It is believed that the first coffee plant to be discovered was in Harar, Ethiopia. It was exported to Yemen, where Sufi monks used the beverage to keep themselves alert during “night time devotions”. Today’s coffee has evolved dramatically from those days —when it was known as ‘qahwa.’
‘Coffee culture’ referred to the proliferation of coffee houses across the world, first in the late 18th Century, when Europe discovered coffee, and later in the late 1980s, when local neighbourhood cafés became the heart of social interaction.
In Chennai, ‘coffee culture’ means something else entirely. Almost everyone has a childhood story about waking up to the smell of freshly-ground beans and being taught the method tailored and perfected by each family to make the best filter coffee.
The quintessential tumbler and davara are staples in the average Chennai kitchen — coffee and Chennai have a connection that makes one name synonymous with the other.
But how much has changed, really? As the world marks International Coffee Day, we look around at the city’s ‘coffee culture,’ appreciate it’s strengths and trace its growth.
Old school
Deepa Vijayakumar won’t drink coffee anywhere other than at her house. Every week, she heads to the little Narasu’s coffee shop in Pondy Bazaar and buys a mix of peaberry and plantation coffee beans — strengthened with a bit of chicory — and gets it freshly ground; but only just enough to last her exactly one week.
The way she will drink coffee is when it is made with freshly-ground beans, in her own steel filter, extracted with hot (not boiling, mind you) water, to which she adds just boiled milk and a bit of sugar. After a taste of this perfection, no espresso or cappuccino will ever match up, she says.
Deepa is just one of the many locals who believe the best coffee in the world is one that’s brewed on their kitchen counters. While the whole world seems to be waking up to the joys of freshly roasted and ground beans, thaathas and paatis across Chennai are metaphorically rolling their eyes. For them, it has been a way of life before ‘single estate’ and ‘gourmet blends’ became keywords for hipsters. Unlike the North, where coffee culture was introduced with the advent of cafés, in Chennai it always existed. But cafés have altered the way coffee is consumed here — it is no longer serious and ritual-like. Coffee has become fun. Coffee’s become an excuse to hang out. It’s been chilled, whipped and smothered in cream, chocolate and sprinkles. If purists want to decry the downfall of pure coffee, they have only that sweet frappuccino to blame. Oh, and also, instant coffee. That poor country cousin of coffees that’s hidden at the back of the pantry shelf. To be used only in case of emergencies, of course.
The new brew
Marc Tormo has lived in Auroville for the last 20 years, and has been to Chennai countless times. Born in Spain and trained in Italy, he’s also responsible for bringing Chennai up-to-date with all the trendy new ways of drinking coffee. Along with the team at The Brew Room, Marc has created a coffee menu that lets customers try eight different brewing methods, and curated coffee beans and grinds to go with each.
The basic rule of thumb is that the longer coffee and water are in contact, the larger the grounds should be. Thanks to Marc, Chennai can choose from coffee that is made in the classic Turkish Ibrik pot, or an aromatic cup made in a vacuum siphon. A boldly flavoured cup from a new-age AeroPress, a regular French press, or even a chilled cold-brew. Oh, and none of their coffee has any chicory in it. Marc says people love their brews so much that after many requests, The Brew Room has started selling freshly-ground coffee in three varieties, as well as some basic equipment like French Presses, so that people can have freshly brewed coffee every day.
“Once you’ve tasted a freshly ground and brewed cup of coffee, you’re going to want it every day,” says Marc with certainty, and he’s right. Which is why there are people like Amit Patnaik, who after moving to Chennai from Delhi a few years ago, has been happily experimenting with grinds, brews and different kinds of equipment. “It’s one of the things I love about Chennai — sourcing varieties of freshly roasted coffee is so easy,” says Amit. As someone who owns a grinder, two French presses (one unbreakable one for travel and emergencies) and an AeroPress for office, Amit believes that coffee is one of those products that even an amateur can play around with.
According to Marc, at every step of the way, the way the beans are processed affects the taste of the cup. Whether the beans are sun-dried or washed, lightly roasted or dark and oily, whether it’s finely ground or left coarse — each factor affects the taste of the final cup. And of course, there’s the brewing method. According to Marc, it’s easiest to work backwards. For example, if you’re going to be using a French press, a coarser grind works best, and if you like your coffee not too strong, then a lighter roast is better.
The easiest parallel to draw with coffee is, no surprise, alcohol. Both are stimulants and both have the ability to create addicts —although one is more socially acceptable than the other. According to Amit, instant coffee is like cheap vodka — you can’t have it neat, so it will probably end up in a Cosmo, which is why you need milk for instant, he laughs.
For Marc, “Coffee is like wine. It needs to be enjoyed in its purest state,” he says, which is why he believes that coffee doesn’t need milk to be appreciated. Although coffee and milk are inextricably linked, in Chennai, and in India. This would explain why although The Brew Room offers eight different kinds of coffee that can be enjoyed black, it is the milk coffees — the davara filters and the cappuccino and lattes — that form about 60 per cent of the orders.
But then again, it all comes down to taste — and preference. While those who are used to it cannot imagine coffee without milk, others who have come to appreciate coffee’s fruity and aromatic base notes believe that milk would ruin the taste of coffee.
A far cry from the weekly trips to get freshly ground coffee are the new age e-retail websites that exclusively sell coffee and coffee-related paraphernalia. The Indian Bean, for example, which started in 2012 and are one of the first ones to sell single-origin coffee, have seen a 400 per cent increase in domestic sales since they launched. “Although the market is very niche, there are more people who are buying roasted beans and grinders and getting more involved in creating their own cup of coffee,” says Kunal Ross, founder, The Indian Bean.
Even Marc, who sells his own brand of coffees mostly online, has great faith that the future of coffee is e-retailing. Yuvajith Reddy of The Brew Room says they are also gearing up to market their home blend and other coffees online.
With subscription models, retailing equipment like filters and aeropresses, today a coffee connoisseur — or even a newbie starting to discover coffee — has easier access to it. Today’s coffee consumers are “pro-sumers” — well-travelled and open to new experiences, they know their options; from blends and roasts to cold drips and vacuum siphons and want it all. But they’d also like to do it themselves. The future of coffee looks a lot like the past — home kitchens equipped with machines, beans freshly roasted and hand-ground and tailored to taste — and a coffee lover who’s willing to experiment!
