My very first encounters with coffee, as far as I can stretch the precious few neurons in my overworked brain, remind me of the lazy Sunday mornings at home and the warm aroma of freshly brewed MR coffee spiced with nutmeg powder. This once a week affair was the only time I was allowed to drink coffee. Other requests to drink coffee were politely turned down with not so polite reasons, "you'll turn black if you drink too much coffee", can you believe that?, "coffee is not good for health", how could I be so naive, research has proved that 3-4 cups of coffee a day is good for health, and the mother of all reasons, "coffee is bad for small children",ok mom, now I am big enough, so "coffee is good for me now!", baah!, the ill thought of reasons which parents give to us children. I graduated from coffee once a week to coffee thrice a week and finally to coffee twice a day. At one time I was so addicted, that I used to have severe headaches with one missed cup of coffee. But being a coffee worshipper, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. Don't believe me? Drink a cuppa and you'll know what I am talking about.
I think coffee is man's biggest discovery or should I say invention. I cant imagine studying for those engineering exams without cups of coffee drunk nine to the dozen. Or for that matter the numerous cups of coffee drunk with your buddies in the college canteen while bunking as many lectures. The best way to break ice between you and a new acquaintance(the cute girl in your class, or the hot babe in office) is "you wanna go for a cup of coffee?". Ok, I think I am old fashioned, but it still works.Nothing like a hot cup of coffee on a rainy day or a cold coffee on a hot and humid day.
Once I hit the road, post graduation, in the land of salaries, company coupons, credit cards, I started exploring the fascinating world of coffee. I, at this point, while working in TATA Motors happened to meet an ardent coffee lover,
Arun Kamath. I must say he is a connoisseur, when it comes to coffee, and he is as eccentric as his coffee drinking habits are. We used to make fun of him for the sheer amount of coffee he used to drink and still manage to stay sober. A person who can drink 3 shots of neat coffee,without changing the expression on his face, in 15 minutes is one crazy coffee drinker.
I still reminisce the days we used to haunt
Barista and
Cafe Coffee Day in Pune. Each weekend jaunt used revolve around unwinding in these cafes. Drinking insane amounts of coffee and getting high on it was an altogether different experience. I knowledge of coffee is attributed to "Mr. I am so high on Coffee all day long" I was introduced to the aromatic, intoxicating and flavour filled world of coffee by Arun. I got to know the many different blends, flavours, colors, aromas and last but not the least the various temperatures at which coffee is served.Cappuccinos, mochas, lattes, espressos were all experimented with and I drank coffe in all different colors and textures, brown, creamy, frothy, milky while slowly graduating to flavors like irish cream, hazelnut and caramel and risked some international blends of coffee, the best being the 'ethiopian coffee'. Check out the range of coffee available at
coffee beanThe temperatures at which coffee is served is a sure indication of how good the coffee maker is. We drank coffee scalding hot, hot, warm, luke warm(this is when we asked for a replacement, you cant possibly serve luke warm coffee when you charge Rs 35/- a peg) cool, cold, chilled, ice cold bone chilling coffe(this is when you cant possibly talk). This coffee drinking binge continued for a long time. The coffee drinkers club was formed when we managed to splurge Rs. 200/- on coffee in a single day and were rewarded with a personalized Cafe Coffee Day Discount coupon, valid all over India. No one apart from us would have had a more worn out card. I still have that card as a souvenier. The next time we met was only after 4 months and coffee was once again the uniter. This time it was Delhi's Connaught Place Barista. We haunted that place so frequently that we were on first name basis with the host there. I guess the next time I am in India, the rendezvous would be at some coffee place in aamchi Mumbai.
On coming to the USA I completely changed my outlook towards coffee. Back home in India, I neither liked nor relished the prospect of drinking black coffee. Who knew my outlook would take a 180 degree turn? Circumstances had a lot to do with my switching over. One freezing winter morning cut from the rest of the civilization due to a blizzard, it dawned upon me that we were out of milk. Faced with the prospects of getting no coffee, I was staring into the dire consequences of skipping coffee. I could feel a dull throbbing in my temples, foreboding of something bad to happen. This spurred me into action, whipping out my favorite coffee and coffee mug, I brewed myself a cup of strong black coffee. I had never ventured so far in my coffee drinking career, I was treading into forbidden territory. Its coffee's way of saying enter at your own risk. The aroma of fresh coffee in its basic form was overpowering. I simply couldn't resist to take a swig. The first sip of black coffee was enough to shock me pleasantly. I was instantly awakened, all my senses sharpened. I was feeling light and heady. Since then if its coffee, its black, else its not coffee "no cream,just sugar"
Having become sort of a coffee lover, I decided to experiment with coffee and its varieties here in USA. Two names pop up immediately, "
Starbucks Coffee" and "
Dunkin Donuts", the former wins hands down for the amazing range and taste of coffee, which doesnt vary in color, flavor, texture, aroma, body and temperature from one outlet to other. Startbucks has always been to the rescue when I have been on the move here. Go wherever there'll be atleast one starbucks in the vicinity. Dunkin Donuts is a place where you get decent coffee served by people straight out of gujurat. "Kem cho, coffee joie?"I still maintain coffee is the best ice breaker. There is only one another place which makes superb coffee, you would be surprised to know, its at a food cart in Drexel University, run by an Indonesian. No other coffee tatstes as great as this one, and when I say its just for a dollar, its coffee at it best. I dont know why his coffee tastes so great, maybe the coffee itself, maybe the way he makes it or maybe just the way he serves it. Each evening is complete only with his tall cup of coffee, "no cream, just sugar". Its almost time for my coffee break. Until I brew another post lets take a break.
