Brew Hot Brew Cold

A growing number of aficionados are experimenting with new ways of making their coffee experience better – none more popular than the current trend of cold brewing.

- Shweta Mehta Sen

We’ve always been known more as a nation of tea producers and drinkers. We make some of the finest stuff, lots of which gets shipped off to various parts of the world, only to be packaged into ostentatious little boxes that sell at ridiculous prices. Coffee, on the other hand, is the product we’ve always been known to produce in huge quantities, but no one’s really figured out just how good the quality is. South American and African countries — and even Indonesia and Vietnam —have all had their share of the spotlight. Now, with a younger generation that’s more into coffee, and simultaneously into all things homegrown, the lush landscapes of Coorg and Chikmagalur are churning out more beans than ever to supplement the growing demand within the country.

The young professional is the target audience for various roasters and brewers that have cropped up — and he understands why he is paying a little extra for his daily cuppa Joe. He’s also happy to invest in a Nespresso machine, French press or drip filter coffee machine. On weekends, you may find him at Blue Tokai (with outlets in Mumbai and Delhi, which do phenomenal business), picking the brains of a barista and customising the best blend to take home. Mumbai’s Koinonia Coffee Roasters (KC Roasters) is likely his other haunt — there are blends from Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu that are ground to suit your needs.