Madras Filter Coffee

Madras Filter Coffee:

Grandma's Filter Coffee. Mommy's Filter Coffee. Madras Filter Coffee. Iyengar Filter Coffee. Agraharam style Filter Coffee.

My Mommy is a big time coffee lover in the family. She used to prepare it, in a much authentic way...probably the way she adopted from my Grandma. Buy coffee beans, roast it to perfection(that is each week), powder them (just before preparing it)...filter it - 'Besh besh romba premadhama irruke' (Wow wow too good). This was a ritual until some few years ago. Later, she switched to a particular brand 'where they freshly prepared ('Roast & Powder') right in front of you! Mommy used to send her servant to buy 'coffee powder' from that particular shop...almost every 5 days once. Hmmm, so very particular about the aroma and flavour.

I am ain't that good with these kind of stuff...always lived alone in the hostel/flats...all I know is 'One should not hate the food, that is presented in front of you'. Anyway...I too enjoy Mommy's filter coffee!:)

I remember this vividly, summer(2003, I guess)..myself and my brother visited home at the same time! Yeah, it happens once in a blue moon! So mommy took us to Valparai (Located at Western Ghats) for sight seeing. It is also called as 'Cherrapunji of South India'! Valparai is all like stretches and stretches of Tea estates, (and coffee plantations?)...mostly owned by private companies. It is a thick reserve forest...elephants and Bisons...and all.

We happened to take a stroll in the industrial site that day. A very good gentleman tried to explain us things around. 'How they harvested tea leaves, sun dried it, ground it...whatever the tedious procedure took to bring perfection in the granules..how it reaches packaging stage..how they approach distributors..sell them to a retailer and stuff like that. He was all blah blah, from morning till afternoon! Somehow, he finally concluded 'this is how they prepared tea'! My brother asked 'Why the hell you guys struggle so hard for a cup of tea...you could have done with just 1rupee in a nearby tea kadai(shop),lol.

Anyway, I remember all his sarcasm...miss the fun lately. Wish, things were the same..as it used to be back then! Did I mention 'Valparai' happens to be my Mommy's favourite place in the Universe...

Ingredients:(makes for 2)

Coffee Beans 4 spoons (toasted beans, okay)
Granulated Sugar to taste (Mommy uses 3/4 spoon for a cup)
Farm fresh whole milk (1 cup)
Coffee grinder
Traditional Coffee filter/ Coffee maker will do.

Method:

I am not good with 'roasting the beans to perfection, so used the one here (pre toasted, dark ones)

Grind the beans.

Add the coffee powder to the basket/filer and a spoonful of sugar, right now.

Yes, yes that's right in the filter...this gives a nice tint to your coffee.

For every 2 spoons of powder, add 1 cup of water...wait till it percolates completely.

Well, to this strong decoction, add the remaining sugar. Mix well.

Finally add steaming hot milk to it. Coffee ready.

Traditionally they either use steal or silver wares, to serve this coffee. Both are good conductors of heat...so, be careful...while handling or sipping! Always ceramic mug, is my choice tho'.