Best Filter Coffee At Home

Filter coffee aka filter kaapi is the integral and most indispensable part of a huge population in Southern India.

I hail from a South Indian family and it goes without saying that filter coffee aka filter kaapi is the integral and most indispensable part of my daily life.  My mom is a die-hard fan of filter coffee that she swears by.  I got introduced to my first filter coffee when I was in my teens, must be 14 or 15! I still remember my first sip of this amazing drink! And did I fall in love? Oh yes, instantly. I moved to Bangalore for my work after graduation, that’s when I started trying to cook. That’s when I even attempted to make my own filter coffee.  From my experience I can say making perfect decoction for a GOOD filter coffee is an art. You need to know a few tips to make that perfect decoction that yields perfect tumbler of filter coffee.  A tumbler is South Indian cup make of brass of stainless steel in which coffee is served.

Why Filter Coffee?

You ask , Why?!!

Oh the aroma of fresh coffee brew, the frothy top, the sip that makes you go “ahaa!”.

Coffee is a drink, filter coffee is an emotion!

It’s really unique, you need taste that emotion.

Which Coffee Powder is BEST?

It’s very important to use the right coffee powder for filter coffee.  The best premium quality of a filter coffee is the one which is made with a blend of Arabica and Robusta coffee beans. The coffee beans roasted and ground fresh. Roasting coffee beans releases 80% of the aromatics into the coffee.

A little Chicory( roasted and ground woody plant)is added to the coffee powder. This  gives filter coffee it’s aroma and color.

80% coffee 20 % chicory is most preferred by many coffee connoisseurs. Some do love 100% coffee which to my taste buds are quite bitter.

How to Brew Perfect Filter Coffee Decoction

To make filter coffee you need the traditional South Indian Coffee Filter.

-Add 3 medium heaped tea spoons of freshly ground coffee powder in the top perforated container of the coffee filter and place the stemmed disc over it. My personal choice of coffee powder is 80:20 ratio, coffee, chicory ratio. This kind of coffee is quite aromatic and perfect as per my taste preference. You may use the 90:10 or 100% depending on how strong you like your coffee.

-Place the top container over the bottom. Do not press the top container fully to fit inside the bottom container, this will block the brewing. Add ⅓rd cup of hot boiling water to the upper cup of filter.

Cover the lid. Leave the coffee filter undisturbed for few minutes and let the coffee slowly drip the brewed coffee into the bottom cup. This takes approximately 10-15 mins. The amount of water to coffee powder ratio is important to get thick strong decoction.

Note: DO NOT stir or shake the filter – do let it drip and please be patient till it fully filters out.

Caution: The filter will be very hot and hence you need to handle it carefully with a napkin.

Do not tighten the lid or the bottom part too much as it will be difficult to open.

The chicory holds on to the hot water a little longer, letting the water dissolve and extract more of the coffee grinds.  The resulting brew is generally much stronger than Western drip/filter coffee, and often stronger than even espresso.

Make a Nice Cup of Filter Coffee

-Boil ¾ cup of milk – please ensure the milk is boiling hot.

-Pour a quarter cup of decoction we made in step 1 in a cup and add ¾ cup of hot

boiling milk to it.

(Add sugar as per your preference).

-Mix the coffee well preferably by pouring it back and forth into another cup (South

Indian Style and frothy!)..

Strict NO:

Do not heat the decoction and then add milk like in case of tea.

Once the milk is added to the decoction, the coffee should NOT be re-heated and

preferably not microwaved. It should be drunk hot – hence the milk should be really hot.

Serving Filter Coffee

Presentation matters while serving filter coffee. No cups and saucers please. You have to serve filter coffee in davara and tumbler. If you have brass tumbler-davara set, best. If not serve it in stainless steel tumbler-davara set. It’s believed that filter coffee has always been served in tumbler-davara set to retain the temperature of the coffee.  It helps in keeping coffee warmer.

HOMEMADE FILTER COFFEE RECIPE VIDEO

Click play to watch video or you can scroll down to recipe card if you want written recipe.

How about some more coffee recipes?

Iced Coffee

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