FULL OF BEANS

Artisanal coffee brands are finding takers in India, as millennial enthusiasts experiment with new flavours and home-brewing

- MANSVINI KAUSHIK

Arabica or Robusta, finely ground or course, cold brew or hot, mellow or strong. Every coffee lover has a preference for their perfect cup. And coffee entrepreneurs are taking things several steps forward by innovating and reimagining conventional coffee profiles with new techniques of cultivation and processing, unexplored flavours and pairing of ingredients.

“People are beginning to discover and appreciate newer flavours, aromas, textures, roast profiles, and the finer nuances of coffee,” says Ashish D’abreo, co-founder of Maverick & Farmer, an artisanal coffee brand. “India is slowly but surely moving away from the obsession with instant coffee and people are beginning to understand how coffee is grown, processed, sourced, etc.” Maverick & Farmer—founded by Sreeram G, Ashish D’abreo and Tej Thammaiah in 2018—has come up with arguably the world’s first cold-smoked coffee, which is smoked for 13 to 14 hours to infuse the beans with the earthiness and flavours of the firewood.