My coffee experience
I got quite excited seeing a new eatery come up in our neighborhood and what attracted me most was the last items on the menu which read “best coffee and best tea”. Being a lover of coffee, I headed straight to this little joint the very first day of its opening expecting to be its first customer and to be served the best cup of coffee.
Let me tell you how I love my coffee to be prepared. The decoction should be prepared either in a coffee filter or a coffee maker with that just right amount of milk added, seeing to it that the slight bitter taste is retained to pep you up. The coffee again should be of the right temperature, neither piping hot which might burn your lips or luke warm which might dampen your spirits but somewhere in between. Not having a chance to indulge in such luxury too often as a busy multi tasking housewife I naturally felt the new eatery just a stone’s throw from my house was a real boon.
The owner extended a hearty welcome and requested me to take my seat(a few chairs were placed on both sides of the eatery, on the road side to be precise). Coffee or tea madam? He asked.
Coffee please, I said and waited eagerly to be served a good cup of coffee inwardly wishing that it would comply with my specifications.
The coffee arrived in a jiffy, prepared right in front of my eyes—a spoonful of instant coffee was mixed to a glass of milk (the milk was kept boiling in a large vessel on the gas stove) to which a teaspoon of sugar was added . The helper extended the glass tumbler with a smile. The sight of the container was enough to put me off and the contents were not much to speak of. The only consolation was the price !
I think it is American etiquette –to compliment the host either on the container or the content or both (which is rare) but I thought it wise to follow “Indian etiquette” and complimented the owner on the price!
n.meera raghavendra rao
Maybe roadside eateries are not the way to go if you want filter coffee!They probably think that instant coffee is a more classy than the real thing. Anyway better luck next time and do keep experimenting and keeping us informed.
The best coffee I have had is what my mother used to make. For the large family, she will make the thickest decoction I have ever seen. She will add a few drops of it to a full glass of milk to get the right brown color. Fortunately, my sister (who had learnt this from mother) still makes it this way! Incidentally, the second round of water added to the same filter will be used for serving coffee to the servants!