If you thought you couldn’t sell coal to Newcastle, think again. Here’s a smart lady who is re-packaging filter coffee to sell it right back to Tamilians. On Sunday morning, many Chennai households woke up to find a small bottle filled with suspicious dark liquid lying alongside copies of The Hindu on their doorsteps. A wary sniff revealed that it was coffee. An accompanying pamphlet confirmed this.
Bean Boy, the brainchild of Geetha Saravanan, has been set up to deliver your daily shot of morning java right at your doorstep. Geetha is banking on the fact that all self-respecting Chennai-ites want to start their day with filter kaapi but they might no longer have the time, leisure or know-how to get it just right.
Think of the kaapi fanatic’s traditional routine. Set water to boil, spoon freshly ground beans into copper filter, pour boiling water just so on the coffee grounds and wait for it to drip, drip, drip till there’s enough thick and fragrant brew to make that perfect tumbler of morning kaapi . That’s a good chunk of e-mail, Facebook, and gym time gone. Enter Bean Boy, who promises to take over this entire holy ritual, plus pour the decoction into a bottle and deliver it home (in and around Adyar and OMR, for now).
Geetha uses Chikmagalur Robusta beans with a dash of chicory, ground just hours before being processed through steel micromesh filters for that extra smooth and fragrant brew. Users can buy tokens in advance and exchange them each morning. Priced at Rs. 21 for 100 ml (about four cups of strong coffee) the decoction can stay fresh for days, says the enterprising Geetha, who plans to test-market to morning walkers on Besant Nagar beach this week.
Full marks for the idea, but we are a bit dismayed by the packaging. You cannot hope to lure filter purists with something that looks like a turpentine bottle. We’re hoping Bean Boy will work on that. Meanwhile, if you want to have your coffee and filter it too, this might be just the trick. Call 91761 06319 for your daily fix.
