Coffee Zone

Coffee is probably, one of the few things that is

recognized by the same name (or a similar name),
everywhere in the world. Coffee is the beverage that
is made from ground coffee beans, and is
considered a mental stimulant. If you wish to
discuss coffee, over coffee, read the articles given
below first.

Thursday, 28 July 2011

The South Indian "Dikashan"

Coffee
Coffee is a major social institution in our part of the
world. It can be described as being an icon of
Kannada and even Tamil culture and is a revered
tradition in most households. It is customary that a
cup of coffee is offered to any visitor when visiting a
household in South India (In North India, Tea is
preferred.) One sip of this delicious drink will make
you understand why Indian "Dikashan" coffee is
such a revered beverage down South.

Serving the filter coffee is one of the most

interesting parts of preparing the coffee. The coffee
is poured back and forth between the ‘Dawra’ and
the ‘Lota’ in huge arc-like motions of the hand. A
‘Dawra’ is a wide metal saucer that is used to gently
spin the coffee around to cool it. The ‘Lota’ is a
tumbler used to hold the coffee and the coffee is
drunk from the Lota. By pouring the coffee between
the Dawra and the Lota, you will cool the hot coffee
down to a suitable temperature while leaving a thick
layer of froth on top to enjoy.

Recently, me and my friends went to a Cafe Coffee

Day outlet at the Sector-14 shopping arcade in
Gurgaon. The menu card had Hot Chocolate,
Espresso with cream, Tropical Iceberg, Almond
Frappes and what not. I felt there ought to be a
place for the traditional ‘Hot filter Coffee’ amongst
these. I ordered for a simple Capuccino while my
friends went for those customized drinks.

I remember drinking mesmerizing coffee made by

my both grandmas. I don't get to drink it often at
home here. Maybe this was the only trait my Mom
didn't inherit from her mother. That is why I like
visiting my cousin a lot. My Aunt makes filter coffee
6'o clock every morning. An apt drink for
refreshment. Here at home, I have to drink tea or
Corn flakes with milk. Drinking these two is a
sacrilege to me.

I love coffee any time of the day. And by coffee, I

mean filter coffee. I know a lot of people who are
coffee addicts. A friend of mine drinks a lot of Coffee
in college. He says, "If you don’t drink coffee at
least thrice a day, it’s a violation". He certainly has
brown blood in his veins.

I consider that the making of filter coffee is almost a

ritual, for the coffee beans have to be roasted and
ground first. Then the powder is put into a filter set
and boiling hot water is added to prepare the
decoration and allowed to set for about 15 minutes.
The decoration is then added to milk with sugar to
taste. The final drink is poured individually from one
container to another in rapid succession to make
the ideal frothy cup of filter coffee.

And you get steaming, hot filter coffee with an

exhilarating aroma, creamy-golden-brown froth,
fulsome flavor and lingering after-taste. Nothing like
it to refresh and stimulate. And so easy to achieve if
you make it right.

Next time you go to a Lavazza or a Barista,

recommend those guys to add this celestial drink on
their list.....

Sohail Ahmed at 04:15

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1 comment:

Narayanan 4 August 2020 at 19:55

Nicely written Sohail..and yes.I often wonder why
our home grown cafes don't include our own
dikashan coffee or degree coffee in their menus :)
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