Thursday, November 15, 2007

Coffee Talk !

Dear Foodies,

This is what I come back home for in the evening
Its not about the lavish dinner in a 5 star hotel but the Rs.5 softy cone or dairy milk that we miss the most. If you ever need to bring a smile on my face, you only have to buy me a chocolate or get me a cup of coffee or if you are in a really good mood... a soft toy. ummm....Well, my friends and family would contest that. You don't really have to do anything to make me laugh. Some little, tiny, trivial thing will get me started and once that happens theres no stopping. I will go on and on ..and on...and on...and on....the tears will start flowing in about 2-3 mins and you will see me holding my stomach in pain and vain to hold my laughter, but that will never happen. I have laughed for more than 30-40min non-stop with no reason anywhere in sight !! I have had people laughing... not on the joke, but watching me in action !!

So getting to the point (there actually isn't going to be one....Sssshhhhh) , one of my most favorite things in the day is my cup of coffee. I just love the filter coffee my mother makes at home. The instant coffee was just a poor attempt at capturing that magic..and then.... I fell into the Starbucks trap after I got here. You really have to get used to the taste of coffee here. Its a completely new idea of coffee. While in India you are used to an espresso shot like qty of the aromatic decoction with 80% milk, here you will get a whole cup of brewed coffee and may be a shot of milk if you like. But, well I got used to that too. The first sip of coffee that you have in a day is the BEST sip the cup has to offer. With a Starbucks just a few feet from my lab in the university there was no reason to miss my daily dose. This had changed now too. No Starbucks near the office, :( there is one near my apt but that would mean, letting go of 5 precious mins of sleep in the morning...no cup of coffee is worth THAT :))

I did not find the stainless steel tumbler and bowl (??) when I was moving and so asked the Indian grocer in Cincinnati to see if he could find me one. I got myself a cup & saucer in the meantime. I was initially scared that I might not be able tog et back to the 'more of milk, less of coffee' mode again after Starbucks happened...but nope..old habits die hard. I love LOVE LOVE my filter coffee and it surely is one of the best ways to enjoy your coffee :)

NO...that is not the saucer !

and this is where I enjoy my coffee ....

Can you spot the cup n saucer in the picture
(remember Tinkle comics...)

All you tam's out there, do you remember this jingle for Narasu's coffee powder, " Man to his wife who gives him a cup of coffee: besh besh...rombha nanna iruku ; Wife: idha idha idhathan na edhir paathen" Here are a few coffee ad's: Nescafe, Bru Cappucino, I was looking for the Telugu version of the Bru coffee ad, could not find it.

If you are still here wondering why I posted today, well I had to flaunt my filter coffee set and my papasan.... and I read Manisha's post today and saw this
NaBloPoMo I am not going to commit myself to it, but atleast one in a couple of days may be, now you guys can handle that right ??

26 thoughts:

Srivalli said...

well...this noblo..whatever is sure getting the best in everybody...don't you worry we will all be here for you to relax and chat!

bee said...

is ther ea recipe for filter coffee i can use? i think most coffees in india that come in powder form for filter coffee have chiory added to teh coffee. i make the lousiest cup of coffee. i don't drink it often, but i like it once in a while.

bee said...

i meant 'chicory'.

Bong Mom said...

Looks so warm and comfy. You are having fun by yourself for sure

Priya said...


Srivalli, Thanks for the encouragement :) Now lets out you to test !

Bee, my mom has her own blend for the coffee powder, 80/20 or something like that from Coffee Day, and it does have chicory. The one I am using is the Bru Roast & Ground powder. I might have forgotten what my mother's coffee tastes like, but this surely is gooood.

I just randomly put in about 1-1 1/2 Tbsp of the powder in the filter and pour water upto 3/4 of the upper container. That gives me enough decoction for 3 cups of coffee. I use roughly about an inch of decoction in the tumbler shown and fill the rest with hot milk. With instant coffee, I just go by the 'sip n add' method :))

Sandeepa, you can drop by anytime ! I will also offer you the fleece blanket I wrap myself in.

Nabeela said...

we can handle nablomopo.......we demand more posts from you!!
Love the cozy corner you have there Priya...and yes, there is nothing like filter coffee.
P.S: Just e-mailed you.

DK said...

hahaha, it sure was a funny post and Yes u can flaunt all u want..we are there to lap it up and shower praises on u!

I agree with u on starbucks! I luv my mom's coffee! and i remember myself saying 'besh besh ' to mom moresooften! than the other way round! :) My hubby unfortunately hates coffee!

Anonymous said...

hey priya, could u tell me where u bought the cup? i have been searching
something similar but everything is either huge or small & flowery:(.How many oz does it hold? ty
-- Priya

Suganya said...

I was gonna make this post too. May be next month :)

EC said...

I enjoy filter coffee the most too, but of late have reduced the intake, opting for more healthy drinks...but nothing can beat a hot cup of filter coffee when we are tired

Siri said...

Nice Coffee talk Priya!!

- Siri

Anonymous said...

Interesting way to flaunt :) I use BRU coffee powder.

Anonymous said...

Hey! Coffee, the papasan chair, the fireplace all look very inviting. I've had a bad migraine all day and I am yearning for a cup of filter coffee but if I have any, my night will be worse than my day was! It'll be great to see more posts from you. To see how you are doing and what new additions you have to your kitchen! Looks like you are doing things right - first things first! Way to go!

arundati said...

i deviously have converted K into a tea drinker because i make the lousiest coffee...instant / filter anything i can butcher!! my ma in law makes the best filter coffee in the world...and when i see the davara's (the glass and dish south indian cup saucer) in my vessel rack, i cant make eye contact!! infact K even accused me of making frothy tea so that i could keep pretending it was coffee!!

Priya said...


Thank you sooo much for the email Nabeela, will send you a reply now :) And you have an open invitation :)

One special coffee for all your encouragement Dhivya ! Time to put a conversion strategy in place and I hope you know who the STRATEGIST is...

Hey Anon, I got the cup and saucer from a restaurant supply store. It cost me just over a dollar for the pair. Check locally for one in your area

Next month !! We can't wait that loooooooong Suganya :(

A cup of filter coffee is waaaaaay better than a cup of Starbucks !! Anything for a cup of coffee EC ;)

Thank you Siri I need the encouragement :)

Thank you Lakshmi, I actually saw Narasu's in the store too,spared it for next time. But it might take me a whole year to finish this pack !

Manisha, you are welcome to drop in anytime ! I will make you a special cup of the Garam or Masala chai. My ex-roomie would lap up spoonfuls of honey cos' she read somewhere that it helps preventing migraine.

A kitchen post coming up too, I have all stainless steel and can't wait to flaunt it all tooo...and hey I am still waiting on the email you promised me for apt shopping tips :)

Frothy tea Arundhati!! lol. I used to do that too, love the foam on top. I am not really picky abt how my coffee turns out and go by the 'sip n adjust' method, sometimes finishing the whole cup in the taste process itself :)) I think the davara-tumbler is as much a contributer to the 'filter coffee' experience as is the coffee itself, I just had to find one!

Padmaja said...

Priya
Having filter coffee cosily near a fireplace is something I do it very often!!
Nice read!!!
Me and hubby both love filter coffee and we hardly get time on weekdays so weekend mornings is simply amazing when we both are with our cupf of steaming coffee near the fireplace!! we love that morning time!! Glad to see a filter coffee lover like me!!!

Finla said...

I think in the South we have the best filter coffee.
Here when i make coffee in the morning i gring them fresh and the whole place is smelling to coffee which is divine.
I too love my coffee"

Seema Bhat said...

A hot cup of filtered coffee ( I like frothy in steel glass just as you showed in your first picture) and a warm place sit in on a cold winterly day with a nice book to read....Ah!!! sounds so good.

Sagari said...

lovely post about coffee

Jaya said...

I didnt care for the coffee as much as I did for the lovely chair and foreplace thing you have going. With me being the tea enthusiast, you know what I would have in your cup'n'saucer :)

Arun Shanbhag said...

filter kaapi rules!
and I think you need the steel lota!
and you gotta aerate it by doing that thing, you know: Take it way up and pour it in a cup. I try it over the sink!

:-)
thanks for sharing this beautiful post!

Anonymous said...

So we have another filter kaapi fan - I did a post on this long back :) Love papasan chairs, best place to snuggle with a book - we had a double papasan which we brought back here and it was a favourite with all our guests - recently gave it up to a friend to make place for more sensible furniture :)

Priya said...


Looking at the comments I think we need a Coffee club...a Filter Coffee Club :)

I would have loved to have my coffee in the morning too Padmaja, but could not forsake that extra 5mins of sleep :)

Hey HC, where do you get your coffee seeds from ?? I would love to grind my own coffee tooooo...love that aroma :)

Seema, drop in anytime ! I cannot tell you how good it is :)

Thank you Sagari :)

Jaya, I am soo in awe of the filter and davara/tumbler that I have totally forgotten tea. I bought a huge pack of Tajmahal tea and MDH masala too, but just haven't gotten to it :)) The papasan is the best piece of furniture I bought (its the only one, but thats besides the point ;)) I wish you could comeeeeeeeeeeee

Arun...I do just that! I absolutely love foaming the coffee, but never seem to get it right. I sometimes loose half my coffee in the bargain :( Those guys in the hotels/roadside stalls are awesome

Nanditaaaaaaa....missed you !! I read that post and it just made my cravings stronger :P And you know what, I learnt abt the papasan chairs thru another blog :)) Saw it at a store here and I knew I wanted it. For now I am all alone, no visitors, and so no room for sensibility at all :))

Amna said...

hey! the Rs 5 softy cone...miss that sooo much,..nice pics and yes tinkle was my fav too back in those days....

Anonymous said...

If you want something close to Madras filter coffee, get a French press. It's one of my best discoveries in the past 5 years. My coffee experience in the US goes something like this - Bru + Vitamin D milk -> Abstinence for 6 months -> Black coffee -> French press. I still use the one I bought nearly 3 years back, for $10.

Anonymous said...

thanks priya, this is one heck of a blog page.. cool job really.. ended up at ur page by googling on how to make coffee :)
-balaji

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