Raise a roast

The third wavemdashand we donrsquot mean that of Covid19 but the specialty coffee bean to cup brewing trendmdashis well and truly grown We are in fact just around the bend of the fourth wave but the current transition phase is giving many new coffee roasters the chance to experiment with the principles the third wave and create processfocussed blends and singleorigin coffees Last month two independent coffee makers caught our eye One is based in Bengaluru the other is closer home in PuneThe dabba filter makes a great brewCelebrating Indian filter methodEvery specialty coffee blend launched by Bhava is called Indian Filter Coffee Its Bengalurubased founders Bharath GB and Prashanth Nayak have shifted their focus to the south Indian filter coffee method They hope it gets its national due A typical South Indian filter coffee drinker expects three things from their coffee it has to be strong it has to have a burnish brownish colour and the taste should linger on the palate for halfanhour after enjoying a cuppa says Bharath drawing from research ldquoPeople who donrsquot consume filter coffee are not okay with this taste We wanted to make a filter coffee that put the Indian coffeemaking method at the forefront There already exists a trend of singleorigin coffee but we are focusing on the quality and blending too We make our coffee using peaberry which is how our grandfather originally drank itrdquo Bharath saysTheir first blend was Dainika meant primarily for the filter coffee drinker The second Asmita came with a tag of premium This writer tried two blends Asmita Rs 300 and Anandam Rs 400 We test the first using a pourover filter a method we use for our everyday cup The cup is dark and nutty and there is no acidity in the aftertaste A mix of robusta and Arabica beans it wakes us up and keeps us sprightly for half the day This blend has Mysore coffee nuggets Monsoon Malabar and Robusta Coffee RoyaleFor Anandam we use the dabba filter that the team has sent across We add two teaspoons in the upper percolated compartment place the umbrella and add two more spoons along with a generous spoonful of sugar We place it on the lower compartment and top it with water and close the top Ten minutes later the concoction is ready This can also be consumed as black coffee We transfer it to a pot and put it on the stove add hot milk and bring it to a boil The coffee is a precise Madras filter coffee hitting all the right notes on the palate and refreshing our sensesBharath GBWe have forgotten to use our old filter method While researching for coffee the duo realised that most expert communities were not keen to have something made with filter coffee The argument was that it is a pricesensitive niche market Bharath defers ldquoBut we were confident and clear that we wanted to create a blend that tasted good and was on par with any newage brewing method The filter coffee decoction is as good as a French press We want the Indian filter to be part of brewing methods used around the world India is the fifthlargest coffee producer in the world it is time we have a brewing method in our namerdquowwwbhavaearthcomFocus on undiscovered estateEarly this month Koregaon Park Lane No 6 paved the way for Punersquos first roastery and cafeacute that serves speciality cuppas and eats Founder Chirag Oswal launched the GreySoul online specialty coffee store first This was last year after he had spent the better part of the first lockdown taking long bus rides to Karnataka and charting cupping sessions with coffee growers Oswal who owns an ad agency in Pune began his coffee journey eight years ago as an enthusiast journeying from sipping latte and cappuccino at mass cafe chains to owning his own Breville coffee machine This was followed by the third wave of specialty coffees and diving into trying different brewing styles from French press to moka pot pour over and siphonOswal spent over three weeks understanding specialty coffee and coffee processing while staying with producers across different estates he says and another two weeks getting a certification in roasting and practical training in Q Grading GreySoul deviates from the thirdwave coffee roasters by focusing on experimental roasting and identifying and working with smaller independent farms like Kogilahalla and BiCode Estates in addition to the popular Harley Barabara and Ratnagiri ldquoThis helped us focus on undiscovered estates that eventually went to become our bestsellersrdquo he tells middayThis writer brought home two bags Barbara MediumDark washed and Burundi Washed from Harley Estate R375 ldquoThe lockdown made it easy for us as more people started brewing coffee at home and became familiar with specialty coffee We focus on the roast profile and coffee processing Our top seller from last year was Mango and Loop from the Kogilahalla Estate It has run out We alternate this crop so it will be available only next year At any given time we have over 20 specialty coffees to brew and serve at our caferdquoGrey Soul Coffee Roastery amp Brew BarGrey Soul Coffee Roastery amp Brew Bar A2 Shahinsha Society Lane No 6 Koregaon Park Pune 830 am to 11 pmGreysoulcoffee