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A Coffee Lover’s Confessions…

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by Sofea, Aug 15, 2011.

  1. Sofea

    Sofea IL Hall of Fame

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    [JUSTIFY]
    I’m a coffee addict and I’m not shy to admit this. Actually, I don’t think the word “addict” is appropriate to be used here. A coffee lover sounds more apt to address them. And by them, I mean, me.:hide:

    I’ve tried many different kinds of coffee actually… be it the ones with modern, mostly-not-knowing-if-you-had-pronounce-it-right-names such cappuccino, mocha, latte or espresso, to the conventional ones such as instant coffee, white coffee, iced coffee, Turkish coffee, syrup-flavored coffee and even Chinese coffee. Having known and tried all these different varieties of coffee, it came as a surprise to me that I’ve took this long to get introduced to one of the famous coffees in the world- the South Indian filter coffee.

    Despite living in Malaysia all my life, where there’s a large population of Indians, I must admit that I’ve never tasted the filter coffee before. In fact, though I have heard this term being used in Tamil films, I always assumed that filter coffee is yet another brand of coffees, like Nescafe and Bru coffee. Little did I know that the name spells a whole new world of coffee out there.

    The filter coffee was introduced to me by one Ms. Thirukoppurasundari* a Chennai-based student who came down to my University quite a number of years ago for a research programme. I had the benefit of sharing my room with this lovely, giggly girl. And by giggle, I mean giggle. The girl giggles so much that you can actually count the number of words that she uses in a sentence…which is not many, considering that she giggles more than she talk. Anyway, amongst all those giggles and less words, she was actually instrumental in introducing me to the wonderful taste of filter coffee.

    To begin with, I’m quite sure that Sundari, like many other Tamilians here, was surprised or even shocked (I wasn’t quite sure which, since she was also giggling in between) to see a fellow Tamilian being clueless about filter coffee. Well, I won’t blame her. When she first became my room-mate, I surprised her by talking in length about Tamil films and music and even went on talking about Tamil Nadu politics (which surprised me as well, for I only know bits and pieces about politics, but good for me, this girl didn’t even know about that bits and pieces as well). So imagine her shock when I questioned her one morning about the filter coffee she was preparing. “Ninge coffee sapida mattinggela** (giggle)?” she asked. Poor girl, if only she had the time to listen to my fetish on coffee. But I didn’t want to bore her about that, at least not now. Instead, I just pointed out to the big Nescafe bottle that I kept on my shelf and told her that a big bottle like that would last me for about 2 weeks (Haha, hear that sweetheart! You’re dealing with one-of-her-kind coffee maniac here!)

    I must admit however that she doesn’t seem disturbed by that information. Instead, with funny smirk plastered on her face, she said, “Oh instant coffee-a? (giggle) Naan filter coffee mattum than sapiduven.*** There’s a huuuuge difference (giggle again)!”

    “Really? What difference?” I enquired. And so began my first filter coffee lesson filled with filter cups, aromatic ground coffee, decoction, and constant giggling.

    First lesson to learn- to make a good filter coffee, you must have the foremost essential thing, i.e. the filter. And that is something I don’t have. In fact, I’ve never seen something like this before, until Sundari showed hers to me. The filter is actually a percolator which consists of two container cups of the same level, with one having a perforated bottom and the other without. The perforated container is then placed on top of the other cup and the coffee powder is placed inside it. Now comes the tricky part. The coffee powder is something unlike what I’ve seen before. It looks more like tea powder than coffee, only thicker. According to my coffee teacher, this one is processed specifically for filter coffee. So if you think that you can just get the filter percolator and use instant coffee powder to make the coffee (just like what I thought), then you’re wrong. The filter percolator only accepts filter coffee powder. They belong together, you see:cheers So don’t break the bond by using any other coffee powder that you know of. They just wouldn’t work.

    Ok, now that you have put the filter coffee powder into the container, here comes the third lesson. The umbrella lesson. The umbrella is actually another perforated disc with a handle of top. The moment you have placed the coffee powder inside the top container, you have to use the umbrella to hold the coffee powder in place. After which you pour boiling water into the container and shut it with the lid.

    The boiling water would pass through the perforated container and into the bottom cup which serves as a collector. The collected mixture is what you call as decoction. The lesser water and the more powder you use, the thicker the decoction would be. This whole process takes about an hour, though according to Sundari, the authentic filter coffee powder would actually take 5-6 hours before it is filtered into a decoction! “My coffee powder is an express one, you see! Which is why you get it in less than an hour” she said with a giggle of course.

    The next step is to boil the fresh milk. The amount of milk needed depends on the thickness and how strong a coffee you require. The stronger you want your coffee to be, the less milk you should be using. Mix the milk and the decoction together according to the proportion you want. You can even add sugar at this stage if you desire.

    Now comes the final and my most favorite part. The mixed coffee is placed in a tumbler (which is way smaller than my normal coffee mug, but that’s ok) and is placed upon another container called dabarah. The coffee is then poured back and forth from the tumbler to the dabarah and at the end of the day, you will get a thick, frosty foam on the top of your coffee. I love this part for I’ve seen this frosty coffee in some of the authentic Indian restaurants in Malaysia and always wondered how they do that. Well, I know the secret now, and the best part is- I can do it by myself! Yaay! :banana

    And the taste…man, it’s just out of the world! Even after all these years, the taste of my first filter coffee still lingers there in my mind and tongue (not literally, of course!). Sundari of course was my room-mate for 3 more months after that incident, and I used all the time together to taste all the filter coffees that I can get.

    Long after Sundari left to India, I got my own filter cups & filter powder. In fact, I’m now able to make a decent filter coffee on my own. It still doesn’t taste as good as Sundari’s coffee but nevertheless much better than any of the instant coffees that I’m used to. So here’s to one of the best coffees in the world and to the giggling angel-cum-teacher who introduced me to them. Filter kaapi vazhga!****:coffee

    [/JUSTIFY]

    View attachment 134542
    *Name(s) not changed to protect the privacy of any person whatsoever. This is the real and genuine name of the “punniyavathi” who introduced me to the amazing filter coffee.
    ** “Don’t you drink coffee?”
    *** “You drink instant coffee? I only drink filter coffees.”
    **** Hail filter coffees!

    pic credits: http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A2KJkesvw...iki/File:Filter_coffee_South_Indian_style.JPG
     
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  2. shyamala1234

    shyamala1234 Platinum IL'ite

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    I like filter coffee...made in the traditional filter. Coffee poder brand is always the same...lotus coffee powder from Chikkadpalli, Hyderabd. First thing in the morning is coffee. Without that the day does not run smooth. What a pleasure having coffee in a tumbler (it never tastes good in cup and saucer) with paper in the other hand! Is it an addiction? I think so.....
     
  3. shashiv

    shashiv Gold IL'ite

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    Hai Sofea,

    Had filter coffees only when i was in India... Here where got la da... Futhermore very little... Your filter coffees looks superb....


    Shanti
     
  4. AkilaMani

    AkilaMani Local Champion Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

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    Hi sofea,

    My days always begin with a strong cup of coffee. I was soo used to my mom's filter coffees growing up... always MK Kaapi Podi from our local coffee store where we can specify the percentage of chikkari... i can literally smell the aroma thinking of it now!!

    After marriage, I explored a lot of coffee varities and realized that my palate was never satisfied the way it was with filter coffee!!

    A lovely blog... enjoyed it... wishing i had a cup of kaapi in my hand now.

    Akila
     
  5. Sofea

    Sofea IL Hall of Fame

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    Thanks for the first fb, shyamala. I've never heard about lotus coffee powder before. As it is, it's so hard to get filter coffee powder in Malaysia and I've so far seen only one brand here- Bru. And you're absolutely right. After tasting coffee in a tumbler, cup and saucer just pale in comparison!
     
  6. Sofea

    Sofea IL Hall of Fame

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    Hi Shanti, yes it's quite hard to find filter coffee here in Malaysia which is why I missed out on the wonderful taste of it for such a long time. But there are a couple of stores in Brickfields which sells filter coffee powder- Seetharam is one of them.
    By the way, the filter coffee in the above picture is not mine. I took it from the net...and that reminds me that I have to give credits to the original source. :hide:
     
  7. Sofea

    Sofea IL Hall of Fame

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    Hi Akila,

    Thanks for your comments. It's great to see a lot of coffee lovers here. And I agree, filter coffee is by far, the best coffee that I've had so far. And even though the process is longer, (as opposed to the one using instant coffee powder) nevertheless, the taste of it just makes it all so worth it.
     
  8. MsRevathee

    MsRevathee New IL'ite

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    wow...i'm a malaysian too.. i hav never try this filter coffee...( all this while, i thought BRU cofffee is filter cofffe..he he he) I wish i can try them toooo.... i love coffeeeeeeee.
     
  9. Sofea

    Sofea IL Hall of Fame

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    Hi MsRevathee @ fellow Malaysian:hiya
    I'm so glad to know that I'm not the only Malaysian being clueless about filter coffee. LOL! Btw, I believe that BRU comes out with filter as well as instant coffees as well. While the instant one dissolves into liquid the moment you pour hot water to it (just like nescafe, indocafe etc) the filter ones has to be literally filtered (like tea) before you can drink it. But the techniques and the process of making the filter coffee is what gives it the extra ooomph!:thumbsupDo try it if you get the chance, MsRevathee.

    Btw, thanks for dropping by here:)
     
  10. vidchakra

    vidchakra Platinum IL'ite

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    Sofea, I am not a coffee lover, but I am loving "Life Between The Raindrops"...
    Enjoyed reading this!
     

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