Walking through coffee plantations in Munnar during one of our recent trips brought in a wave of memories… All associated with coffee. All I could do was to show my grandson the coffee plant laden with berries but the emotions that I share can never be transferred.
South Indians and filter coffee go hand in hand. A good coffee signifies the start of the day and energies one abundantly. Though still a tea drinker I am quite aware of the rigors of coffee making since I was a kid. A small debate would ensue every week between my grandparents and my great grandfather about the careful bean selection. Once the collective decision is taken my grandfather and me would set out to buy the beans in a particular ratio and take it for roasting. My grandfather would keep inspecting the roasted berries to ensure it was even.
Then we would carry the aromatic beans home to be stored in airtight containers for a week. Every night before going to bed my sister and I would have fun grinding the coffee in a domestic mill attached to a wooden stool. Satisfied with the coffee works all of us would go to bed… Smelling of coffee of course.
Early morning the brewing of coffee would be carefully done by my grandmother in a drip coffee maker. Fresh milk would be boiled and hot coffee decoction would be mixed in the right proportion such that it results in a thick golden yellow aromatic coffee. A strict rule in my household is that coffee should never be heated. Coffee”Kadai” done for the morning. The ritual would repeat at 3 pm in the evening religiously.
Today coffee making is a 2-minute job. Ready-made powders and express drip filters make our jobs easier. For those who just want their dose of caffeine and are not much worried about appreciating fine aromatic coffee, instant powders fit the bill.
Coffee is Ready 🙂
