Someone once famously said that a yawn is a silent scream for coffee. And what better way to open those sleepy eyes than with a mug of freshly brewed hot drink that fills you with the smell of distant gardens its beans are picked from. When the Sufi saint Baba Budan, in the 17th century, brought seven beans of coffee to Karnataka, from the port city of Mocha, he didn’t know that he was bringing to Hindustan a new beverage culture.
And even after hundreds of years the same aroma wafts in every house and cafe in the country as several brands endorse this golden drink. That’s how ITC Hotels have launched Sunbean Gourmet Coffee in Nicamalai and Panagiri blends which are amalgams of coffee grown in Nicaragua & Anamalai and Panama & Baba Budangiri respectively. City’s plush star hotel ITC Kohenur is celebrating the Coffee Week with these two unique fusion flavours.
We tried four coffee preparations Nicamalai Sparkling Haze, Nicamalai Equinox, Panagiri Vietnamese Iced Coffee and Panagiri Tropicafe. My pick is the second one Nicamalai Equinox with a dash of orange marmalade, choco-chip cookie crumbles and caramel syrup topped with dollops of cream and served in a traditional Irish coffee mug. The fruity tang releases a special lingering taste onto the tongue. I enjoyed drinking the mix which was a delicious coffee mocktail.
To accompany the varied coffee drinks my snack choice from the Charlie stand are: spring rolls filled with vermicelli, herbs and chicken along with Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Tart, Chocolate Cake, Lemon Macaroons, Honey Nut Flan, Lemon and White Chocolate Strata among other savoury tidbits.
It’s worth buying a packet of the blend to enjoy the freshly brewed delight. Available on Amazon and select stores.