preparations of food stuff here in US, nothing matches my mom's coffee really it is the best therapy for bootstrapping you even in the bleariest of times in childhood.

Of course my grandma made it by just soaking all the good ground beans in hot water in a large tumbler or glass and let the flavour and color permeate throughout, and added little amount of cold water to cause overall settling action and used to drain the liquid all by hand I mean no machinery involved except the glass of course, and the resultant is a rather rustic and of course wonderfully flavourful cup - a coffee for you, oddly enough I will never compare one to another because each has its benefit, now this is entirely out of the place so I will skimp on it.. I enjoy the vistas that come along with the rustic cup of grandma's coffee that is the village she lives in.. along with the coffee itself.

[Geetha]

I guess it is over then my search seems to be concluded

Thank you dear host of coffee forum

With Regards

I hope I will be of help to some like you were to me but any more queries hope you'll receive me then too

Geetha

[Geetha]

Moka is some what similar to the rustic cup I guess, but I will be upgrading to a better machinery sooner or later..

I will keep options open here though, I liked the filter method( or percolation) at home so I think ..

Will be a hard one to decide, you see why I stick to one moka comfort I have already..