The Coffee Bean

Coffee: 

The art of roasting it right, grinding it to the right consistency and then using a drip filter to prepare the decoction, strong with an aroma that is so typical of coffee and lastly using freshly heated milk to get the correct brown color in your cuppa...one has to give it to the Public Sector Enterprises in India way back in the 60's to have created mini India's in small unknown towns like Durgapur, Bokaro, Rourkela and Bhilai. East India wasn't known for coffee consumption - Tea was THE primary invigorating drink of the masses.

My father, who hails from Chikkamagalur district in Karnataka, known for its premium coffee estates - it was but natural that he bring along with him the art of making the perfect cuppa when he moved from Kalasapura in Chikkamagalure district of Karnataka to Durgapur in West Bengal to build his engineering career in the Steel City. As a kid, I learnt through observation, how the two principle varieties of coffee beans - Plantation 'A' and Peaberry were roasted separately. The two seeds roast at different rates and if you mix the two raw beans and try and roast them together to save on time, the decoction is sure to have a burnt smell with absolutely disastrous results. If roasted right; when the beans begin to cool down, the roasted beans begin to sweat, basically the oils and fragrances are released at this time. The trick of the perfect cuppa is indeed in roasting!! Thanks to my dad's penchant for 'quality', we as a family had perfected the art of roasting, so much so my dad's neighborhood friends visiting us would look forward to a cup of the rich and legendary brew.

The next step in the process was to grind the beans - through trial and error my dad had hit on a 70:30 ratio of plantation 'A' to Peaberry roasted seeds. Plantation 'A' gives the liquid decoction its strength and Peaberry, the wonderful and heavenly aroma, thus creating a rich blend. We had a table top mechanical dry grinder and we would grind just the quantity required for the morning cuppa for the family. The process would repeat once again in the evening for the 2nd cup of the day!! Being an early bird since childhood, this responsibility of grinding the seeds, boiling water and using the drip filter to prepare the rich strong decoction was entirely mine. By the time others woke up, the freshly supplied and boiled milk and the decoction would be ready for mom to prepare that heavenly cup!!

Thanks to the East, then not having been exposed to the taste of coffee, we were introduced to the finer nuances of coffee making and I must give it to my dad for having kept alive the taste of the "perfect" coffee to this day!!

While we don't roast the seeds at home anymore, we give instructions to the roasters & grinders on the mix and consistency to get the taste we are so familiar with since childhood. The Gen 'Y' these days know their coffee only through the branded ones: Cafe Coffee Day, Starbucks and the likes...or the friendly neighborhood 'Darshini' hotels and their typical by-two coffee!!

Thanks to the Business Today article on the 15th Sep'13 issue - "Smelling the Coffee", I was reminded of the yester years, fond memories of my dad and the art of making "THAT" perfect Cuppa...read on and be enlightened:

http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/start-ups-catering-to-connoisseur-seeking-freshly-roasted-coffee/1/198108.html