In the time honoured tradition of Delhi, let’s start with the complaints. It is hard to find a safe and comfortable place in this city for friends to meet and have a good time in a casual atmosphere. With people working in far flung corners, commuting daily and struggling to meet deadlines as well as the cost of living, a good hangout has to be easily accessible. As for affordability, that depends on the individual pocket. Perhaps that’s why cafés are popular. Among these, a brand that has been spreading its wings steadily is Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf (CBTL).
CBTL opened its new café in the Capital’s Khan Market recently. This is its seventh outlet in Delhi and NCR. One look at the crowd fairly convinced me that this place is good for chilling out with friends over good food and drinks. The California-based café has a history dating back to 1963.
Dharmander Bidhuri, Area Manager CBTL, informed me that in Delhi, CBTL has its own bakery to provide fresh food to the kitchens of the café. “Maintaining quality is our primary aim. Every raw material comes from the U.S. We also follow the guidelines of government of India,” he stated.
I started my beverage journey with cappuccino (a freshly pulled shot of espresso layered with steamed whole milk and thick rich foam coffee) and almond biscotti.
There are more than 50 beverage and food items on the menu. There are all-day breakfast dishes like waffle, scrambled egg, fried egg, cheese omelette, egg white omelette, French toast, smoked chicken sausages, etc.
My next serve was grilled kulcha and an iced blended caramel drink — a delightful combination.
Not to be missed is the garden vegetarian club sandwich. This three-layered sandwich with cheese, tomato, lettuce, mashed potato is a gourmet’s delight, bite after bite. The iced blended with vanilla latte helps wash this one down with a rich aftertaste.
As I rounded off the evening trying out the Philadelphia cheese cake and cafe latte, Bidhuri elaborated on the finer details of knowing your coffee. “We have been getting very good feedback from our customers. And their feedback says they know and understand about flavours of coffee very much,” he said. “While original characteristics influence the look, taste and smell of coffee, roast degree impacts the final taste. The accelerating heat during the roasting process caramelises the bean, intensifying the flavour and aroma and ensuring rich and hearty goodness. Light and medium roasted coffees are milder and maintain much of their original characteristics. As coffee is roasted darker, its original characteristics become muted, which increases the intensity of flavour.”
