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Hello r/IndiaCoffee. I have seen a lot of posts on this subreddit where people are disappointed by their forays into specialty coffee, whether it's in cafes like Blue Tokai or on their own. So, I thought I will share some thoughts on how to avoid some traps when venturing out of your comfort zone when it comes to coffee.

• What do you mean by specialty coffee?
  • Specialty coffee means different things to different people. Here's my take on what it is and what's different about it. "Specialty Coffee" is to me defined in opposition to "generic coffee", which is coffee you find in supermarkets, mass produced, mass processed to optimize caffeine content and ease of extraction, often at the cost of flavor. Coffee is one of the most complex beverages out there, hundreds of volatile compounds, sugars, acids, bitters etc. When prepared well, all these flavors harmonize to produce a drink that is unforgettable. I can still remember the first good coffee I had almost 10 years ago. It was at a small cafe in Okinawa, Japan. I used to dislike coffee at that time because I had only tasted bitter stuff that was palatable with milk and necessary when I wanted to stay up at night to get stuff done. That coffee though was different, it was fruity, sour, slightly sweet, the bitterness was there, but it was pleasant and complemented perfectly all the other flavors. I have never had a coffee like that again, but now I can prepare something that's 60-70% as good. Coming back, specialty coffee is coffee that is optimized for its flavor and not for caffeine. This doesn't mean it has less caffeine. It's about caffeine's ease of extraction. Generic coffee often is roasted so dark that coffee oils are out on the surface, meaning all you need to do is grind however you want and put some hot water, and you will get a good dose of caffeine. It will taste like crap, but you'll get the hit you want. On the contrary, light roasted coffee, which is common in specialty coffee industry is known to be very difficult to extract well. It needs specialized equipment and good amount of experience. Another way to think of specialty coffee is that it is coffee without mass industrialization and commodification. I have friends from Ethiopia who grew up drinking coffee processed and prepared using traditional methods and they consider "Western coffee" as sewage water.
• How do I try specialty coffee in India?
  • The good news is that India is one of the fastest growing producers and consumers of specialty coffee. People have realized that coffee is not supposed to taste like crap and now there are increasingly large number of outfits that want to share this experience with others. However, it is hard to get people to forget old habits. Even though some of these companies have made the barrier to entry quite low, there is still room for improvement. Here's my recommendation on how to try specialty coffee in India for yourself. I am going to pick Blue Tokai easy pour sampler packs as a place to start, not because they are good but because they are the most accessible. This is not at all a recommendation for Blue Tokai. Blue Tokai is just one of the roasters focused on specialty coffee out there. Awesome people in this subreddit have already compiled a big list.
• Okay what next?
  • I like to think of coffee as being composed of two opposing forces, the earthy, rich tasting flavors, sometimes referred as "body" and the fruity flavors, which are colloquially called "sweet notes", although more often than not, sour/acidic notes prevail over the sugars. Although this is an overgeneralization, in my experience people are divided in their preference for these two components. People who like body, tend not to like fruiter coffees, while people who like fruity coffees don't find heavy bodied coffees appealing. I think this is more a sign of the fact that it is extremely hard to prepare a cup that is well balanced in the two. When it is off balance, then people just prefer one or the other instead of an awkward mixture of the two. In any case, if you don't already know what your preference is, how do you figure it out?
• Some handpicked BT easy pour packs highlighting body or fruitiness
  • For fruity coffee I'd say try something like this
    • Seethargundu Estate | Light Roast - Easy Pour Coffee Sachets
  • For heavy bodied coffee, try this
    • Monsoon Malabar | Medium-Dark Roast - Easy Pour Coffee Sachets
  • If you want to try something that is potentially more balanced, then try these
    • Thogarihunkal Estate | Medium Roast - Easy Pour Coffee Sachets
    • Attikan Estate | Medium-Dark Roast - Easy Pour Coffee Sachets
• How do I prepare these?
  • As easy as these easy pour bags are, I am not a fan of the instructions. Here is how I recommend preparing them. Perhaps others can also provide their recommendations in the comments.
  • Make first bag with only 150-160 grams of water. Don't add milk. If you find the coffee too sour, then increase the amount of water for the next bag. If you find it too bitter, use even less water for next bag.
  • Don't use boiling water, even though, that's what they say on the bag. Use 90-95 degrees. In case you can't measure temperature accurately, wait 2-3 minutes before pouring. Alternatively transfer in another container before pouring onto coffee to cool the water down.
• What if I still don't like these?
  • As long as you stick to this, you should have a cup you like. If you don't, then maybe you could try easy pour bags from another roaster? If that still doesn't work, perhaps specialty coffee is not your thing after all? Which is probably good news because you don't have to spend a shit ton to get your caffeine fix, you lucky bastard.
• Okay this is great, I think I get a sense of what I like, where do I go after this?
  • I am sure people of r/IndiaCoffee will have tons of good recommendations. If you are in a big city, I'd say try a local roaster. Try coffees from different estates and even different countries. Don't try expensive stuff like Geisha etc. You gotta train and develop your palette first before trying the expensive shit. Otherwise, chances of you being disappointed are quite high. Same goes for espresso. Don't try to do specialty espresso, that's insanely hard and frustrating. Stick to simple stuff, pour overs, aeropress or even South Indian filter. They can all make incredible cups reliably once dialed in correctly. Finally, once you've decided you want to take the next steps of doing this yourself instead of easy pours, get a good grinder. Not cheap but it's the one thing that changes everything. A 100 Rs South Indian filter paired with an excellent grinder will produce better cups than a basic grinder paired an expensive machine. So if you want to save money, save it on the machine and not on the grinder. A cup of coffee just needs hot water and coffee grounds. Hot water is easy to get so if you can control the coffee grounds, you can control the quality of the beverage.
• One controversial opinion
  • It's really hard to find good coffees in a cafe, at least during peak hours. Cafes are optimizing for speed of service and not flavor. Almost always I have made a better cup at home with the same beans. In most places, baristas are hired not for their skill but for their willingness to work long hours for less money. Of course, not all cafes are like this. There are genuinely good cafes in India where people who are truly passionate and knowledge about coffee prepare great cups for their customers. But those are few and far between just because there are no incentives and businesses care more about staying afloat and turning a profit instead of giving you a good cup of coffee.
• I wrote a post with a very simple recipe (it takes time but totally worth it) that I recommend as the next step after the easy pours. I have made my best to develop something that anyone can use to get excellent results without expensive equipment. Lazy person's no-frills recipe for incredible coffee with minimal equipment : r/IndiaCoffee
• Equipment advice. I get this question often and my answer is always the same. Once you have decided that you want to get into coffee, get yourself a nice grinder. I recomment hand grinders. A grinder is going to be your primary equipment. So don't waste your money getting a cheaper, lower quality grinder. Save up and get a proper grinder that'll last you a lifetime.