Espresso Romano
Where: Paris Cafe in Salt Lake, Ballygunge and New Alipore
The cup: We discovered that lemon is to coffee what salt is to caramel. This coffee is a straight shot of espresso — with no milk or sugar — served with a slice of lemon that you have to squeeze. A drop or two is enough to tone down the espresso’s bitterness. The lemony flavour adds a special punch.
Costs: Rs 50-plus.
Also try: Quad (four shots of espresso) and Con Panna (espresso with whipped cream).
Rock & Roll Cappuccino
Where: Abar Baithak, 128 Jodhpur Park, near Allahabad Bank
The cup: The tiny lemon zest shavings give a citrusy taste to this cappuccino topped with milk foam and cinnamon dust. At the first sip comes the lemony sweet milk foam, followed by the medium-bodied brew with bitter-sweet floral flavours. The cinnamon dust lends a caramelly aroma.
Costs: Rs 100.
Also try: Berriccino (coffee with strawberry syrup) and Caramel Coffee.
Macchiato
Where: Sienna Store & Cafe, 49 Hindusthan Park, opposite Byloom
The cup: Keeping true to the Italian tradition, the coffee is “marked with a little milk foam on the top” and is served in a small cup. To help you turn it into an #instapic, the baristas at the cafe drop a few light-roasted coffee beans on it. Done clicking? Now enjoy the slightly buttery, slightly tart, crisp brew with a Cream Cheese Walnut Crostini.
Costs: Rs 80.
Also try: Americano.
Cafe bombon
Where: Raj’s Spanish Cafe, 7 Sudder Street (beside Gujarat Handicrafts)
The cup: Is for the one with the sweetest tooth. Trapped between a layer of thick condensed milk and whipped cream, the single shot of espresso struggles to kick back at the creamy sweetness once you stir in the concoction. Costs: Rs 100.
Also try: Mocha Latte and Espresso Con Panna.
Hazelnut latte
Where: Flurys, Park Street
The cup: A single shot of espresso topped with frothed full cream milk and a dash of French hazelnut syrup. The sweet aroma and nuttiness of the hazelnut syrup cuts through the bitterness and acidity of the Arabica coffee. A bite of an Almond Honey Tart or a chicken/ham croissant can up the experience. Costs: Rs 181.
Also try: Viennese Coffee (strong black coffee served with whipped cream) and Cafe Brut (a single shot of espresso in hot water).
Choco Rose Latte
Where: The Bikers Cafe, first floor, Platinum Mall, 31 Elgin Road
The cup: When you mix frothed milk with an espresso shot, you get a latte. A hint of rose syrup adds a subtle sweet, just the kind if you are avoiding sugar but don’t like your coffee bitter.
Costs: Rs 150-plus.
Also try: Vanilla Latte, Choco Hazelnut and Cream Mocha.
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe
Where: Ornaate — The Cafe Store,
5A Ballygunge Terrace, in the lane beside Anjali Jewellers, Golpark
The cup: A lemonade meets a chocolate and a rose meets a blueberry — this one’s a riddle of flavours. It’s subtle and fruity (or is it floral?) and leaves a nutty aftertaste.
Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is one of the most sought after East African coffees in the world, grown in the Yirgacheffe district of Ethiopia at an elevation of 5,800ft to 6,600ft above sea level. Sit back with this cup and a spicy chicken wrap.
Costs: Rs 280 for an espresso double shot.
Also try: The 18 blends from different countries — Kenya, Cameroon, Italy, Turkey, Argentina, Portugal... the list goes on!
Decaf guatemala
Where: Cafe Mezzuna, Forum and South City
The cup: You want coffee minus the caffeine? This is the cup. Grown in the “volcanic southern regions of Guatemala”, the beans come decaffeinated and roasted medium dark. Made in the French press style, we like the round body and the strong aroma without the acidic aftertaste of a regular coffee.
Costs: Rs 125-plus.
Also try: Cappuccino and Latte.
Pourover
Where: 8th Day Cafe & Bakery, No. 6, ground floor, Arcadia, AJC Bose Road, diagonally opposite Alliance Française du Bengale
The cup: The Pourover is a hand-brewed drip coffee, the making of which is a treat in itself. Coffee beans are brought to your table, weighed, ground and then hot water is poured over it through a filter paper. Which makes it a round (‘smooth’ in coffee parlance) and moderately acidic coffee, not too bitter yet strong enough to keep you from dozing off even after a no-sleep-night. Drink it with a Salted Caramel Cupcake.
Costs: Rs 109-plus.
Also try: French Press and Macchiato.
Irish coffee
Where: The Irish House, fifth floor, Quest mall
The cup: Food folklore has it that an airline chef, in order to warm up the freezing passengers of a flight gone awry, stirred some Irish whisky into the coffee he had in the pantry, topped it with cream and called it Irish coffee! This coffee contains Jameson Irish whisky, espresso shot, whipped cream, honey and demerara
(a type of brown sugar). Always served in a glass, the layers from bottom to top — espresso plus alcohol, crema and whipped cream — make it the prettiest coffee cup. And also the yummiest.
Costs: Rs 450-plus.
Also try: Cafe Latte, Cafe Mocha and Iced Cappuccino.
Hot siphon coffee
Where: Bodega Cantina-Y-Bar,
24 Park Centre, ground floor, Park Street-Camac Street crossing
The cup: It looks like a contraption of jars and tubes in a chemistry lab but boy, does it pour out some coffee with a punch. It’s a bright brew with a light body (meaning it’s high on caffeine without the bitter bite), and a rich aroma. Costs: Rs 199.
Also try: Cold Brew Siphon Coffee and Cortado (espresso cut with warm full fat milk).
Dancing coffee
Where: Prema Vilas, 63/1 Lake Market, in the lane opposite Lake Mall
The cup: This one is all about drama. A dark layer of coffee forms the bed, topped by milk and a big froth dancing out of the rim. Look carefully and the coffee layer would seem to have a mind of its own— moving gently in a wave pattern. How does that happen?! “That’s our speciality. Let it be a secret,” winks the waiter. Costs: Rs 65-plus.
Also try: Filter Coffee.
South Indian Filter Coffee, or Kaapi
Where: Calcutta South India Club canteen, Hindusthan Park, in the Fabindia lane. Also at The Chutney Co., first floor, Center Point, 21 Hemanta Basu Sarani, BBD Bag
The cup: It may be a little too sweet but we love the heady aroma of this frothy concoction bubbling in a steel glass, placed in a steel tumbler. The drink is a milk-and-coffee mix, made with the indigenous two-part coffee-maker that you will find in most south Indian homes.
Costs: Rs 25-plus at CSIC canteen and Rs 40-plus at The Chutney Co.
CHEF VIKAS OF FLURYS DECODES YOUR CUPPA
At the heart of all coffee is a measure of Espresso. It is the simplest coffee, which is a concoction of hot water with ground coffee beans, mostly about 7g to a portion. All the coffee variations that you see are essentially a variation of the espresso. It is made in an espresso machine, which makes the warm water pass through the ground coffee under pressure to pull out all the aroma and caffeine in it.
Cappuccino is 25ml espresso, 30ml frothed milk and 30ml froth. Latte is espresso plus frothed milk. Americano is espresso with hot water. Macchiato is double espresso with just a dollop of froth. Flat white is what we call milk coffee, which has no froth; it’s espresso with hot milk. Mocha or Mochaccino is basically espresso with hot chocolate.
AND SOME LIKE IT COLD
House Special Cold Coffee
Where: The Bikers Cafe
The sip: This iced latte comes in a glass bulb-shaped container and has a heady, chocolatey aroma and a vanilla-flavoured aftertaste, thanks to the vanilla ice cream mixed in the milk and the strong coffee. Frothy streams of chocolate sauce gliding down the bulb wall is a visual treat.
Costs: Rs 168-plus.
Also try: Coffee with Brownie (a brownie is mixed in the coffee).
Iced Mocha
Where: Raj’s Spanish Cafe
The sip: Another sweetness overload, this iced coffee tastes as good as it looks. A strong milk coffee mixed with rich chocolate sauce and sweetened whipped cream, served on the rocks — this one’s got a gooey feel to it.
Costs: Rs 100.
Also try: Iced Latte and Espresso with blended ice.
Coffee on the rocks
Where: Ornaate — The Cafe Store
The sip: Shaken, not stirred... this is a blend of two types of coffee and ice. The vigorous shaking opens up the flavours, resulting in a thick layer of crema (the foam-like part on the top) that compliments the kick you get a few sips into the drink.
Costs: Rs 130-plus.
Also try: Bitter Cold Coffee and Mint Mocha.
Sober Russian espresso
Where: Q33, Quest mall
The sip: Do they make it in Thailand? Though there’s Russian in the name, the coconut milk in the coffee gives it a Thai twist. Plus, a dash of maple syrup makes it a sweet sip.
Costs: Rs 175-plus.
Also try: Iced Choco Mint and Iced Dark Mocha.
COFFEE-FLAVOURED DESSERTS TO DIE FOR!
IL’ TIRAMISU
@ Serafina, Quest mall
The scoop: A fluffy, gooey half-mousse, half-cake-like dessert that oozes a creamy sauce with each bite. Costs: Rs 585-plus.
AFFOGATO
@Sienna Store & Cafe
The scoop: Meaning ‘drowned’ or ‘be smothered’ in Italian, Affogato is a scoop of vanilla ice cream drowned in an espresso shot brewed from Attikan Arabica coffee, topped with broken walnuts. It was on Parineeti Chopra’s menu too when she came visiting!
Costs: Rs 110-plus.
SOUTH INDIAN COFFEE ICE CREAM
@ Pabrai’s Fresh & Naturelle, 28 Sarat Bose Road
The scoop: A rich, creamy ice cream with a strong whiff of filter coffee.
Costs: Rs 71-plus.
WAKE UP AND SMELL THE FILTER COFFEE. T2 SHOPS ONLINE...
1. Blue Tokai (www.bluetokaicoffee.com): Apart from automatic grinders and miscellaneous coffee merchandise, they collect beans from around 10 coffee estates, roast and grind them (no, they don’t blend coffees from different estates) as you like it and ship it to your address.
2. The Indian Bean (www.theindianbean.com): With names like Forest Coffee, Watapi Coffee and Appa’s Coffee on the product list, this Mumbai-based company promotes and sells Indian coffee because “we think it’s great”.
3. Black Baza (www.blackbazacoffee.com): They guarantee that your coffee comes “from a farm that follows biodiversity-friendly farming practices”. That means there’s no chemical pesticide in your sip.
4. Seven Beans (www.sevenbeans.co): This Bangalore-based company claims to use specialised Italian roasting techniques on Indian coffee beans before shipping the right blend to you.
5. The Coffee Co. (www.thecoffeeco.in) : You get blends of shade-grown coffee (coffee plants growing in the shades of forest trees), plus a range of brewing equipment and accessories.
Also check out:
Halli Berri (www.halliberri.com) and Riverine (www.riverine.co.in)
T2 RAIDS THE RACKS OF SPENCER’S, SOUTH CITY, FOR COFFEE & CO.
Text: Sibendu Das. Pictures: Rashbehari Das, B. Halder, Arnab Mondal and Anindya Shankar Ray
Where do you go for the best coffee in town? Tell t2@abp.in
