Not without my pour-over coffee

Never compromise on your favourite coffee as you can now grab the familiar taste irrespective of the location

HYDERABAD: Caving your takeaway coffee from the cafe around the corner of your office as you WFH? Travelling and waking up to those paradise-like, oh-so-lovely blue azure beaches, or those distant snow-flecked mountains or green-rolling fields, and yet missing your favourite coffee brew? 
The take-me-with-you drip bags or pour-over bags have come to the rescue. Usually available online or in speciality coffee stores, the single-use sachets, are easy to carry, require no equipment and makes brewing barista-worthy coffee just as easy as making instant coffee.

Pour-over coffee

Home-brewed artisanal coffees have become a rage, and with cafes being closed for prolonged periods and people locked in amid Covid-19 disruptions, drip coffee has become an in-demand commodity. Open the filter, attach it to a cup, pour hot water slowly over the coffee grounds and wait for the coffee to languidly drip. Voila! You have your hot brew, with the aroma and taste, just as you like it! Instagram-ready pictures are an added benefit. 

“At any given time of the day, nothing works for me like a south Indian filter coffee. I am very particular about the kind of roast,” says Dheeraj Gadicherla, barista at Distractor’s coffee art. “When I went to Indonesia, the only coffee they sold was in sachets with sugar mixed in. I like mine without sugar, so I prefer carrying coffee with me,” he recounts about his experience.

There are many coffee brands that grind hand-picked coffee beans and make their own speciality drip bags. These are Hyderabad-based Roastery Coffee House, Toops Homebrew Coffee and Brews and Blends, and SLAY Coffee, Blue Tokai, Sleepy Owl Coffee and others that are seeing brisk sales of their brew bags. 

Hassle-free

Maya Choraria
Maya Choraria

“Be it a coffee drip bag or my mini brewing kit, I make a point to include them in my travel and prefer brewing my own coffee, rather than struggle to find a good coffee shop. It is easy to prepare artisanal coffee,” says Bharath Suthapalli, who works with an MNC.Vidyalatha Vallabhaneni, founder, Brews and Blends has been selling drip bags since 2017 and calls it, “hassle-free coffee”.

They have single blends in six flavours. She says the response has been great as the bags are user-friendly, easy to carry, and do not need expensive coffee accessories. Sleepy Owl Coffee rolled out its brew bags in retail in November 2019. The bags are available in five variants. Ajai Thandi, co-founder Sleepy Owl Coffee says, “During the lockdown, our brew bags became a WFH companion for many. People could brew themselves a hassle-free cup whenever they liked, with minimal effort.”Shubham Marhatta, manager- brand and communications SLAY Coffee, says they introduced pour over bags early last year. He says, “People have loved the product, solely because of the ease of making the coffee.”

Same taste in every cup

“I ensure that whenever I travel, I carry coffee along as I am particular about the brand I drink,” says Fatema Kanchwala, a city-based home baker. Maya Choraria, an entrepreneur laughs and comments: “I cannot do without my strong black cup of coffee. I carry those ready sachets. In fact, even on the flight, I carry my own coffee.” Shubham says, “Our pour-over brew bags contain freshly ground coffee in a single-serve sachet format. This means, a fresher and distinctively tasty coffee similar to coffees made by trained baristas.” Ajai adds, “The ability to customise the brew as per their own taste encourages consumers to be their own baristas.”

Saves money and time

The sachets good for one cup and vary in price from Rs 300 to Rs 500 per packet of 10 depending on the blend and the brand.  City-based A Pramod Seshi Roy, rapper and record producer, carries not just his just coffee grounds, but also a mug and hot water while on the road. “It saves money and time,” shares Pramod. From travellers to working professionals, people always on the go to someone who likes a fresh cup of coffee, but may not have the technical know-how of brewing one — these brew bags are perfect, feels Ajai.

— Tamanna S Mehdi
 tamanna@newindianexpress.com
 @tamannamehdi

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