Coffee in India: Does it get any better than this?

setuniket

looking for coffee...north india is definitely NOT the place to be...better head down south...coffee cant get any better than in south...

pquekel

I had coffee all over the three Southern states of India, even slept in a bamboo cottage in the middle of coffee-, pepper- and cardamom plants, but apart from the atmospheric heights of having one's coffee in an Indian Coffee House or where and how ever after some of many fine "India-experiences", my best coffee was served in a CoffeeDay Shop in Manipal, amidst loud students and as loud as possible pop music. It rained outside.

Aishah

mochajavaman - welcome to India Mike. I noticed your name in another thread and it immediately appealed to me - I thought mmm here is a man who is a coffee lover, addict, whatever! I feel exactly the same way about coffee - the smell, the look of it, the taste, oh my!!!Now, if Mumbai(where I have never been) is the same as Delhi there are sure to be some fabulous coffee places around. You'll be able to get that mocha or latte somewhere there for sure. There's a thread here on coffeehouses in Delhi if you're heading that way. And I notice camels in you list of things to do - camels available in Pushkar, Jodhpur, Bikaner and out my way. Maybe in Gujurat? Never been there but someone else might enlighten you. Definitely an elephant in Jaipur. But I'm sure more elephants in South India.

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Mochajavaman

Haha~! This made me go get a cup for myself

Mochajavaman

I was going to try to fit Bangalore into my itinerary this trip but it looks like Mumbai is going to keep me longer than I had originially planned. I know about 'Barista' through friends and shall likely find caffeinated solace there; but will look for those one-of-a-kind cafes serving java as only they can. As for Nescafe...all I can say is "when in Rome.." you know Will likely try it at least once...

SueJ

If you're in Colaba while in Mumbai, head for Theobroma for coffee and pastries. Not the least bit Indian in style, although run by a Mumbaiker (who visits Europe every year to go on patisserie courses) and her Mum. It's usually full of upmarket young locals and a few tourists.

I don't drink coffee, but understand that theirs is excellent (it certainly smelt it!)and I can vouch for their homemade Western style pastries. Especially the bread pudding, which was probably the best I've had anywhere in the world......

And the gateaux......

And the biscuits.....

I don't usually seek out Western food in India, but would always be happy to make an exception for Theobroma. And I made this exception every day when we stayed in Colaba

Mochajavaman

Aisha, thanks a million for the welcome! (and the heads up on the Delhi coffeehouse thread). You are correct - I am indeed addicted to loving coffee. Used to be coffee AND donuts providing a heady rush early in the morning - but now just coffee, and now anytime. I am compelled by the bean...the aroma nearly pulls me along until I find its source.
My tea sipping friends tolerate me (in the US) but friends in Mumbai definitely share my predilection. Outside Mumbai it might be sketchier since I am on my own, but I can usually sniff out a Starbucks on a stretch of US highway like a hound on the trail of a fox. It's weird.
Elephants and camels sound so touristy don't they... but I still really want to do them hee hee...(I am SUCH a westerner)

Sweet! I will be in Colaba! Thanks

brownboy66

Since you're a fellow coffee addict - here's a cartoon for ya - one of the office favourites (yes, tragically I have coffee cartoons). Just click on it to bring it up to size!

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gautam

I read somewhere, i think on IM that the packed coffee that we get is not fresh coffee.
So, once you have tasted fresh coffee, you will never like the packed coffee.
Coffee fool was i think the heading on that link. Will search and update

Edit: found it. Click here

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Mochajavaman

hahaha, i just sent that to myself @ work

Yes, you're right about Coffee Fool - and no doubt we've all experienced blah coffee from some dubious vendor at some point in our quest for the bean. I wish CF had more specific info on their own products however. Peet's Coffee (from close by me here in California) will roast and ship their beans on the same day. VERY fresh, and they recommend you use it within a weeks time for maximum freshness (under airtight circumstances I wager). Starbucks has a 'best by' date on their coffee but their timeline I know nothing about. Peet's was around some years before the Bux, but the Bux went big while Peet's marketing scheme is to ride in Bux' wake (to draft)- Let Bux upgrade consumer tastes for premium coffee and then provide a better bean for home brewing than anyone else. Peet's has some outlets, not many, but they are in nearly every food market around.

gautam

Never knew CF is a brand.

Mochajavaman

I've never ordered from them but they sell online off their web page. Their claim to fame is their 'fresh' coffee...they have a really HUGE variety of coffee types, they would have to move an awful of of it in order to keep it all as fresh as they say, you know? They seem to do a lot of 'flavoring' as well. Maybe it's just me but it seems like its easier to hide an inferior bean/roast with flavored oils.
They do make a good point about the freshness of your cuppa jo. When I first read about them it really made me think.

wonderwomanusa

When I drank a lot of coffee, it was always Peet's -- I still prefer theirs to Starbucks. Now, I only drink coffee at my busiest times .. and then I use Bustelo (Cuban-style espresso) in a 1-cup Vietnamese drip pot!

In South India, I drink coffee all the time ... can't do that here.

Aishah

Starbuck's is so insipid - you have to pay extra for double shots or whatever if you get capuccino or latte. Interesting link Gautam.
Loved your cartoon, Brownboy!
Your name, Mochajavaman, reminds me of the Java Cafe in Kathmandu - superb coffee there. And just reading this thread now has prompted me to put on the kettle, and get out my Lavazza (gift from friend recently come from OS) and make the French press style of coffee! I used to have an Indian espresso maker which was good for a couple of years until the dial handle broke and couldn't be fixed and I couldn't turn it to steam for the frothing of the milk. It works for black coffee however and is quite good for that. But it's a bit bulky in my small kitchenette, so it's stuck in the back of the cupboard. Now, there's a thought for when I come to Delhi late Jan - look out for a neat espresso machine - domestic size. Off for that cuppa!

xyka

As the others have said, South India is the place for great coffee.

My favourite place in Bombay for South Indian filter coffee is located at Flora Fountain, it's a small restaurant called Dwarka. I dont know what your benchmarks are for a good cuppa but our http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_filter_coffee 'Filter Coffee', mostly blended with Chicory is in a class of it's own. IMHO the chain stores (Barista and Cafe Coffee day) are...well different.