Talking of decoction - on one of my trips to Tanjavur/Kumbakkonan, I was offered coffee (they called it Kaapi-thani) by a villager. It was just the decoction bit of the south Indian filter. No sugar, no milk. Along with this, a lump of jaggery to lick at, in case I needed to sweeten my drink.
It was an awesome trip. C On 28/08/07, Gautam John <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > A few thoughts, from an off-list friend, on the coffee discussion thus > far. > > He's quite sold on the coffee (and the pizza) in Napoli. Something to do > with the water and the volcanos and some such. > _____________________ > > Yes, a few. > > 1) I don't put a lot of emphasis on the beans. Of course you do need the > right kind of bean and the right kind of roasting for the kind of coffee > you're making, but I believe the point of diminishing returns to effort > and > refinement in this area is reached pretty quickly. > 2) I'm a little surprised by the cult of connoisseurship around things > like > cappuccino and macchiato, which are basically kids' drinks, and the > limited > attention given to the basic characteristics of coffee (by which I mean > espresso). My own three-item checklist for a good cup of coffee: not burnt > or bitter; syrupy consistency; layer of coffee foam at least 2mm > thick. Achieving these three characteristics on a regular basis is part > art > and part science, and experience has taught me not to trust anyone outside > of napoli (it's theoretically possible for others to achieve the same > results, but the percentages don't work for me). > 3) I'm only reciting my prejudices here, but the only marginally valid > coffee tradition outside the neapolitan is the south indian. And I'm not > sure how much longer we'll be able to get good south indian coffee around > here given the difficulty of finding fresh milk. (Airlines is two strikes > away from falling off my list.) > 4) Incidentally, the "napoletana" referred to in the thread was used in > neapolitan homes until a few decades ago, but has almost died out. It > produces a coffee similar to our decoction (minus the chicory)--high on > caffeine, low on texture, making it good base for concoctions with milk > but > not so good for drinking on its own. Bar coffee in napoli ( i.e. the real > thing) has always been made with plain old espresso machines. > 5) I'm not sure what "gourmet" means in connection with coffee (or > anything > else for that matter). It's either good or it isn't, and it's important to > understand what makes it good or not good, but I'm convinced that the > secret > lies in better judgement rather than in greater sophistication or > refinement. > -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/ravages http://www.selectiveamnesia.org/ http://chennai.metblogs.com +91-9884467463
