Buying South Indian filter coffee powder in Delhi

The South Indian coffee aka filter coffee or kapi – is a die hard South Indian addiction, not easily given up even when kilometers away from homeland. For South Indian filter coffee fans, each has its pet style and theory for brewing the heavenly decoction. Of course, there are plenty of places to drink (which will be a part of another log), there are some excellent joints to buy filter coffee powder and brew it in style to your taste at home. The easiest way to get to a filter coffee powder shop is by using one’s powers of smell. And it does beckon when coffee beans – Peaberry, Arabia or Robusta is roasted slowly to perfection – light, medium or dark.

Some old traditional joints include:

1. Coffee Board outlet – Behind Scindia House – in Janpath Lane. Just follow your nose to the smell of fresh coffee powder being ground. They also have other outlets.

2. Devans South Indian Coffee & Tea (P) Ltd, a little shop tucked into a corner market at Lodhi Road market in New Delhi. They offer customized grinding. One can give the combination of coffee powder to chicory, roast and of course the beans.

3. Veeramali near Lajpat Nagar who is used to sell roasted beans which can be ground at home. I am not sure if the shop is still around.

4. Nearly all South Indian stores – Rama Stores, Cochin Stores, number of them in Karol Bagh who stock filter coffee powder from South – Cothas, Narasu, Udhayam…

Highlight – Do visit these shops for at least the experience of smelling the invigorating smell of coffee, if making filter coffee is cumbersome.

Insider Tip – Learn to brew coffee from Devans. He also has a huge collection of quaint coffee brewing accessories on display. The right way to make coffee I am told is to heat the milk, sugar, water decoction to boiling point, pour in the filter coffee decoction, full flame, near first boil and turn off the heat. The trick not to heat or boil the decoction – it does work well for us!