My quest for good Coffee, in this Tea drinking city, has seen me go through several cups
Coffee
My quest for good Coffee, in this Tea drinking city, has seen me go through several cups. More bad ones than good. I realized that there was very little of the good brew out there. Those who are addicted to Coffee, will know how disturbing a mediocre or bad cup of coffee can be, and also know the sheer bliss of the perfect Cup.
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While a lot of factors contribute to that perfect cup, ranging from the quality of beans, freshness of milk, mood of the barista and so many other variables like these. What really matters to me is how good the beans are, when they were roasted and definitely no “Low Fat” Milk. Once you have tasted coffee made from freshly ground beans, it is difficult to make peace with an instant mediocre brew.
I have put together a list of the Best 4 from my experiments with Cafes and here they are…
Zen Cafe
The Coffee at the Zen Cafe in Lower Parel, is as smooth as silk. There’s something about the way their coffee is made that makes you always want to have the second cup and on several occasions I have. I tried to find out from where they source their coffee, because there is a distinct lightness, yet thickness of coffee and lack of acidity in it.
Their beans are a combination of Origin X — a carefully profiled small batch roast of award-winning high altitude organic coffee from the Balmaadi estate, perched within the O-valley region of the Nilgiris and espresso X—a unique blend of Balmaadi arabica and the world’s first Q-graded Fine Robusta from Sethuraman estate, Chikmagalur
Their baristas are experts, and whip up a mean cortado, cappucino or even an affogato. Their coffee art surprisingly stays intact for a while as you sip the cappucino that’s covered with a velvety microfoam. It surely gets my vote for one of the best cups in the city. It’s a basic coffee menu, no frills but damn good coffee.
Suzette
A meal at Suzette is unlikely to ever be a disappointment, thankfully for me the same is true of their coffee as well. They use a super premium 100% arabica coffee blend with a medium dark roast only assembled and roasted for them. If you like a cappucino then the richness of taste comes from the best milk in the market Pride of Cows. It is my first choice for a meal out in Bandra when I want to end it with coffee.
BAD Cafe
The BAD Cafe that opened earlier this year, opened with the claim of serving the best coffee in town, and they have pretty much lived up to this claim. They source their beans from down south for robust flavors. What makes their brew truly special is that their coffee is brewed from beans which come from the first point of coffee farm, that are handpicked and aged with care. They have an exhaustive coffee menu, and perhaps the most robust one in Mumbai. I like their cappucino the best. I have tried a few of their coffees and they have something that will reach out to the passing coffee drinker as well as the aficionado
BAD innovates with fit and complimenting flavors, which go beyond enhancing the taste and feel of the brew! In fact they have also started retailing their coffee. You can get them in two variations. Yin and Yang**
Matunga – Filter Coffee
Just the way one is unlikely to drink Bad Filter Coffee in Madras, the same holds true in Matunga as well. I know I can blindly order it and not be dissapointed. The strength of the decoction may oscillate a bit but more often than not you will treat yourself to a damn good davra of coffee. I’ve had coffee at Arya Bhavan and Madras Cafe and both have been damn good. Familiar comfort of Filter Coffee and all the happiness that comes with it.
Apart from the ones I have listed above, the coffee at Le 15 Colaba (They use Blue Tokai) and the Pantry is also pretty good and definitely worth a try. All these cafes surely know the importance of sourcing the right beans, with attention to the quality of the roast, the freshness of the roast and of course the quality of the milk they use if they are whipping up a cappucino or any coffee with milk.
Since I moved to Mumbai from the intensive Coffee Drinking City Chennai, I realized that much like the Sambaar, the coffee palate was also different here. everytime I cribbed about the coffee, very few people got it. I prefer drinking my coffee at home, because there will be no disappointment, but I like to have a second cuppa outside once in a while.
If I have missed out any place that serves a good cup of Joe, do share that with me, I would love to discover it. While I am no coffee expert, I lack the patience for a bad one, and will make a trek for a good one, so hit me with your suggestions.
** About Yin and Yang
Yin: A rooted emotion, dark texture and cold effect strike a balance with the chaotic and expansive human body, making it calm and centered.
Yang: A creation that empowers and energizes you to achieve activity, execution and sustenance with the fire of creativity.
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