HYDERABAD: Mohammad Ibrahim, a city-based coffee connoisseur, taught himself the various nuances of coffee brewing. Today, he conducts workshops for people and guides cafeteria owners on the intricacies of manual brewing. Here is a small piece from the interaction we had, shedding light on his journey
After seven years of being the guy who would just “go to a cafe, grab the largest mug of coffee, sit in a corner and enjoy,” Mohammad Ibrahim says his real journey as a coffee connoisseur started during the pandemic.
“Since all the cafeterias were closed, I had to look for a way to make my own perfect coffee. I was not able to get the right kick to start my day. One day, a friend introduced me to Moka Pot. That day I realised there were things about coffee that I didn’t know. I got a blazing sense of curiosity to learn more about coffee and brewing techniques,” said Ibrahim, better known as ‘coffee boy’ on Instagram.
“My journey of manual brewing started in 2020.
I started uploading pictures of my coffee brewing on my handle @coffeeboi.emmi, which picked up immediately and people started consulting me about cafeterias and coffee brands. The next year I participated in the Aeropress championship but got disqualified in the first round itself. In 2022, I participated again, won the title and represented Hyderabad on the national level. In 2023, I got to the semifinals,” says Ibrahim.
Coffee over Irani Chai?
Hyderabad has a die-hard love for Irani chai but despite that, says Ibrahim, the city has a great potential to become a coffee-loving city. The only obstacle is people’s presumptions about the drink. “The city is experimental with new cafes and restaurants opening up. The problem is that most people can’t tell a latte from a cappuccino.
Over the last three years, I have got in touch with many industry experts: Q graders, roasters, planters, etc. across the country and outside as well. People who consume black-based coffee have a good palette to recognise the notes and the flavours. The majority of people don’t know the right kind of temperature, grind size and even where the coffee comes from,” he said.
“People have presumptions about coffee being bitter or having a bad taste. I went through the same journey, initially thinking that I cannot consume an Americano or an espresso shot directly. People are at least trying to expose themselves to different tastes and cafeterias play an important role here. My job is just to act as a facilitator and help them get more information about the coffee that they are drinking,” Ibrahim added.
How coffee came to India
The story of how coffee came to India is also quite fascinating, Ibrahim says. “Coffee came to India in the 16th century. A saint named Baba Budan travelled to Mecca to perform Hajj. A person there introduced him to coffee. He really liked the drink that made him so energetic and thought of bringing it to India but in those times, taking it outside the gulf was a crime.
So he hid seven beans of coffee in his beard and brought them to Karnataka, to Chikmagalur specifically and spread them on a hill where he used to live. Chikmagalur is now known as the coffee country of India. When the British came, they commercialised the production and sale of coffee, making its consumption widespread.”
Ibrahim has high hope for the growing and progressive potential of the city. He says with the right technologies in farming, roasting and brewing, the city can give stiff competition to foreign markets.
Making the perfect brew
“I personally like Pour-Overs. It’s the finest method. Aeropress or French press doesn’t keep all the notes and flavours intact. The Pour-Over helps retain the flavour of the beans. I believe each variety of beans is different from the others. Each has its own characteristics. The geographical factors and processing techniques also make a lot of difference, washed or honey-dried; Chikmagalur, Coorg or Koraput have different coffees,” says Ibrahim, adding that adjusting the grind size and the temperature depends on the beans you are using. The finer the grind, the lower the temperature.
He encourages people to experiment with beans, grind sizes and temperatures to reach the acquired taste. He said that his first Pour-Over involved using his mother’s cotton chunni to filter coffee. “The first sip I took was horrible. I kept serving bad coffee to my siblings and friends, braving their bad faces after they tasted it but gradually learned what worked and what did not,” he said.
Here are some points to take care of while making your own perfect brew: