[carboy]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Other than filter coffee, which blends would you recommend for casual drinkers (no aficionados)

What exactly do you mean by blend - because filter coffee isn't a blend.

Originally Posted by shajufx

Not sure if I am eligible to answer this, but Nescafe and Bru have some very interesting blends.

That's not coffee, that's instant coffee.

[selfdrive]

Originally Posted by carboy

What exactly do you mean by blend - because filter coffee isn't a blend.
.

I thought filter coffee is blended with chicory. As a non coffee drinker, perhaps the word to be used should be something other than blend.
Would appreciate if someone could just recommend good coffees available here.
Have had awesome expressos in EU but don't have a French press here, nor the interest in buying one.

[archat68]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Have had awesome expressos in EU but don't have a French press here, nor the interest in buying one.

If you like coffee then buy a French press from CC'D. It cost merely 300 Rs. Then get the coffee as per your liking. Once you start you can not go back.

The instant coffees like davidoff or nescafe gold are too costly and doesn't taste anything like the real coffee.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

I thought filter coffee is blended with chicory.

Not necessarily. A lot of people use just coffee to make filter coffee.

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Have had awesome expressos in EU but don't have a French press here, nor the interest in buying one.

Espressos (not expressos) aren't a blend of coffee. They are a way of making coffee.

[Steeroid]

Originally Posted by selfdrive

Other than filter coffee, which blends would you recommend for casual drinkers (no aficionados)

No french press, no expresso maker.

If you're a casual drinker, don't bother about blends. Just find a decent local coffee roastary (every town at least in South India has a few) and ask them for their best Peaberry beans, powdered. In Pune, there seems to be a bean/powder distributor called Padmavati Agencies who sells pure arabica as well as blends and also the Lavazza stuff they distribute.

Most don't distinguish between Arabica and Robusta (probably because the coffee left in the country after all the good stuff is exported is mostly Robusta) at these shops. If you do find someone who sells Arabica beans get that instead of peaberry robusta.

'Filter Coffee' in South India HAS to be blended (at least 10%) with Chicory, but you can ask them for good peaberry without the chicory mix at these local roastaries. Note that Chicory is added and mixed each time a package is made at these shops, so its easy to get the coffee without chicory. Since real coffee (not instant, ie) is mostly consumed by the general population only in South India, it would be safe to assume that in India all filter coffee is usually blended - nothing wrong with that observation.

CCD has coffee with and without chicory for casual drinkers. This is a good place to start if you're a casual drinker, and they have some basic equipment that isn't very expensive either.

Another option for the casual drinker who can't bother finding local roasteries and wants a packaged product is Hatti Coffee's 100% pure powders. Not very expensive, and pretty decent.

I highly recommend CCD's FiltaFresh (100% pure coffee, not the chicory blend that they also sell). At Rs.10 a pop it is a good coffee for people on the go - just add hot water and you have a decent coffee. See here:

https://www.cafecoffeeday.com/shop/b...ffee-pack-of-2

If you're a serious drinker, the options increase but the price in India increases disproportionately. For the record a kilo of top-quality Monsooned Malabar from India is available in Dubai for the equivalent of Rs.1,800 while the 'boutique' coffee vendors in India charge at least Rs.2,800 and you're not even sure if the stuff is good.

Other than from these boutique vendors, it is difficult to get hold of India's best coffee in India - almost all of it gets exported to Europe. The Monsooned Malabar is available only in auction lots of 25kg min if you look for it specifically. The ONE place where you can find this sold by the kilo though is at Club Mahindra Coorg - thats a long way to travel even for good coffee.

Note that it is generally considered heresy to mention instant coffee - most serious drinkers don't consider the beverage to be coffee, no matter how expensive or esoteric that instant product is. Instant coffee is made by freeze-drying coffee that is brewed at an industrial scale, usually using the cheapest robusta (nothing wrong with Robusta - just that they pick the lowest grade, and hence this process also gives robusta a bad name) they can lay their hands on.

[BenjiRoss]

My breville 800es coffee machine finally stopped working after 5 years. Very disappointed. I'm looking to buy a decent machine for around RS. 10000 - 15000. Any suggestions that are reliable and work well. The havells and prestige and Russell Hobb for around 5000 look too basic and not that great.

[archat68]

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

My breville 800es coffee machine finally stopped working after 5 years. Very disappointed. I'm looking to buy a decent machine for around RS. 10000 - 15000. Any suggestions that are reliable and work well. The havells and prestige and Russell Hobb for around 5000 look too basic and not that great.

I have this one. It's steam driven 15 bar one. Purchased for around 9K 4 years back. Used for 1 year and later I went out of Kolkata for 3 years and it was kept unused. Again started using it since last 6 months. It's a decent one.

But I think that it is no longer being marketed.

https://www.amazon.in/Morphy-Richard.../dp/B004MKMLAG

[BenjiRoss]

Is it possible to repair my breville machine by myself. It powers on but the pump does not run at all - so sound and no whirring.

[shajufx]

Coffee lovers, has anyone tried the brand Koinonia coming from Mumbai ? I was searching for some espresso grind and found it on Amazon, placed an order for the Moganad Estate Arabica medium roast. 250 grams cost Rs.399 and I am planning to reuse the Nespresso capsules by adding 10 grams of this to each of them. Someone had suggested brand ILLY but I found them as expensive as the original line Nespresso capsules itself.

Any recommended brands to fill in the capsule ? I want to try Coffee Day's 'Dark Forest' and 'Mysore Royal'. But there is no information on the grind type. They have something called 'custom coffee' where we can select the coffee, chicory and grind type.

[dailydriver]

Originally Posted by ritz3645

Fellow coffee lovers...

Just curious.

Did you like the taste of the said ₹300/kg Panduranga coffee? Do you drink it black or with milk? Method of preparation?

[ritz3645]

Originally Posted by dailydriver

Just curious.

Did you like the taste of the said ₹300/kg Panduranga coffee? Do you drink it black or with milk? Method of preparation?

Hi Dailydriver,

I was looking for a strong filter blend for daily use, and yes this product clicked for me. Drink twice daily. I get four quarter kg packs which maintains freshness. My other options were either Bru green label filter 1/2 kg poly pack or CCD filter packs. I may try CCD, but never going back to Bru.

I love black coffee, avoid milk.

I boil water separately and add it to a big mug containing filter coffee + sugar. Post few minutes strain and drink.

*My sugar priority as per availablity is brown/demerara sugar > jaggery > no sugar > white/ refined sugar.

[chinkara]

Originally Posted by Steeroid

In Pune, there seems to be a bean/powder distributor called Padmavati Agencies who sells pure arabica as well as blends and also the Lavazza stuff they distribute.

In Pune, there is a shop at Deccan Gymkhana, just at the crossing on JM Road side, which has decent blends. Forgot the name, but we used to patronize that. We left Pune 16 years ago, but on a recent trip a few months back I saw that the shop is still there.

[chinkara]

Originally Posted by carboy

What exactly do you mean by blend - because filter coffee isn't a blend.

Filter coffee may or may not be a blend. It depends on whether I am using powder from a single source or blending it.

[carboy]

Originally Posted by chinkara

Filter coffee may or may not be a blend. It depends on whether I am using powder from a single source or blending it.

That's exactly what I meant. He was using the term "Filter Coffee" to describe a type of blend. Which it isn't. It's a way of preparing coffee, rather than a type of blend of coffee.

Originally Posted by chinkara

In Pune, there is a shop at Deccan Gymkhana, just at the crossing on JM Road side, which has decent blends. Forgot the name, but we used to patronize that. We left Pune 16 years ago, but on a recent trip a few months back I saw that the shop is still there.

Kumaradhara. It's also there in Aundh.

Originally Posted by ritz3645

I love black coffee, avoid milk.

I boil water separately and add it to a big mug containing filter coffee + sugar. Post few minutes strain and drink.

Buy a drip machine - it costs 1000-2000 Rs. Will make it easier & it will be better also.

[ritz3645]

Originally Posted by carboy

Buy a drip machine - it costs 1000-2000 Rs. Will make it easier & it will be better also.

Hi Carboy,
Let the picture do the talking. My black coffee this morning.

Filter coffee blend - French Blend

Ordered online, Chikmagalur coffee. You will be surprised of the price, check it out at below link.

Link : Website
http://www.pandurangacoffee.com/index.html

Link : For shopping
https://www.instamojo.com/pandurangacoffee/