A Coffee Awakening
Boiling milk with one part instant coffee power and two to three parts sugar was the caricature of coffee I grew up with. Until I had a happenstance "coffee awakening" in 2018 during a trip to visit my aunt in South Korea. It was the beautiful city of Seoul and its endless repertoire of cute curated cafes that revealed the charms and complexities of espresso-based drinks.
Being a student, I was traveling on a budget and was very modest with my spendings. However, at the top of Lotte World Tower, the tallest building in South Korea, at 555 meters above the ground, I felt like I’m at the top of the world and therefore I decided to splurge. My weapon of choice? Coffee. With a cryptic menu that I couldn't decipher (espresso, cappuccino, latte, macchiato, ignoranccino), I clung to the one word I recognized: "America" and ordered an americano. I don't remember what I was expecting but certainly not a hot pool of boiling black bitter gutter that swallowed an infinite number of sugar packets before mildly tasting sweet yet never drinkable (I very much enjoy a smooth cup of sugar-free americano now). Cringing, I gulped it all, vowing never to let my coffee-ignorance scam me out of my money again. I gazed out from the towering heights of a 123rd-floor window and felt weighed down by the crushing realization of my ignorance. "No more", I vowed and read a bunch of blogs and books to learn more about coffee and spent a considerable amount of my remaining trip budget on trying different types of coffee.
Returning to Delhi after my trip, I was hit by the stark contrast in coffee culture between the two cities. In contrast to Seoul, specialty coffee roasters were practically nonexistent here in Delhi. In fact, finding a cafe that served anything other than instant coffee was a rarity. Espresso machines were hard to come by and were reserved for overpriced chains like Starbucks or Cafe Coffee Day. Back in 2019, I remember ordering a cappuccino at the bakery of a 5-star hotel. It was served beautifully in a fancy cup over a pretty saucer along with all the fluff (biscuits and four kinds of sugar). Yet, it was, after all, a hot sugary milky water with some infused Nescafe coffee powder. The 249-rupees coffee at the Indira Gandhi International Airport was no different. Disappointing.
As of December 2024, Delhi's coffee scene has experienced a remarkable transformation. High-quality specialty beans and expertly crafted coffee, complete with stunning latte art, are now easily accessible in most neighborhoods. Many cafes boast a charming ambiance and thoughtfully curated menus, making them perfect for your next date or business meeting. Leading this coffee revolution is Blue Tokai, a pioneer that has redefined Delhi’s coffee culture and continues to shape its evolution. This blog might as well be titled "A love letter to Blue Tokai" and I wouldn't mind that.
Cut to the chase: How to Order a Perfect Cappuccino in Delhi
- Seek out the nearest Blue Tokai or Third Wave Coffee outlet
- Ask the barista to froth the milk at regular temperature and not overheat it. Emphasize: Do not heat it
- Done, enjoy!
Baristas in Delhi deliberately overheat the milk during frothing and break down its texture, thereby ruining the milk consistency and quite possibly, your day. I believe this is because India has a chai culture where tea is enjoyed when boiling hot. Where as a cappuccino tastes the best in the 55-65°C range. My guess is that either the baristas are explicitly instructed to overheat milk or have received too many returns by the chai-loving customers for coffee being too cold.
Current Coffee Landscape of Delhi
Coffee shops and bars serve as the pulse of the beating heart of a society's social and cultural upliftment. Two key elements define a coffee shop space: their interior design, which sets the vibe, and the quality of their product, particularly the coffee in this case. While many places in Delhi seem to excel at creating the right ambiance (or perhaps I lack the sensitivity to critique their design), a significant number fall short when it comes to delivering quality coffee. In this blog, that's what I will delve into— my apparent expertise: a critique of the coffee.
Judging Coffee Chains: My Framework
Cappuccinos are my benchmark for evaluating coffee chains. They perfectly balance espresso, milk, and foam, showcasing both the quality of the beans and the barista's skill. My criteria for a good cappuccino include:
- Coffee Beans: Fresh arabica beans roasted within 21 days are ideal. Everything else is subjective.
- Espresso Machines: Professional-grade machines are a must; automatic machines are a beige flag, no espresso machine is a glowing red flag. If you don't spot a hefty metallic machine adorned with intricate knobs and buttons, walk away and save your wallet. On the other hand, if you see a similar hefty machine but with a touchscreen, proceed with caution— scan that QR, but manage your expectations with a mix of hope and impending disappointment.
- Temperature: The cappuccino should be between 55–65°C. The source of overheating is usually not the espresso but the frothed milk, a result of over-infusing steam in milk.
- Espresso-to-Milk Ratio: The classic espresso ratio is 1:1:1 (espresso, milk, foam), though modern preferences lean towards 1:2:1 to 1:3:2. Anything milkier feels weak. Too much foam would make your drink collapse into itself by getting too cold too quick.
- Milk: Offering lactose-free options for milk like almond and oat milk is an important step towards inclusivity that every coffee shop should strive for.
Ranking Delhi’s Coffee Chains
Tier 0: Artisan Specialty Roasters
Kaffa Cerrado - The Roastery, Quick Brown Fox Coffee Roasters, Savorworks Coffee & Chocolate
These are small businesses. Individually owned coffee roasters who romanticize their craft and are passionate about coffee. Every cup is a masterpiece— personalized and meticulously thought about from sourcing the beans to roasting them, pulling the espresso shot from a freshly grinded coffee filled puck and drawing a beautiful latte art at the perfect temperature using state-of-the-art equipment. Truly magnificent! Following their journey on Instagram, talking to the owners and the baristas gives you a glance into their passion and helps you envision the future of coffee in Delhi. I had an interesting conversation about Delhi's coffee culture with Vaibhav, QBFs founder which I shall write about in some other blog if time permits. But if I were to describe the conversation in two words it would be: Hope and Business (I wish I could say passion haha but my world must snap back to reality).
I hope a lot more artisan individual roasters pop up in Delhi. The city is overcrowded, and unless you live nearby these shops, it is going to take you a long time and fighting traffic to reach them. As of now, availability is the trade-off for craftsmanship and dedication to coffee.
I made an earnest effort to explore and include as many options as possible, but I’m sure I’ve overlooked some other emerging roasteries. If you know of any, I’d love to learn more about them!
Tier 1: The Two Horsemen of Delhi's Coffee Culture
Blue Tokai and Third Wave Coffee
They both have managed the herculean task of building the supply chain infrastructure that could bring high-grade microclimate-specific specialty coffee to your neighborhood table on a late-night date. Their home-grown beans from Karnataka (Attikan estate, Chikmagalur, etc.) are some of the best coffees I've ever tasted in my life.
It is difficult to deem one better than the other. However, there are a few observations that make me think of Third Wave Coffee as less of a, for lack of a proper word, purist chain. While most Third Wave outlets I’ve visited use the classic La Marzocco espresso machines, I was disappointed to find their Connaught Place branch relying on an automatic Eversys espresso machine. Also, the beans on the shelf of Third Wave Coffee are often more than 1–2 months old, something I never observed in Blue Tokai outlets where the beans were more desirably fresh. The consistency in equipment quality and the freshness of beans sets Blue Tokai apart and raises the bar for coffee quality a bit over Third Wave Coffee.
Tier 2: Reliable But Not Specialty
Tan Coffee, Chelvies Coffee and abCoffee
Both Tan Coffee and Chelvies Coffee serve good-quality espressos and cappuccinos brewed using La Marzocco or similar professional-grade espresso machines. However, they fall short when it comes to specialty beans—their origins are unclear, and the flavor pales in comparison to Tier 1 and Tier 0 shops, often tasting noticeably stale. As of 2024, Chelvies doesn’t even list roast dates on their beans, while Tan doesn’t appear to offer coffee beans for retail at all. That said, their saving grace lies in the fact that the beans these two chains use for their espressos are certainly arabica, not overly roasted, not too acidic, not too stale, and definitely reliable for a decent cup of cappuccino. For Tan coffee I tried both their Noida and CP branch, twice each. For chlevies I tried their Noida and Gurugram locations, one time each. I wish they expand to more locations in Delhi.
I visited a single location for abCoffee at the Shoppers Stop outlet in Rohini, near the Rohini East metro station, therefore I don't have enough data to judge them. The equipment was fancy, the beans tasted fresh and the barista were experienced however they didn't know/share the origin of their beans so I have no idea what I drank.
Tier 3: Mainstream Capitalistic Chains
Cafe Coffee Day, Starbucks, Barista
All these mega capitalistic establishments suffer from similar issues: inconsistent bean roasting levels, uncertain sourcing practices, imbalanced milk-to-espresso ratios, use of stale beans, and a lack of consistency across locations. Additionally, there's often an excessive amount of foam, and baristas frequently disregard specific instructions. As the city cultivates a more refined coffee palate, these businesses will need to significantly improve their standards or risk going out of business.
My Favorite Coffee Experience in Delhi
The Shelfebook Bookstore & Café at Pacific Mall, NSP was where I had the best coffee during my trip to Delhi. They have an Astoria Tanya – Double Group espresso machine and serve freshly roasted Blue Tokai beans. The barista is friendly, kind, and passionate about coffee who let me use the equipment to pour my own cappuccino (an experience you can only find in India!). The small cafe is located inside the bookstore where you are allowed to read while sipping your coffee. Certainly a cup of cappuccino smells better when infused with the musky smell of books. Pure bliss.
I hope to contribute to the coffee landscape of Delhi. Maybe someday I will have my own specialty roasters coffee shop.
On being a coffee snob
Taking up the task of critiquing a city's coffee culture feels like walking a tightrope. On one side is the ridicule of becoming an insufferable coffee fanatic (just mix some coffee powder in water and drink it bro). On the other, the horror of being labeled an amateur incapable of discerning the finer nuances of flavor (you can't even taste the finer notes in a cappuccino, drink an espresso or just stick with milk). I imagine this is what every prodigious critic throughout history must have felt, at least once, when penning down their critique for anything that has an audience. Regardless, such criticism, written with honest intentions, conveying a willingless to both learn and educate, I believe, is the very catalyst that pushes the boundaries of culture. It alleviates the society's taste for the sublime, burns down the distasteful, from the ashes of which rises the new magnificence.
I guess the correct stance is to be educative while not being judgemental. To be strongly opinionated while being open to suggestions. To dream of passion for a craft while being grounded in financial realtiy. It’s to embdy a magnanimity so vast that it embraces the illogical paradox of entertaining contradictions while appearing logical. But can one truly be so grand? Live with contradictions? Be unbiased? lol no.