Travelers to South India will be exposed to a simply divine coffee known as filter coffee. This South Indian beverage is typically found in the southern areas of India, including Andhra Pradesh. Kerala and Tamil Nadue.

Filter coffee is a coffee drink that is sweet and milky. The coffee itself is brewed from a combination of dark roasted coffee beans and chicory, a root plant that has been used as a coffee substitute in poor economic areas for hundreds of years. The typical coffee beans used in Indian coffee are a combination of Arabica and Robusta coffees that are grown in the Indian hills areas like Kerala and Karataka.

Making a cup of filter coffee is as unique as the coffee itself is. The device that the coffee is brewed in consists of two round nesting cups. The cup that sits on the top has a hole in the bottom that the liquid will drip through as it brews. The coffee and chicory mixture are placed in the top cup where a pressing disk with holes in it is used to compress the coffee mixture.

Boiling water is poured into the upper cylinder where it mingles with the coffee grounds and drips through to the waiting cup below. The chicory’s consistency holds the water longer than the coffee grounds that allows the coffee mixture to steep longer before it drips through. The resulting coffee brew is stronger than most Westerners are accustomed to drinking.

The final step in preparing the filter coffee for drinking is to boil the milk and sugar. The amount of sugar used is entirely taste dependent. Once the milk is boiling, one or two tablespoons of the potent coffee brew are added to it. Before it is served, it is poured back and forth between a dabarah and the tumbler. The dabarah is a wide saucer made of meal with lipped walls that the coffee brew is poured into in order to cool.

The pouring process allows the coffee and milk to be thoroughly mixed together, cooled enough to be allowed to drink, and aerated without the use of mechanical steam, which would weaken the brew. The resulting filter coffee is typically drunk from the metal tumbler that the coffee brew made in.

Filter coffee is a sweet and tasty drink that is customarily offered to all visitors in Indian homes. Depending on economic times, the drink may be made with honey place of sugar with the resulting beverage being only slightly different.

Coffee lovers who travel should make it a point to try this Indian specialty. It is sure to be among their favorites, particularly if they like their coffee drinks sweet and slightly frothy. Filter coffee can be recreated in any coffee shop but it won’t be the same as having it in India.

-Sharon Chapman

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5. The Coffee Bean

3 responses so far

3 Responses to “Filter Coffee”

1. # Allu Sirishon 20 May 2010 at 4:29 pm

   Hi,

   Me along with a bunch of other coffee afficianados online are trying to make Starbucks realize the speciality of South Indian filter coffee and introduce this in their menu. Those who love filter coffee, please do take a minute of your time and vote for this idea. Hopefully, Starbucks will listen and pick it up..

   http://mystarbucksidea.force.com/ideaView?id=08750000000Gu3NAAS

   Best,
   Sirish

2. # Jenniferon 20 May 2010 at 5:35 pm

   Thanks for sharing the link – it got my vote!

3. # Ragashwa Raoon 03 Jun 2010 at 7:30 am

   Thanks for sharing the problem in office coffee vending machines is that they use powdered milk which ruins the taste of coffee hence we have shifted to Fresh and Honest that uses fresh milk and roasted coffee beans. The Fresh and Honest coffee machines are tamper proof and programmable as per your coffee preference.

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