The Saga Of South Indian Filter Coffee

We must go back to the 1600s to learn the history of coffee's introduction to India. According to folklore, a Muslim pilgrim named Baba Budan brought seven seeds into India, taped to his stomach or secreted in his beard. Then he started growing coffee in the state of Karnataka in southern India.

Over 200 years of coffee bean experimentation have made South Indian filter coffee a special brew. During British rule, the coffee crop was commercialised for export. Mysore Coffee rose to prominence in that period as a highly sought-after product in Europe. A little local market began to grow simultaneously, developing a taste for it. Coffee quickly gained popularity in South India.

Traditionally, a cup of coffee in the morning was a European custom. The South Indian beverage kanji or neeragaram began to be replaced by coffee at the turn of the 20th century. "In Those Days There Was No Coffee," remarked the famous Tamil historian AR Venkatachalapathy in his work.

The term "filter coffee" refers to the Indian method of brewing coffee. It goes by numerous names depending on subtle differences. Madras filter coffee, metre coffee, or degree coffee are a few well-known variants. It uses finely coffee grounds and an Indian filter that originated from Southern India. Coffee made with an Indian filter is usually referred to as Filter Kaapi outside India.

It is prepared in a stainless steel or brass percolator with two cylinder-shaped compartments. The top container functions as a filter with tiny holes in its base. Hot water and ground coffee are poured on top. The decoction is the coffee brew that gathers in the bottom container. Additionally, the plunger works as a tamper to compact the coffee powder. There is an airtight lid too.

The milk is boiled first. To this, the thick decoction is mixed, but it is never boiled again. The addition of sugar comes next. To turn the liquid frothy, it is skillfully and repeatedly juggled between a pot and a mug. You may have seen this juggling feat of pouring it from a metre high at several traditional coffee shops.

Three cups of filter coffee may help lower the incidence of type-2 diabetes, according to a recent study published in the journal of Internal Medicine. The researchers discovered that this observation only applies to filtered coffee and not to coffee that has been boiled.