Filter coffee - Drip Coffee recipe

South Indian Coffee Recipes

Filter coffee drip coffee, also known as South Indian coffee, madras coffee, drip coffee for simply 'Kaapi" is another very commonly used coffee recipe in south India.

Filter coffee is a very refreshing drink preferred in Southern Indian states. It is more commonly drunk in the south Indian states Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh. The south Indian states are also coffee producers.

The Coorg district of Karnataka state is known for it's coffee estates and it's hilly areas and is a popular holiday destination.

The north Indian states drink more tea generally. But restaurants everywhere now offer the south Indian strong filter coffee along with tea as well as instant coffee.

Traditionally the frothy coffee is served in small stainless steel glasses in homes and restaurants. It may also be served in glass or porcelain mugs. But the traditional way is the best for most people.

In the southern states, as you walk through the streets in the early mornings, you will get the lovely inviting aroma of the freshly brewed coffee.

Filter coffee is served at all times of the day according to personal preferences. At breakfast, the evening snack times filter coffee is a must for most people.

It is customary to offer at least a glass of filter coffee to all visitors.

The coffee powder used to make coffee:

coffee beans

Though coffee powder is available ready to use, many house wives still roast coffee beans at home and grind them every morning.

That is because the aroma and taste of freshly roasted and ground coffee is better than the pre ground coffee powder. And the traditionalists do not like to compromise on the taste of their everyday coffee.

Some use special coffee grinders and mixers for grinding coffee beans. Others like me use the readily available coffee powder. Many use only the pure coffee powder to make their coffee. But many also prefer the chicory added coffee powder. The ratio of coffee to chicory varies from 70-30 to 80-20 depending on the personal choice.

In many local coffee powder shops, when you go to buy coffee powder, the coffee is ground in front of you according to your specifications. The adding of chicory is also done according to your liking.

Metal coffee filter assembly

You can see the four parts of the traditional South Indian coffee filter.

The top container of a coffee filter with holes.

1. The top container which has holes at the bottom.

This container is placed over the lower container where coffee decoction is collected. .

Coffee powder is added to this container with holes.

2. The stick with disk (disk has perforations too), placed on the coffee powder to keep powder down. Hot water is poured on the stick.

3. The lower container, where the filtered coffee decoction is collected.

4. The lid is placed on the top container.

Filter coffee using coffee filter or Coffee Maker

Assembled traditional Coffee filter

The south Indian filter coffee is made using the metal coffee filter.

Though electric coffee makers are used by some, the stainless steel coffee filters which are manual coffee filters and are more commonly used.

The electric filters may have paper mesh or a stainless steel fine mesh for filtering the coffee decoction. The stainless steel filter consists of two pots placed one above other.

The top one has a perforated bottom. You put the ground coffee powder in the top part. Place another perforated disk (with a stick to hold the disk) on it to hold the coffee powder in place and then pour hot water over the disk. The water passes through the coffee powder and collects in the lower pot as coffee decoction.

The time taken depends on the amount of coffee powder and the amount of water. The coffee decoction is made as strong as desired by adding more coffee powder or less water to the filter.

Stainless steel filter is a manual coffee filter where you can control and vary the coffee powder, water etc, according to your taste. Every coffee drinking house has a stainless steel filter. The size of the coffee filter depends on the number of members who drink coffee in the house.

How to make coffee in a coffee filter

Ingredients to make 1 cup coffe decoction (to make 2-3 cups coffee with milk)

Coffee powder - 2 -4 tbsp according to how strong you want your decoction
Water - 1 cup
Sugar - 1 tsp per cup or according to taste
milk - 1 to 1 1/2 cups

Method to make coffee decoction:

Heat water. Put the coffee powder in the top filter part.
Put the stick filter on the coffee powder.
When the water gets hot, pour it carefully on the stick.
Cover the filter. It will take about 8-10 minutes for all the water to pass through coffee powder and collect into the bottom container.

Now your coffee decoction is ready to use.

How to make coffee with the decoction

Heat milk.
Take some(about 1/4th) coffee decoction in a cup.
Add milk and sugar according to taste. Stir.
Serve immediately.

If you like coffee very hot, heat the coffee and milk mixture but do not let it boil.

Tips: You can make the decoction and use it when you need within a few hours.

Make the decoction thicker by adding more coffee powder or by reducing the water you add.

The taste and thickness will depend on the quality of coffee powder, the amount of chicory used in coffee powder, the freshness of the coffee powder, the quality of the milk etc.

So experiment with these till you get your desired taste.

Enjoy your filter coffee drip coffee

Related Pages to visit:

Iced Coffee Recipes

Flavored Coffee

Instant coffee Recipes

Almond Drink - Badam Milk

Snack Recipes