Coffee From India #Kaffeécino #2

Always had a capsule coffee machine at your place and ran out of the Nespresso capsules?
There are a couple of options available. 
Vero Coffee: 
Besides, eating Indian chocolates. I also ended up having a lot of Indian coffee. Having got a Nespresso capsules machine and ran out of capsules. I looked for options and found Vero coffee as the best bet. With variety such as Malabar coffee, Irish Coffee and Arabica coffee. Vero was a surprise package and in all, they have 13 flavours to choose from. Starting from ₹390 for a pack of ten capsules 
Bonhomia Coffee:    This pandemic also allowed me to try another capsule coffee where it’s very economical compared to Nespresso capsules and flavours too are the same as Nespresso, but the highlight they also offer Green Tea & Black Tea for tea lovers and the only tea capsule that are available In India. So both The Tea & Coffee drinkers can enjoy themselves. Bonhomia also has its coffee machines that are worth investing.The pricing too is very economical and the quality is great too. ₹1500 for a pack of thirty capsules 

Instant Coffee:

Rage: An instant Ethiopian Coffee served in a test tube is a brand from Delhi that’s also the first plant-based Coffee in the world and I had been itching to try this one, even though I am not a fan of instant coffees and Rage has been one of the coffee that is Good! 
Roasted Coffee:
Bru Filter Coffee: 
After I ran out of my Italian grounded coffee. I  Tasted the Bru Filter roasted Coffee and it was just like South Indian filter coffee Dark & Strong and is very easily available and well priced 
Sunbean ITC Gourmet Coffee:
ITC has been a huge surprise for me when it comes to the Fabelle chocolates, The Coffee as it’s not easy to associate a company that has been known for Sunfeast Dark Fantasy Biscuits in the FMGC category and otherwise have been identified as a toboacco and hospitality company. 
The Packaging of the product to the taste of the coffee it is one Indian company that’s worth trusting. And having just two options of grounded coffee available one that’s made in the hills of the south and the other one inspired by southern America both the packing have a motif that’s are significant of the coffee region.

Speciality Grounded Coffee:

Cohoma Coffee Company: 
For the longest time I thought it was an international brand the typography used for their brand name and the combinations offered with the beautiful black packaging with a coloured design on the bottles as well as the Tin boxes. This couldn’t have been India and when I googled the country of origin for this there it was an  Indian brand.
This coffee is very bitter in taste and isn’t everyone’s cup of Coffee and those who like their coffee very strong will enjoy it.  
Araku: it’s not every day you hear about coffee that’s more popular in Europe than in India for the packing and for the flavours it has to offer. Araku isn’t necessarily strong or dark coffee but is mild with interesting coffee notes like peppers, Red fruit and dark chocolate that’s the signature collection to the toffee, Dark chocolate and sugarcane been the selection collection and many more collections to offer. They also have capsule coffee and a wider range for the European market that isn’t available in India Yet. 
Araku should be on your list to try… 
Third Wave Roasters: A speciality coffee place from Bangalore! That I had been reading a lot about and so when I was looking to try something different I tried their signature south Indian Filter Blend and it tasted and reminded you of the strong, Dark South Indian coffee. Third Wave Roaster also has cafes in Pune & Hyderabad besides Bangalore if you would like to visit them or you can order them from Amazon!  
The packing of Third Wave Roaster reminded me of Blue Bottle the USA coffee Chain that offer an interesting range of coffee flavours and the simplicity of the design in packing. 
Subko: While reading a  digital magazines publication issue! I came across this cafe in Mumbai! Though they were supposed to open in March! The lockdown forced them to keep shut! And a few months later they opened in Bandra. I haven’t been to the cafe yet! As I am not in Mumbai anymore…
But, that did not stop me from trying out their roast by ordering them from their website. They have a range of roast right from Meghalaya to the southern estate. 
The packaging and the taste of coffee are well balanced. I ordered the Woodway estate that has flavours of Carmel, Dates and cocoa a good coffee option if you are looking for something that’s not sweet but also slightly dark. 
KC Roaster- Marahulla Grounded Coffee : 
Home became the new destination. I had just ordered Pour-over Coffee equipment. 
It’s like having drip Coffee, that’s known as V60 as it’s a 60-degree angle in a v shape where you need to add filter paper and have a carafe below for the coffee to drip down. So to enjoy this I ordered grounded coffee from one of my favourite cafes in Mumbai.
And having already enjoyed all Indian homegrown coffee & chocolates. This has been one of the smoothest coffees with notes of Cocoa & Caramel. 
Kelagur washed was another good smooth coffee that was not too strong even though it’s said to be an ultra Dark Roast 
but had the taste of dark chocolate and a little buttery. You should try these two from KC Roaster. 

2020 Lockdown Itinerary!

More than halfway through 2020. I ended up reading about a dozen books, Losing track of time. It hardly made me realise it’s been five months, I haven’t travelled anywhere at all. Not even Mumbai which is the closest Metro city from my hometown Nashik.

This also made me question am I liking it to be in one place, without moving at all.

Well, To be honest. It’s a first for me and while I couldn’t travel physically anywhere. Not even to a restaurant or cafe.

I have been having the best of food cuisines right from Thai, Chinese, and Italian pizzas to freshly baked desserts and cakes at home. This doesn’t mean I don’t miss going out.

I Sure do because, when we go out, We go for the experience of going somewhere, Trying something new, different or sometimes just for the ambience and service of being served, rather than helping ourselves. You also go for the occasional noise that’s part of the environment. People chit-chatting having conversations, to you finding the solution and clearing your doubts from not knowing what to order, to going with the suggestion by the waiter serving you to missing out a menu option, that the order table guest has just ordered.

As far as travelling goes as a tourist- The Books have been helping me by taking me to America by going on a history tour by having a well-researched guide (Bill Bryson) To telling me about Indian history by making me meet Historians such as William Dalrymple. Reading makes me feel sometimes “Lost in Japan” by either overhearing a mysterious case “Under The Midnight Sun” or giving it a realism-magical sense of the place by letting me know about “Kafka on The Shores” To making me Revisit Turkey But this time also making me experiencing the “Snow” by a local Orhan Pamuk and taking me to a lesser-known city in the country Kars.

Reading made me understand a doctor’s life by sharing the concept of “Being Mortal” to making me meet some interesting personalities, Michelle Obama & Robert Iger.

All these experiences while sipping coffee and hopping around the different corners of my home, enjoying the weather and trying to do my best while sitting at home.

But, Yes Travelling physically cannot be replaced by reading books. But, reading can comfort you in planning out your next travel journey.