coffee addict... will I survive????

kristinm

I am quite aware that this is a very western tourist question so feel free to howl me down...

When I travel here I usually pack a small plastic coffee plunger and buy ground coffee from supermarkets along the way. I simply cannot begin the day without a coffee, and hate instant (I know I'm a wanker!) and find it difficult to get through without 4 or 5.

I am quite prepared to do without lots of comforts in India, eat veg, no alcohol etc etc - but if I have to go without my coffee, I'd better start preparing myself now (or get pregnant again as I couldn't stand the taste then.... hmmm - not worth it!

Should I take my little plunger and a spare? Can I get one in India? Can I buy coffee for it? Is it OK coffee? What if I packed coffee in my luggage unopened (not carry-on obviously)? Should I just start withdrawing now...

PeakXV

You can get it all there. You can source Peaberry or Plantation A/B etc. fresh roasted bean in most major centers in the North ..... probably in much smaller centers in the South. The Bodums/ French presses are available also .... just ask any no-it-all-wallah and they should be able to source you one or get you pointed in the right direction.

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Don't go to India ~ Pre-trip Warnings & Misconceptions?

wonderwomanusa

There is coffee in India... they grow darned GOOD coffee in the Nilgiri Hills in Tamil Nadu. You will not have to go into withdrawal from coffee. They even have little coffee bars, sort of like Starbucks, with espresso and other delights.

Oh, they have alcohol there, too. But don't even try the bootleg stuff -- hundreds of people go blind from it every year.

capt_mahajan

Yes (cos you will have it on you from day one)/Yes, but you may have to search/Yes/Dunno,depends on your taste, but you can get international brands too in some supermarkets/I think packing may not be a problem.. except that coffee is used sometimes to mask the smell of more dangerous substances, but I dont really think you will have a problem/No.

I think I got all

kristinm

Shhhh I'm trying to keep my partner in the dark about that! I've convinced him he won't be ale to drink much - if at all...

I am looking forward to the odd cold Kingfisher - but it will be nice to be outside a culture that slugs down booze at every possible occasion!

And yes we are planning to stay well away from special lassis and bootleg booze - alas, travelling with a child makes adventures like that a thing of the past! Remind me to tell you about the time I woke up in a strange apartment in Moscow after drinking home-brewed vodka, and don't even mention poteen or I'll upchuck all over my keyboard!

Anyway So - that's a relief, so I'll take an immersion heater and my little pet plunger... I am so pathetic I can't even get out of bed without a coffee!

tasuray

Hi,
India is one of the best coffee producers in the world.Soth Indians mostly use the coffee beans instead of instant.So don't worry, you'll not die in India without having the coffee at least.You'll also get coffee bars like Barista,Cafe Coffee Day etc. in big cities.
Happy journey.

cyberhippie

Stock up in the cities. Even in the South ground coffee isn't easy to track down in smaller destinations!

NeeliAankhen

Is your immersion heater going to work on Indian electricity?

I also can't start a day without a cup or two of "real" coffee, so when I go to London I take my own coffee and coffee-making equipment - in my case, a plastic cone with paper filters that sits on top of the cup or small pot.

In England, all hotel rooms have something to heat up water in on the assumption that all people always want a cup of tea, so it works fine.

I wonder if that's the case in the kinds of Indian places you'll stay in. Do Indians also want to make tea in their room? maybe not, if chai is really the main form of tea, it looks harder to make.

kristinm

I know - same here, I wonder if the average mid-range room has 'tea and coffee making facilities'.. I guess I'll have to take a converter anyway, or buy an immersion heater in India

ba9rn

I thought Oz was on the same voltage as UK (240V), in which case your immersion will work in India.

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capt_mahajan

If you mean all the paraphernalia for making tea, probably not.
But you can holler, and somebody should bring you the stuff -ready coffee, or whatever else you may require, I mean.

cyberhippie

Most places can supply a flask of boiled water!! Be careful using immersion heaters, there's often no earth in Indian sockets. I know plenty people who've been zapped

kristinm

Oh dear! Well maybe not then...

dzibead

And getting zapped by a 220 to 240 volt line is no fun at all! (the name of this particular "smilie" is, appropriately, "shock")

cyberhippie

Just be careful is all, also most of the folks who got zapped were using Indians made immersion heaters. Which were not the best build quality. One from home should be Ok but just unplug before removal!