Its not Just Coffee

Coffee... Legend has it that it came from Ethiopia. But for me I don't mind where it comes from as long as I get a good coffee.

For me the ultimate coffee would be the one my mom makes. The events associated with the coffee makes it more pleasant than the actual thing.. Hmm I still remember the 8.00 am rule.. No coffee if u wakes up after 8.00 am (8.00 am is like middle of night for me).

If you are from Coimbatore then if you say Annapurna it’s synonymous with is coffee ( Of course I'm not denying the sambar).Served in small tumblers & dawaras ( pardon my spelling ) It’s a common site in hotels all over South India.

Travel in trains.. You could unmistakably hear “Coffee Hot Coffee”. The only time it tastes like coffee would be when the guy serving filled the container with 2 cups. But alas we don’t get to taste that as it is filled with more hot sugary water. If you don’t believe me, try taking coffee from the vendor each time he passes you. You could notice that the coffee gets thinner after each visit. ( Don’t ask for reimbursement for your coffee expenses.. It’s not the coffee you are checking, but it is your belief system J )

There are machines which vends coffee in my company.. I have tried all the machines but what it makes is not coffee... It doesn't look like coffee, nor smells like it & did I say tastes like coffee???? I keep wondering why they call it coffee machines when it doesn't make a decent coffee ( Asking for a good coffee from a vending machine is like asking Kamal Hassan not to kiss a heroine - Movies/real life Choice is yours )

7 months back I landed in US for my job related assignment.. There were no coffee machines in here!! Now that’s sacrilegious.. Fortunately for me though there was a Starbucks right across. Man they have different kind of coffees. It reminded me of the movie ' You've got mail' where Tom Hanks says " Starbucks.. A place where people who don't know to make a decision are forced to take one"

Wow I’m now in coffee heaven... but the trouble is... I don't drink black coffee. My perfect coffee is a south Indian filter coffee. Well then came my experimentations.. I tried all types.. Regular , Decaf , Lattes, Frappes & what not. In all sizes Tall, Large , Venti (This size would be enough for a mid size Indian wedding)

Finally I found that I don't go to starbucks for the coffee, but for the nice baristas there. There is a Mexican guy & a Nepali guy. I could not answer the Mexican guy's question " You don't speak Hindi. Are u Indian? " That’s a bit difficult question to answer. I know Hindi but can't speak as I'm not totally confident of it.

When I was a kid there was a Lipton ad where a model would say "Kaadu malai ellam thedi paathuten Oru nalla tea kedailaa" ( I searched over forests & mountains I did not get a good tea) Now if you remembered that ad... You'd very well remember the gag " Poi Nair kadaila Kelu" (Ask in Nair's tea shop. Never knew why Nair's are always associated with tea shops in TN)

Well.. Still I have not found a good coffee... The best which is accessible to me is my own preparation & as for Starbucks their coffee still remains the best as it is served with lots of smile & loads of warmth...