Filter coffee

 

South Indian Coffee, also known as Filter coffee is a sweet milky coffee made from dark roasted Coffee beans (70%-80%) and Chicory (20%-30%), especially popular in the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka , Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The most commonly used coffee beans are Arabica and Robusta. grown in the hills of Karnataka (Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan), Kerala (Malabar region) and Tamil Nadu (Nilgiris District, Yercaud and Kodaikanal).Outside India, a coffee drink prepared using a filter may be known as Filter Coffee or as Drip Coffee as the water passes through the grounds solely by gravity and not under pressure or in longer-term contact.

I was and is a fan of filter coffee. When I was in school I had a Brahmin friend Megha Moorthy,  whenever I visited , her mom used to prepare nice filter coffee. Radha aunty .............are you reading this?????
After that my memories about it are restricted to some restaurants which serve  good filter coffees. Now here in my apartment there is another Brahmin friend of mine , Pavitra ,who again restarted its availability for us. She makes perfect coffee in minutes and the best part is that it is served in the traditional Madras style Davarah. I learned the method from her and started making it at home . I have a Coffee filter gifted by my friend Chethana and some filter coffee powder gave by another friend, Sowmya,  which she brought from Bangalore. With both of these in hand , I tried it , though not as perfect as the ones I got from these experts I can also now make near to good ones.

 INGREDIENTS:

The two main materials needed for making this delicious coffee are 

1) Coffee filter

South Indian coffee is brewed with a metal device that resembles two cylindrical cups, one of which has a pierced bottom that nests into the top of the "tumbler" cup, leaving ample room underneath to receive the brewed coffee. The upper cup has two removable parts: a pierced pressing disc with a central stem handle, and a covering lid.

2) The special ground coffee powder (Not the instant powder)

• Sugar - 2 tablespoons
• Coffee powder- 3 tablespoons 
• Milk- 2 cups
• Water- 3/4 cup

(The measurement given in this recipe is the one that suit my taste. If you want less or more sweet or strong flavor then you can increase or reduce the sugar and coffee powder as per the need )

Serves 2

How to Prepare:

Step 1: Assemble the parts of the filter fixing the sieved cup over the tumbler cup. 

Step 2: Put three heaped tablespoons of the coffee powder in the upper cup with the sieve. Gently tap the sides for even distribution of the  powder. Place the pierced pressing disc with the stemmed handle on the coffee powder and gently press it down evenly. 

Step 3:: Boil 3/4 cup water to bubbling stage and pour it over the coffee powder over the handle. 

Step 4: Place the lid on top and keep it undisturbed for about 30 minutes or till the decotion of the entire powder collects in the bottom cup. Device is left to slowly drip the brewed coffee into the bottom

 Step 5: The decotion gets collected in the bottom tumbler cup. 

Step 6: Boil two cups whole milk adding required amount of sugar . Switch off flame .

Add three spoons of the decotion into the boiled milk. This usually gives a good taste. But if you like more strong coffee then you can add the decotion till your desired color for the coffee is attained, Stir well

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Step 7: This is the most important step.

Coffee is typically served after pouring back and forth between the dabarah and the tumbler in huge arc-like motions of the hand. This serves several purposes: mixing the ingredients (including sugar) thoroughly; cooling the hot coffee down to a sipping temperature; and most importantly, aerating the mix without introducing extra water (such as with a steam wand used for frothing cappuccinos). An anecdote related to the distance between the pouring and receiving cup leads to the coffee's another name "Meter Coffee". 

Step 8: Serving style
The coffee is drunk from the tumbler  but is often cooled first with a dabarah - "dabarah" (also pronounced in some regions as 'davarah'): a wide metal saucer with lipped walls.

   

(This Photo of the Davarah and some of the details in the write up are taken from Wikipedia )

 As I do not have it here at home I served in our normal Indian tea cups  .

Tips: I got these from different websites and blogs, just selected those which I found useful and put it together for you.

•  If you want to make more quantity decotion you can use a bigger size filter . Of if that is unavailable then you can make two or three times. You can start the process before hand , like if you want it in the morning then you can pour the boiled water overnight over the powder and keep it for the decotion to form slowly. 
• If you want to use a cooled decotion or if you want to use the leftover for a sooner time , then you can reheat it keeping the tumbler over boiling water. Never use cool decotion.
• Always boil the milk first before adding the decotion. And switch off flame while adding decotion. Never boil the milk after adding decotion as this will alter the flavor. 
• If you have added more powder then the percolation would not be fast and you would not be able to add the required amount of boiled water in the first time. In such cases you can make it in several steps and mix all the collected decotion finally to make the concentration equal as the  subsequent collection would differ in their strength. 
• Regarding the coffee powder used- each family has its own favorite brand and combination. I have heard that there are places that grind it fresh according to your need and give . You can enquire the ones near your place for it. If you are living abroad , there are some good coffee beans in normal grocery stores that suits the purpose. Maybe an expert friend will be able to help you chose one according to your taste.