I have been a coffee person for as long as I can remember. Whenever mom would fill the coffee powder container, I would stand next to her: there was something about the aroma that was captivating.
I remember distinctly the evening when I realised the effect coffee had on me. Until then, coffee was just like any other malt-based beverage. It was December 31, 2013. After that particular day, everything about coffee changed.
With the newspaper
Coffee in the morning always goes with a newspaper. This clearly means that over time coffee becomes an experience more than just the drink itself. It is no longer about just the aroma and the bitterness, or the cup or the mug it is served in.
Although I favour the drip-brewed coffee and fancy the honest filter kaapi of South India, the lighter French press coffee also has a soft spot in my heart.
Many people seem to have a bias for the espresso because it’s more widely seen on a commercial basis, but I have my issues with the method of brewing.
Probably it’s my own psyche, but a momentary rendezvous involving ground coffee and hot water doesn’t really add up to a wholesome cuppa of java, to my mind.
The country roads may have taken John Denver home, but for me it’s that cup of filter kaapi that paves the way home. I’ve travelled, if not extensively, across a fair amount of the country and there were some things I learnt. Outside of the southern States, coffee meant to the majority what I genuinely detest: instant coffee. It was as simple as it could get. There was no indulgence of brewing to the preferred taste and waiting for a quarter of an hour as with drip-brewing.
Added to that, I realised where instant coffee failed dramatically. This brings a newer dimension — the freshness of the brew itself that can be felt when coffee is brewed from the ground beans, no matter what the brewing method is. It is about a refreshing experience, a rejuvenation of the senses, that a cup of coffee becomes an indulgence for.
There are big chains serving coffee under fancy brands. There are chances of running into someone as crazy as I am about coffee in such places. These people aren’t just associated with brands; they are passionate about serving good coffee, and when they meet someone who knows coffee as they do and appreciate it the way they do, they go the extra mile to make the cup of coffee such a unique experience.
The passion of it
I’ve been fortunate enough to run into several such people across the country. It just makes me glad when I hear from the owner of a coffee house passionately telling me from where the beans were sourced, how they have been roasted, the kind of beans they use, the blend of Robusta and Arabica beans in the brew and so on upon initiating a conversation.
Becoming a coffee-lover began with knowing the difference between Arabica and Robusta, knowing what a Peaberry was, knowing what the various brewing methods were.
And on top of it all, the word blend needs to become a word in common parlance. Then one had to know the difference each country’s bean had to offer.
All in all, coffee becomes an experience of exploring the differences among seemingly similar things; almost in the manner of exploring humans. That’s the sheer beauty of it.
aniruddh.nadim
palli@gmail.com
