Apr 10, 2015 05:30 PM
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(Updated Jul 15, 2015 10:15 AM)
Bean There, Drunk That Although we lived in South India(Bangalore in the fifties and sixties and Pondicherry from then on till the eighties), my family only drank tea in those years. It must have been somewhere in the early to mid-seventies that coffee came into our lives. And, that coffee, if I remember right, was Nescafe.
Instant Agony I remember one stay in Bangalore when I was a young teenager where I consumed tons of instant coffee and developed a most painful case of piles. It took years for me to realise that the culprit was instant coffee. I’ve more or less got over that ailment with the help of homeopathy but, thankfully, I’ve also learned to hate instant coffee for its taste.
Drip Sip As for filter coffee, I do not remember when I first had it but, during my BSc years, I used to enjoy filter coffee at my besties place. In a dabara, naturally, and with murukku and all.
However, it was only when I left home to join University in Delhi, that filter coffee really won me over. This infatuation occurred during visits home. Back in Pondy, once I’d left the nest, my father and a bunch of young friends formed a ritual of having a mid morning coffee. Their haunt was a roadside filter coffee seller on the main road(Mission Street?). It was just a cart but it served the most exquisite coffee. And you had some choices of strength: Rambo, double Rambo.
Somewhere along the way in married life, we acquired the traditional South Indian filter and dabaras in Delhi(Munirka). We bought the freshly ground coffee from a special South Indian shop there.
But that filter is tedious and by the time the coffee drips it is cold.
And then we went to Malaysia for some years and struggled with horrible instant coffees(though I do think some of their brands are nice for an occasional straying-Ipoh coffee).
French Press MessThankfully, we managed to find a French Press(Chinese made) and some Narasu’s coffee in Brickfields, KL.
Back in India after some years, we found a French Press after sometime. Now, while it is a faster way to get your daily dose, it is partly made of glass and there is a day when it breaks.
Mine broke after we shifted to Pune and it was back to the filter.
A Coffee Expert Recommends For years I have been searching for easier ways to make filter coffee and, during one such recce, I found a strange coffee maker in Pankaj Stores on Parihar Chowk. This store stocks all kinds of kitchenware.
Even then, I was wary but, during one visit to Kumaradhara(Aundh), I had a discussion with a coffee expert and he placed one coffee maker high in rank for making filter coffee. From his description I gathered what it was.
So this is how we bought our Atlasware Stainless Steel Tea/Coffee Maker.
The Build and the Brew It is a stainless steel stove top gadget made up of 5 parts. On top is a container with beaker type opening to dispense coffee/tea and a lid. Below that is placed a small steel ring with many holes which is kept in place by means of a plastic ring/washer. Below that comes a funnel with holes in which the coffee is placed. Lastly, there is a broad bottomed container with a valve or marker for water level into which the water is poured. When you have filled the water and put in the required coffee, screw the bottom into the top and set on the fire. We have a special wire contraption on which we place it as otherwise it is hard to balance on the stove. After a short time, it will begin to make bubbling noises and you will see coffee rushing into the top. Wait a little bit longer and take it off the fire and pour. While doing all this, set some milk to boil on another burner-that way, with hot milk also at hand, you can have a fine cup of hot coffee.
How-to Pangs I had some moments of anxiety at first as, going by the instructions, I did not use the small steel plate and plastic ring, for they implied that, thus, the coffee will be stronger. Alas, nothing happened when I did that and no coffee rose to the top. Also, though most of the water reaches the top, some is always left in the bottom which I use as very weak coffee.
Just keep boiling it until the sounds subside and all the water will be used up.
Thanks to my Atlasware Stainless Steel Tea/Coffee Maker we now have blissful mornings.
Recycle the Grinds A small tip for all of you filter coffee drinkers: I recycle my coffee grounds in many ways:
Facial and bath scrub Downside -it is rough so not suitable for delicate skins. It can leave stains on your nails and you have to spend some time cleaning the bathroom post use. But your skin will glow and it feels great after use.
Compost It is good for many plants and also discourages cats, apparently.
Removes odours I keep some in an open container in the fridge and toilets.
Remove pests Apparently it can be used to discourage cockroaches.
Bru Brew Finally, I’ve graduated from Mysore nuggets to Bru Roast and Ground Coffee but that is for another review!
