Got myself a bag of South Indian coffee powder from Hyderabad. The result was remarkably close to what I remember of the Taramani coffee we used to drink while at IIT Chennai. I am still not forgiving my South Indian friends for feeding me coffee that had 20% chicory in it, though 🙂

My next frontier to solve is the temperature. I used the thermometer today to monitor it. The milk itself is at 170 deg F. But once I do a few pours from the dabara to the tumbler to get the froth, the temperature drops to 140 deg F. The stainless steel vessels lose heat very quickly.

I want steaming hot coffee like my South Indian friends give me.

Microwaving does not feel authentic. None of those Taramani tea stalls had microwaves. So, I have a mental barrier. Plus, I am not putting any stainless steel vessels in the microwave. Resorting to ceramic feels like giving up on the art of South Indian Filter Kaapi.

I welcome your ideas!