[addyhemmige]

Originally Posted by DaiusPitar

I always wondered why chains of Indian origin like the Baristas and especially south indian origins like the CCDs do not their bit to promote local traditions of drinking coffee (read south indian FILTER KAAPI only )

The only similar organised non-udupi style place was Kalmane Koffee in Bangalore. Great filter coffee with choice of roast and strength. Is it still around and how are they doing?

Actually, a Barista near Channapatna (on Bangalore-Mysore Road) used to serve filter coffee in steel tumblers. But, still it was pathetic. I'm not sure if they are still serving it though.

Yep, Kalmane is still around and doing pretty well.

[bblost]

Made my first cup of filter coffee using the BRU Filter Coffee powder yesterday.

Understood why the percentage of chicory needs to be less.

Also decided to follow the advice of storing the decotion in the fridge. Had enough to make two cups of coffee in the morning. Foolish/ Sleepy added cold decotion to hot milk. Had luke warm coffee in the morning.

But still, one sip of this is so much better than the instant coffee I had gotten used to.

Thanks to everyone, who served as a kick start for my rediscovering the true joy of coffee.

[DaiusPitar]

Originally Posted by carboy

Why will some one pay the outrageous prices at some of coffee chains if what they sell is available at the neighbourhood Udipi restaurant for a fraction of the cost?

They aren't selling coffee, they are selling a lifestyle!!

For the simple reason that:
a) i might want to drink my filter coffee in a better ambience reflecting my lifestyle preference as you put it,
b) Research on coffee drinking is not at all reflected in the way SI filter kaapi is made and had. For instance many chains have settled on a process that determines what beans are roasted, when they are roasted, to what temperature water is boiled to or at what temperature milk is added etc. The filter kaapi experience has remained un-evolved for too long.
c) I do not expect to see such developments with the filter kaapi experience at the neighbourhood udupis (in mumbai) or darshinis (in bangy). But I for one would definitely not mind paying what you call outrageous prices for such a differentiation and taste.
d) And I would love to have my filter kaapi with some of those awesome pastries available at many of these chains rather than the deep fried or boring alternatives at any udupi.

Think about it. Why does the taste differ so widely at the same place. While brewing the same at home I have discovered the right coffee, level of dilution in the decoction and qty. of milk to be added using my simple steel filter kaapi utensils that gives me relatively similar taste/experience that I prefer on a daily basis.

I would love to spend more for a rarified experience. I am sure so would all the other filter kaapi lovers on this forum..

I remember Kalmane offering something close to this when I was in bangy. Problem was the forum mall was too far away for a daily visit and the outlet was too small/cramped for hanging out for meeting with friends. It was a more of a pick up and leave place.

BTW, the Pacific Coffee chain outlet at One International Finance Centre or IFC One in Hong Kong should still provide a decent "close to" filter kaapi experience with your choice of beans upon personal request. Of course this is off menu. A colleague of mine from namma bengaluru was posted there for a year. Being a strong filter kaapi addict, the availability of only "half-decent coffees" as he put it addled his brain and drove him to bugging the staff on a daily basis in desperation. They finally gave in and developed their version of the same. I reaped the benefit for 2 full weeks in 2009 when I went there.

[DaiusPitar]

Originally Posted by addyhemmige

Actually, a Barista near Channapatna (on Bangalore-Mysore Road) used to serve filter coffee in steel tumblers. But, still it was pathetic. I'm not sure if they are still serving it though.

Yep, Kalmane is still around and doing pretty well.

I stopped there last year. I dont think they serve it anymore. But then again, I stopped there close to 11pm and the place was deserted.

Good to hear Kalmane is doing well.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by bblost

Thanks to everyone, who served as a kick start for my rediscovering the true joy of coffee.

Hope you know that you shouldn't heat the decoction. Consider getting a pack of true coffee powder couriered from Chennai.

[anku94]

Originally Posted by aargee

Hope you know that you shouldn't heat the decoction. Consider getting a pack of true coffee powder couriered from Chennai.

You can get one ? I mean, can you just call up a shopkeeper and he will courier a packet ? Or better, can you get roasted beans couriered too ?

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by anku94

You can get one ? I mean, can you just call up a shopkeeper and he will courier a packet ? Or better, can you get roasted beans couriered too ?

No, he means from someone in Chennai, as bblost hails from here. And there is no way to courier roasted beans - they must be ground immediately after the roasting, as soon as they cool.

[aargee]

@Anku - +1 to Gansan sir; I meant what he said.
But if you want to, I don't mind shipping you the powder from Chennai. It will not be the beans, but the roasted beans that is powdered. I'm happy to do it for a fellow TBhpian

[anku94]

Originally Posted by Gansan

No, he means from someone in Chennai, as bblost hails from here. And there is no way to courier roasted beans - they must be ground immediately after the roasting, as soon as they cool.

Aww, I got excited there for a minute. Bad luck. :(

Originally Posted by aargee

@Anku - +1 to Gansan sir; I meant what he said.
But if you want to, I don't mind shipping you the powder from Chennai. It will not be the beans, but the roasted beans that is powdered. I'm happy to do it for a fellow TBhpian

Thanks for the offer. I'll keep it in mind. Currently I'm not even sure that it's coffee powder I want, I've never had drinks too bitter. I was, like, on an information gathering spree.

A few posts back, I got the link to buy coffee powder online. I'll try some filter coffee at the local CCD (I'm more of a latte guy) and if it works for me, I'll order one. Why make you go through all the trouble if it's avoidable. If something doesn't work out, BHPians to the rescue . Thanks again, for the offer.

[carboy]

I have coffee maker related question.

I have a drip coffee machine & was wondering how to maintain it well.
I came across this article - How To Clean A Coffee Maker

I checked my kitchen for vinegar & I found a bottle of something called "White Synthetic Vinegar" - is this good for doing what is advised in the article? Or do I need real white vinegar if such a thing is easily available?

[archat68]

^^ Ya that's fine. You only need to use the vinegar if there is much scaling in the water tank or spray nozzle due to hard water.

[mwzd]

My regular cuppa -

400ml of hot milk (preferably full fat buffalo milk), 2 teaspoons of Sunrise (70% instant, 30% chicory), 3 teaspoons of sugar.

Just the way I like it.

[archat68]

Using the CCD Arabicah now - better that the Coorg (by TATA coffee) - but not anything remarkable.
Still searching for whole beans - can any member from Chennai help to procure from Chennai?

[anku94]

Reviving an old thread.

Finally upgraded.

After a long time of internal debates et al, decided to put my money on The Yeti and went for a Moka Pot and Dark Forest Coffee Powder.

I'm a latte guy and was pondering over a cheap way to make Latte at home. After a bit of researching, bugging people [Read previous posts in this thread], I thought that using a Moka Pot to make espresso and mixing it with boiled milk should work. Punjabi Jugaad.

Alright, there's no foam/texture in the milk. But doesn't make a big difference to me. Even if I buy a latte from CCD, the time it takes for it to cool down to be cool enough for me is enough to rob it off its texture.

Gave it a shot today, and boy, it did work. Every single word The Yeti said [Including the part that if real Coffee is homemade soup, instant coffee is like packed soup powder] came true. Even my mom, who has no love for coffee, agreed that there was something different about it. The taste was still lingering after a few hours.

While this might seem like no biggie to most of the south people, here Coffee=[Instant coffee + Lots of Sugar + (Water+Milk)] boiled. [%age of milk is directly proportional to the love you feel for the person you're making it for ].

Here're some pics.



The Pot



The spare gasket



The coffee powder



The top portion. This is where espresso appears.



The three parts. You put coffee in the middle funnel like thing. There are dregs leftover once you're done, something I'm not used to with instant coffee.



The Bill

How much does it end up costing over instant coffee

You use 5g of powder at one time. Cost of box = Rs. 150 (200g) which works out to 40 cups, at Rs. 3.75 per cup [The cost of coffee, milk and sugar extra]. There's an initial investment of Rs. 265 for the smaller pot, and Rs. 299 for the bigger pot [The latter comes with Arabicaah/other packet in similar range free but no discount if you buy Dark Forest, all rates from CCD]. I don't see instant coffee getting cheaper than this.

For the uninitiated : Moka Pot is basically a cheap method of preparing something that's very close to espresso, the only difference being that the pressure in a Moka Pot is considerably lower. There are three sections. You fill water in the bottom part, coffee in the middle part, assemble it and keep it on a flame for ~2 minutes or more depending on the size of the pot. Espresso appears in the top portion when done. A pot has to be fully filled with coffee and water, so if you have a big pot, you'll always end up making more than you want.

[aargee]

@Anku - Glad that you were able to enjoy the taste of Coffee finally. But let me assure you, read it assure, that, nothing comes to beat the filter Coffee in Chennai a.k.a Madras

To enjoy the real flavour, you need to get the Coffee from here; all these Cafe Coffee day & stuffs will give you a flavour of coffee, but to enjoy the real caffeine, you need to get the decoction made out of Coffee powder & Coffee filter. Nothing beats it.