Living it up at the Café!

Cafes are no longer places where one goes to have a cup of coffee. It has become a meeting place for friends and colleagues. With the introduction of Wi-Fi, in most of these places, cafes have also developed into substitute places of work. The changing concept of café has been as revolutionary as the changing perception of coffee. Initially, about two decades ago, coffee was available only as South Indian filtered coffee. This pick-me-up was, later, available as instant coffee and then as Espresso. Now this drink has acquired various formats like Cappuccino, Latte, Frappe, et al. Ashok Malkani, on the occasion of International Coffee Day, on 1st October, look at the changing café scenario, the effect of the pandemic on these outlets and their future. He also examines how the tipple called coffee is now available in various cocktail forms – hot or cold.

- Ashok Malkani

Thomas Jefferson’s remark that coffee is the favourite drink of the civilized world has proved to be popular through generations.

However, today people don’t visit cafés just to have a cup of coffee. It has become more of a recreation place. They have become havens of different activities for people of different ages. From a cultural standpoint, one can say that coffee houses serve as centers of social interaction: a coffeehouse provides patrons with a place to congregate, talk, read, write, entertain one another, or pass the time, whether individually or in small groups. Since the popularization of Wi-Fi, coffee houses with this capability have also become places for patrons to access the Internet on their laptops and tablet computers to complete their college or office work.

Though coffee culture has thrived over the world for years, in India it is yet an evolving process. The revenue earned from coffee segment in India, according to reports of Statista, stood at $ 0.6 and the consumption at 0.3 kg in 2020.

It may be explained, for a novice, that a coffee house, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, e.g. espresso, latte and cappuccino, etc. Some of them may also serve iced coffee or tea and other non-caffeinated beverages.