Indian filter coffee

Indian filter coffee is a coffee drink made by mixing hot milk and sugar with the infusion obtained by percolation brewing of finely ground coffee powder with chicory in a traditional Indian filter. It has been described as "hot, strong, sweet and topped with bubbly froth" and is known as filter kaapi in India.[1]

Indian filter coffee
Coffee served in a metal tumbler
Filter kaapi served in a metal tumbler, inside the dabarah saucer in which it can be cooled

History

Popular Indian lore says that on a pilgrimage to Mecca in the 16th century Baba Budan, a revered Sufi saint from Karnataka state, discovered the wonders of coffee.[2] Eager to grow coffee at home, he smuggled seven coffee beans from the Yemeni port of Mocha in his garments. Returning home, he planted the beans on the slopes of the Chandragiri Hills in Chickmagaluru district, Mysore State (present-day Karnataka). This hill range was later named after him as the Baba Budan Hills. His tomb is near Chikmagalur.[3]

Ingredients
Coffee being ground in a filter coffee shop in Chennai

Traditionally, Indian filter coffee is made with Plantation A washed arabica[4] or Peaberry coffee beans. The beans are dark roasted, ground, and blended with chicory, with the coffee constituting 80-90% and the chicory 10-20% of the mixture. The chicory's slight bitterness contributes to the flavor of Indian filter coffee.[1]

Traditionally, jaggery or honey were used as sweeteners, but white sugar has been used since the mid-1900s.[1]

Preparation
Metal South Indian coffee filter disassembled
Traditional Madras-style dabarah, or davarah, and tumbler placed with the open end facing down as customary

Indian filter coffee is prepared by first bringing water to a boil.[5] A special filter, cylindrical in shape, is used in the preparation of the coffee. The filter has two metal cups that assemble one over the other. [6] The filter coffee powder is first added to the upper cup on top of the perforated chamber and then compressed with a pressing disc. The boiled water is then poured over the disc and filter. [6] The upper cup is then secured with the lid, and the coffee is allowed to brew.[5] This process allows the water to extract more flavor from the coffee, resulting in a more robust and stronger flavor compared to Western drip coffee.[6]

Once the collector containing the brew is detached, the brew can be combined with hot milk. Sugar may also be added to the filter coffee. [6]

Indian filter coffee being prepared for serving

Culture
Indian filter coffee in metal tumblers in Mavalli Tiffin Room, Bengaluru

Coffee is now popular in the southern states of India, including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. During the 19th century, South Indians started adopting milk and a sweetener into their coffee.[7]

Name
  • A traditional Kannada name for coffee is "Boondh Bisneeru". The term was popular about two generations ago, and has since lost favour in popular usage.[8]
  • Filter coffee is knows as kaapi in South India and is an important part of the culture there.[9]
  • A term often heard for high-quality coffee is Degree Coffee. Milk certified as pure with a lactometer was called degree milk owing to a mistaken association with the thermometer. It is claimed that coffee prepared with degree milk became known as degree coffee.[10]

See also

References
  1. The Romance of Indian Coffee. pp. 77–80.
  2. Prasad, G. J. V. (2017). "Idli, Dosai, Sambar, Coffee: Consuming Tamil Identity". The English Paradigm in India: 91–100. doi:10.1007/978-981-10-5332-0_6. ISBN 978-981-10-5331-3. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  3. "Brew Me a Story". Indian Express. 5 December 2019. Retrieved 22 April 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. "Indian Coffee — Major Types and Grades of Coffee". 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021. Arabica Coffee > Washed Arabica - 'Plantation' > Plantation A
  5. Raju, Nidharshana (5 June 2022). "A Complete Guide To A South Indian Emotion: Filter Kaapi | Traveldine". Retrieved 18 April 2023.
  6. Bopanna, B.T. (2011). The Romance of Indian Coffee. Bengaluru: Rolling Stone Publications. pp. 77–78. ISBN 978-81-909765-7-2.
  7. "A Brief History of South Indian Filter Coffee". Sindco. 12 June 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  8. "Shot of Goodness". Bangalore Mirror. 20 January 2018. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  9. Raju, Nidharshana (5 June 2022). "A Complete Guide To A South Indian Emotion: Filter Kaapi | Traveldine". Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  10. http://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/Food/kumbakonam-degree-coffee/article4034194.ece Kumbakonam Degree Coffee, The Hindu, 27-10-2012. Retrieved 03-08-2013.
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