Seen those signboards proclaiming ‘Kumbakonam Degree Coffee’? Learn about this delicious brew as we unravel the history of South India’s favourite, filter coffee.

Like in many South Indian households, one will always find two things in my home — dosa batter and filter kaapi.

The latter is no less than an ‘on’ switch for the day, and watching the coffee brew — as the black-brown of the fresh concoction mingles with the white of the boiling hot milk to form just the right shade of brown — is a kickstart to most of my days.

Today, filter kaapi has become an integral part of many Indian households, to the extent that true connoisseurs cannot imagine starting their day without it. But the origin story of this drink takes us far away from India.

India’s tryst with coffee

According to common folklore, India’s tryst with coffee began in the early 17th century, when Baba Budan, a Muslim saint from Chikmagalur, smuggled in seven coffee beans from present-day Yemen while returning from Hajj. The use of the word ‘smuggled’ is intentional as in those days, it was considered illegal to transport green coffee beans out of the Arabian Peninsula. This was to ensure that the region continued to have a monopoly on its trade.

Baba Budan managed to bring it to Chikmagalur in India and began growing the crop. Firstpost writes, “Qahwakhanas (coffee houses) were soon established, and many upper-class Indians took to the drink. In fact, across the Islamic empires of the world at that time, coffee was the beverage of popular choice.”

The rest, as they say, is history. Chikmagalur, known as the birthplace of coffee in India, produces almost 34 thousand metric tonnes of Arabica coffee beans per annum.

In Southern India, coffee was popularised by the British sometime in the 1800s, writes NDTV Food. A British manager named J H Holly first realised how conducive the climatic conditions of the region were to growing coffee, and convinced the king of Mysore to give away some land in return for a share of profits. From here, it slowly began to be exported to Europe, while some was left behind to be consumed by the so-called elites in India.

Tamil historian A R Venkatachalapathy said, “The incursion of coffee into Tamil society was marked by a cultural anxiety which was matched only by the enthusiasm with which it was consumed.” He also noted that many believed that the drink would lead to “westernised behaviour” and “addiction”, but ultimately, its popularity emerged victorious.

Meanwhile, NDTV Food notes that to emulate those higher on the social hierarchy, more and more people began consuming coffee, replacing the kanji, a nutritious mix made of leftover rice or millets.

Coffee gained nationwide popularity some time in the mid 1940s, with the Coffee Board of India establishing the Indian Coffee House.

According to an article in The New Indian Express, Indians were not permitted in many coffee houses. It was in response to this that an “Indian coffee house” was first opened by the Coffee Cess Committee in Churchgate, Bombay [Mumbai], in 1936, and then, across the country.

However, after Independence in the ‘50s, the Coffee Board decided to close these coffee houses down. At this point, Communist leader A K Gopalan led the formation of workers’ cooperative societies to take over and run these coffee houses. This was how The Indian Coffee House (ICH) was born. As branches of ICH began spreading across India, coffee’s popularity only grew stronger.

Degree Coffee, Filter Coffee: What’s in a name?

The Indian filter coffee is commonly known as filter coffee, degree coffee, Mysore filter coffee or Kumbakonam coffee. Most variations of the name depend on the method used to make the coffee.

Rakesh Raghunathan, a food historian and raconteur based in Chennai, recalls his grandmother’s technique of making filter kaapi. “Way before all these electronic coffee machines made their way into our homes, my paati (grandmother) would painstakingly make her own coffee powder and then the decoction. First, she would roast the coffee beans. Next, she’d grind them in her hand grinder till she achieved the desired level of coarseness. Then, she’d collect this power and heap it into a thin muslin cloth,” he tells The Better India.

He continues, “She’d pour hot water and the decoction would percolate. This would then be used to make the perfect cup of filter kaapi.”

The term degree coffee comes from the usage of the decoction. According to Deccan Herald, the coffee decocted for the first time before mixing with the milk is known as “first degree coffee” because it is very strong and flavourful, unlike “second and third degree coffee”, which undergo decoction more than once. It is said that the first degree coffee was the ‘affluent’s cup of tea’ (or should we say coffee?), while the second and third was that of the common man’s.

Rakesh says, “There are several stories as to why it is referred to as degree coffee. While some say it has to do with the temperature to which the milk is boiled, others say it comes from the degree to which the water is boiled. However, it is none of this.”

“Degree is nothing but a measure of the milk quality being used. Just as one would use measurement units like kilometre and centimetre, one would use the term ‘degree’ to ascertain the quality of milk being used to make the coffee. It is nothing but a measurement to certify the purity and quality of milk,” he says.

Now that you know how filter coffee became so popular in Indian households, how about brewing your own cup?

 You will need good quality coffee powder, milk (fat percentage can be your choice), and sugar.
· Once you have made the decoction, take a steel davara (glass). Add 1/4th portion of decoction to this. The boiling milk will fill the remaining 3/4th of the davara.
· If you wish to add sugar, do so at this stage.
· Swish the coffee around and allow the sugar to dissolve into the milk and decoction well.
· Consume hot.

Sources:

A Brief History of South Indian Filter Coffee by Sridevi Nambiar
Production volume of Arabica coffee in Karnataka India FY 2022, by district published by Statistica Research Department
Story of Indian Filter Coffee by Amit B
Brew Me a Story by Uma Mahadevan Dasgupta
What Degree is Your Coffee by Narayani Menon
Filter Kaapi is delicious and everyone should know it by Niketha Venugopal
Filter Coffee: Is the traditional hot brew losing its popularity in South India by Meher Mirza

Cover image:  Wikimedia

source: http://www.thebetterindia.com / The Better India / Home> Food> History / by Vidya Raja / edited by Divya Sethu / July 21st, 2022

Women coffee entrepreneurs are roasting an aroma of change in a predominantly tea-drinking nation. Taking forth the impulse of India’s cafe revolution, women leading the front of the ‘bean business’ in the country are treading exciting roads in exploration of just how much plurality homegrown coffee has to offer.

“The full spectrum of the tones and flavours that a human palate could possibly perceive and identify in the world of coffee is infinite,” Sadhavi Ashwani, who co-founded store and cafe Baba’s Beans with friend Mrinal Sharma, tells SheThePeople in an interview.

“Coffee is a complex and intriguing biological being… With coffee you hit the motherland of flavours; a whole world of culinary flavours can be discovered in the tones of different roasts and regions. So a trained palate can understand, indulge and enjoy what the crop has to offer.”

Ashwani and Sharma are friends from college who, after meandering through different trades, landed on coffee – a common passion shared over multiple cups that forged a relationship, as they often do. A trip to Coorg in 2013 transformed their vision of coffee and pulled them deeper into research and contact with plantation workers. Out of that bean, their venture was born that year.

Coffee is like music, Ashwani says, with the dopamine-seeking drinker finding themself attuned to the familiar notes of the drink with every cup. Data shows that more and more of the youth consumer market are familiarising themselves with the drink.

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“The Indian coffee consumer no longer views coffee as a black bitter drink which effectively wakes you up in the morning”: Ashwani, Baba’s Beans 

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YouGov numbers from 2019 showed a vivid distinction in attitudes towards coffee in India between two generations. Where 67 percent of Gen X respondents agreed that India was a tea-drinking nation, among Gen Z only 49 percent did. The belief that the coffee culture was gaining on tea traditions was recorded at 33 percent in the Gen Z category, the highest among all respondent sets.

Cha drinkers, don’t feel down. In an empowering display of appreciation for co-existence, a preference for both beverages was a popular choice across age groups.

Third Roast’s Poornima Katyal traces this changing culture through the recent era of coffee’s surging fame in India. “The first-generation drinkers in North India started with instant coffee, while in the South, where coffee was grown, filter coffee was popular. With the second generation, cafes like Cafe Coffee Day came in. These were more than the coffee but about the culture of meeting friends, hanging out, going for dates – a melting pot of young people,” she tells SheThePeople in an interview.

“The third-generation coffee population has started producing high-quality beans in their own cafes. Thanks to the internet, people are also experimenting with brewing coffee at home.”

Women Coffee Entrepreneurs Are Blending Cultures In Cups. Come, Sip?
Coffeehouses have historically always held status as the ultimate locus where food and social cultures blend. As per Britannica, the first coffeehouse dates back to 16th century Constantinople (now Istanbul). Thrumming with the energy of revolution and intellect, cafes became spaces of important thought exchange over the years. Since Wi-Fi has replaced books, cafes today are crowded with laptop-wielding youth hard at work or fashionable display.

Consumer knowledge around coffee here is now greater, helped by internationally known Indian stores like Blue Tokai and Araku Coffee putting artisanal cuppas on the table. But does the larger chunk of the coffee-drinking population understand or have interest in that kind of investment towards specialty coffee?

Mordor Intelligence estimates that India’s ‘Ready-to-Drink Coffee Market’ (which includes ready products from Amul, Nestle and Starbucks) is set to grow at a CAGR of 3.3 percent between 2020 and 2025; the high demand is fuelled by busy, on-the-go lives of consumers needing quick fixes of caffeine.

“There are a wide variety of consumers who want instant products – something that is convenient,” Katyal says. “Not everyone will buy beans and a grinder to brew fresh coffee at home. At the same time, there are businesses moving towards a discerning coffee drinking culture that allows people to experiment with their brews. But the two will always co-exist.”

“Metros have more access to cafes and brands. Though tier 2 and 3 cities don’t have that access, there is a consumer base there. Brands are delivering cold brew sachets, micro cans or coffee beans through orders placed online,” Katyal adds. Her own venture in 2018 was founded upon small bottle-sized batches of cold brew she was experimenting with at home, sent out to friends who were hooked to her creations.

“We started as just a cold brew company but moved on to making a wider product portfolio that included pantry items that go with coffee – granola, fudge, plant-based milk,” she says. There’s also an exciting ‘shmeese’ (plant-based cheese) offering on the tray.

Baba’s Beans, on the other hand, is still a pure coffee setup that is forever experimenting with flavours and aromas on their Lab Menu at the bar. Their focus is on “bringing the Indian coffee farmer closer to the domestic consumer.”

Since incepting their business in 2013, Ashwani and Sharma have worked closely with plantation farmers they source their coffee from – in Coorg, Chikmagalur, Araku Valley and Tripura. Their business starts at the very grassroots, honouring its earliest origins in the “soul of the soil.” The company name stands as an ode to Baba Budan, a 16th-century Sufi saint credited with introducing the first beans of coffee to India.

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“The internet has made coffee more accessible than ever before”: Katyal, Third Roast 

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Batting for the best, however, is not so easy at present, these coffee entrepreneurs say. Organic, for instance, is a lifestyle shift many industries are witnessing. And for good. That change in the coffee industry is coming at a price not comprehensively accounted for, Sharma says.

“While organic growing practices are less expensive than conventional practices, the premium charged for organic produce is often not enough to sustain the lower yield and the longer cultivation time in order to be able to sustain the livelihood of the farmer.”

Though organic is a good path to walk in view of eco-friendliness against climate change, “the current capacities, challenges and potential for this shift” has to be understood in the context of Indian coffee farmers with limited land holdings. “With climate change, the pandemic and the coffee price crisis in the world the pressure on the Indian coffee farmer has been intense,” Sharma says. Financially and infrastructurally equipping the average plantation worker is a requisite.

The movement has to be community-centred if the coffee industry is to grow, and grow with command, in India. The interests of all who trace love back to the bean – right from the farmer tending to the saplings in their plantation to the cafe drinker basking in the glory of that first whiff of fresh coffee.

Does that really come as a surprise though? Coffee has, after all, always been for the people.

Pictured: Sadhavi & Mrinal (Baba’s Beans) + Poornima (Third Roast)

source: http://www.shethepeople.com / She The People / Home> Interviews / by Tanvi Akhauri / November 26th, 2021

Blue Tokai’s compostable coffee capsules can elevate your daily coffee.

After cold brew cans and easy-pour sachets, Blue Tokai has now dropped a line of biodegradable coffee capsules, made with home compostable biodegradable materials that don’t harm the environment. They’re easy to use and offer a quick, fuss-free brewing experience. These capsules are compatible with multiple kinds of Nespresso machines and are ideal for making a single shot of espresso and espresso-style-beverages .

There are available in four variants.

Our recommendation? The Attikan Estate coffee capsules, which are the darkest of the brand’s standard medium roasts and have a bold and fruity profile with a hint of nuttiness.

For more information:

https://bluetokaicoffee.com/collections/capsules

source: http://www.telegraphindia.com / The Telegraph Online, Kolkata / Home> My Kolkata > Drink / June 12th, 2022