Page 114 - UpperCrust e-Magazine Third Quarter 2024

UPPERCRUST FOOD | IYENGAR'S KAAPI

water is poured, and you then witness the
transformation into a dark-coloured brew
called the decoction. When milk and sugar
are added to this, you get kaapi, minus the
sharpness of the roasted beans, and it must
be aerated vigorously between two vessels
as we see the masters do, when we order a
kaapi from a café or a stall. Voila, Iyengar’s
Kaapi is served, and sent out to you from
their state-of-the-art cloud kitchen!
For Ramesh, filter coffee runs
in his blood. He takes us back to the
beginning, “I have witnessed these steps
from my childhood whilst observing
my patti (grandma in Tamil) roast the
beans in weekly batches, then take a
handful of these roasted beans out from
an airtight container and hand-grind it
in a contraption that was fixed on the
kitchen shelf.” Kaapi items like the filter,
beans, tumbler and the dabra − the unique
pair of utensils used to drink kaapi in −
had their pride of place in the kitchen.
Imagine waking up to the smell of freshly
brewed kaapi with a plate of quintessential
savouries that you would only find in a
South Indian home.
Ramesh has used his childhood
memories and his love for cooking to
present a range of six snacks along with
Iyengar’s Kaapi that go by the name
Iyengar’s Kurku Murku. “These are from
my recipes, made under my supervision,
that go great with your kaapi. No
preservatives and no additives − that range
from Thattai to Seedai, Madras Mixture,
Muruku, Kai Muruku and Ribbon Pakoda.”
Some of the ingredients that go into these
Come see how we make our coffee
traditional snacks include cumin, urad dal,
rice flour, gram flour, sesame and more.”
Stainless steel thermos flasks in which
the kaapi is served hot to you When we sat down to a kaapi and
some crispy, lightly salted muruku with
Ramesh and his exuberant wife, Ameeta
– his support system and the Business
Director of Iyengar’s Kaapi – we knew
we could get hooked onto this kind of
coffee daily. It works great for corporate
companies/events where coffee drinking
is gradually becoming the norm, given
those long hours and grueling Zoom and
Team meetings. Fuel for the mind, that’s
A hot cuppa for you
coffee! Thinking of hosting a high tea?

112 | UPPERCRUST | JUL-SEP 2024