The Coffee tale in Koraput is less than a century old. It all started in the early 1930s when the Maharaja of Koraput planted a few coffee seeds to ensure his breakfast table never fell short of the bewitching brew. Within a decade the coffee saplings took fancy to the new terroir & the micro-climate of the Eastern Ghats . The tribal folks found a better crop to raise which they interplanted with mango & jackfruit trees with pepper-vines crawling up the trunks to augment the harvest.
Saptagiri in the heart of Koraput lies on a 3 billion years old piece of continental crust (perhaps the oldest landmass in the world) & ensconced in a dense jungle with tumbling waterfalls, heavily laden fruit trees, & millennia-old rich humus to enrich the soil. The tribes whose ancestors tilled & toiled on the land of the Satvahana & the Ikshvakus started cultivating 100% Arabica which not only got GI tagged but now keeps the baristas busy in London, NY, & Paris.
A gentle plunge...
I first tried the Koraput coffee in a French Press. In the first instant not mindful of the water which had boiled over while I was busy ladling out some wet feed for Cinder, I had to place a fresh pot on the stove till it started to simmer. A 100% Arabica from Saptagiri would require 2Tbsp. of grind for a robust and fragrant brew. 4 mins of steeping & then plunging gently, allows a perfect extraction. I usually have it after sunset; not while I am busy, but when I have the allowance to reflect on the well-balanced cupping notes & appreciate the uniqueness of the brew & contemplate on the land of its origin that quite often draws a silent nod & makes me say– 'Est, Est Est !!!'
Cold Brew Gets A Lot Cooler
A Cold Brew coffee is no witch’s secret, nor nor do u need any fancy machines or the discipline of a Shaolin Monk.
All that you need is a cup of coarsely ground coffee , preferably an Arabica to which you need to add 4 cups of water v/v ( Not by weight but by volume). Which is 100 gms of coffee to 800 ml of water.
Stir it with a wooden spoon to break the bloom & cover the container/jar of coffee with a lid and refrigerate overnight.
Next morning give it a good stir and strain it into a clean jug. The jug can be stored in the fridge for a week.
For a cold brew, place 4 cubes of ice in the cup and pour the brewed concentrate as required. Dilute it with water or milk as per your preference.
Add hot water and milk to the portioned brew for a hot cup of coffee.
Have it without milk and sugar – au naturel for 0 calorie, 0 carbs, 0 protein, 0 fat, and yet 100% refreshment
* Note: Coffee is as good as the water it is brewed in.
**An odor and chemical-free filtered water always yield the best result
*** A 100% Arabica renders better returns
**** Scroll down to place an online coffee order for your preferred brew
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