Filter Coffee: Little Cups Of Joy
Image Credit: Shutterstock, Filter Coffee

The morning beverage is quite important for most people in India. Chai is the most popular beverage, although variations of coffee are also becoming more and more popular these days. One such well-liked Indian coffee variety is filter coffee, which is prepared using a simple and fast procedure. 

With its refreshing aroma, Indian Filter Coffee is like an alarm clock that can wake you up even when you are dog-tired! There is something special about a cup of Filter coffee - it is precise, it is science, it is art, and it is tradition.  A delightfully satisfying cup is a combination of a lot of little perfect things - the bean, the roast, the blend, the grind, the brew and finally the way it is served. 

This distinctive Indian adaptation of the well-known coffee is produced using special brewed coffee powder. The coffee used in this recipe is a unique blend of 80% coffee powder and 20% chicory. A blend of Arabica and Robusta coffee beans — roasted and freshly ground — is considered to be the perfect mix. It is mostly recognised for its intense coffee flavour and aroma, which also has a trace of sweetness.

Filter coffee is prepared with a special utensil which has two-part . The upper portion has a perforated base that allows the decoction to soak through into the bottom portion, which is essentially a container. To prepare this delicious hot beverage, you will need this unique apparatus. It is available in most utensil shops in South and West India, or you may get it online.

Consumption of filter coffee is associated with a number of health benefits, including a decreased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease as well as less weight gain and lower average daily blood pressure. 

How Coffee Came To India

According to legends, India's relationship with coffee began in Karnataka around the beginning of the 17th century. Baba Budan, a Muslim saint from Chikmagalur, is said to have smuggled seven coffee beans from Yemen on his way back from Hajj, or the pilgrimage to Mecca. In order to protect their monopoly, local coffee dealers and growers at the time made it unlawful to export green coffee beans. However, Baba Budan was able to smuggle and plant them in the Chandragiri Hills of the Chikmagalur area, where they quickly grew.

Source: Shutterstock

For preparing this filter coffee first we need to prepare the coffee decoction. Let us make a piping hot cup of Indian Filter Coffee at home with this easy step by step recipe.

Ingredients :

For decoction

    1½ cup water

    3 tbsp coffee powder

For coffee

    1½ cup milk

    4 tsp sugar

Method: 

Preparation of the decoction

1.    Firstly, take a coffee filter. It consists of 2 cylindrical vessels (bottom one for collecting brewed coffee decoction and the top one with perforated holes for adding ground coffee powder), pressing disk and a lid

2.    Add in 3 tbsp of filter coffee powder into the perforated vessel or add more coffee powder, for strong coffee 

3.    Press the coffee that you added in the vessel tightly with the help of pressing disk

4.    Boil 1½ cup of water 

5.    Once the water is boiled pour it into the top vessel 

6.    Cover with the lid and let the vessel rest for 30 minutes without disturbing 

7.    After 30 minutes, the decoction would be collected at the bottom of the vessel 

For preparation of the coffee

1.    Fill ¼ of the glass with the decoction or adjust the quantity of decoction based on how strong you prefer

2.    Add in 1 tsp of sugar or adjust to your sweetness

3.    Then pour hot boiling milk or adjust the quantity of milk-based on how strong you prefer 

4.    Mix to dissolve sugar with the help of davarah or dabarah (the bowl-like container at the bottom) by pouring the coffee back and forth in the glass and davarah to make the perfect frothy coffee or you can also use another glass instead of davarah. 

When you pour the coffee back and forth, be mindful of the heat and hold the tumbler and davarah from their rim. Your filter coffee is ready to be served.