Best of the bean: Around India in eight coffee shops

Coffee shops that cover every iteration, from affogato to a desi dalgona to civet cat droppings coffee

- Raul Dias

Considered a passing phase by the tea drinking cognoscenti, India's burgeoning coffee culture is clearly more than just an ephemeral trend. There is very little doubt that the winds now blow in fond favour of coffee though we may traditionally have largely been tea lovers.

Millennials and Gen Z are more aware of global trends in coffee culture, thanks to exposure through social media, travel, and the proliferation of international coffee chains in India. As per research conducted by polling and market research company YouGov, since the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic, the younger generation is more likely to opt for a cup of coffee than their predecessors All this signals the need for trendy, hip new coffee places. Here are eight places around the country that capture the zeitgeist perfectly:

KANA BY COFFEE MECHANICS, BENGALURU

This coffee shop augments Bengaluru's reputation as a city that happens to be home to some of the best artisanal coffee in the country. The menu of this place, located in HBR Layout, is full of single-estate options like the cedarwood-jaggery Cauvery Peak from Yercaud and the fruity Manavam from Koraput. While it does the expected espressos and cortados, one can also have a flirtation with options like the apple pie latte, the cold brew orange coffee soda, and our personal favourite, the litchi coconut iced coffee.

AFFOGATO, MUMBAI