Patti’s Bronze Filter Coffee Maker

My Amma and Appa brought my siblings and me, with a sense of enjoying chai as our morning and afternoon beverage

Our home version Tea Ceremony may not beat the Japanese Chai Ceremony; but it does bring out those conversations post chai-making. It was more our Manthan time, to get butter of adult world understanding.

It would be tad insufficient brag to say we knew our chai much better the cup of Cappuccino.

Detour to Brewing Coffee

I don’t prefer the coffee maker version of the filter coffee. I still do have the traditional stainless-steel filter, before that it was my Patti’s huge bronze filter. That one could make coffee for more than ten people.

My grandma or Patti (in Tamil) was such a filter coffee aficionado! She had her own personal ratio for the coffee powder. You could freshly roast the seeds, and it is ground in the client presence. All fresh!! Instant Coffee cannot be Filter Coffee any day!!!

The outlet is memorable because of the actress Ragini’s coffee ad poster. Jaya Coffee Works is a local coffee outlet where our fun outing happened with our Patti when my sister and I were primary school kids.

Tricycle Rickshaw and Shopping for Coffee

She would order the tricycle rickshaw driver to shop in the station road street. One of our stops was the Jaya Coffee Works. She would instruct the shopkeeper her measures of the seeds and roast levels.  

I even remember how my sibling and I used to memorise the ratio and be super excited to get the task done for our Patti.  

Smell of coffee reminds my childhood. Usually, the wakeup call would be the morning brew of coffee. Of course, after the first sniff the non-coffee drinking youngest goes back to sleeping.

Tea and Our History with It

Coming from a patriarchal family when the entire family follows suit as per the male preferences. (I know it sounds bad) But beyond the morning tea my Appa had no other objection or preferences in the food section.

Kitchen’s final output was completely my Amma’s fort. So, we switched to tea in the morning and afternoon while until the end my Patti had coffee glaring at the tea my Appa enjoyed.

My Amma was a filter coffee person before her marriage, so she would make coffee for Patti, grandaunt, and the helpers who was staying with us when my Appa was working outside India.

By the time the children were all grown up my Appa had arrived in Madras. Thus, the silent switch to tea became official drink at home. But our Patti was a coffee person until she lived.

Occasional Coffee Spurts

Of my Amma’s children’s, my sister and I were open to drinking coffee with my Amma. But my brother followed my Appa preference for tea. I do enjoy the fresh brewing of coffee but on a regular basis I would prefer Chai latte so to speak.

Being able to enjoy a cup of coffee is a legacy from my Patti and Amma. Frankly, tea or coffee depends on the moment’s preference or mood.

The Bronze coffee filter was such a humungous thing to the young child who could hardly reach the kitchen stove. Amma made sure that I never accidentally even touch it when it was in a brewing process during the Sunday afternoons.

Taking care of the filter is another round of cleaning class which I missed out. But I know that the filter goes through a sequence of cleansing and drying processes. The fact that many stories of the coffee history in my family is all lost. Yet a cup of coffee gets everyone revived and moving ahead.

Connoisseurs of Coffee

Appa’s younger brothers were into coffee big time. The main ingredient in the coffee was the intensity of the brew that comes from the right mix of the A and B berries. My Patti did not like chicory in her blend and we had strict instruction not to add any chicory in the blend that she orders.

A major part of the family were all coffee drinkers. While Appa and his elder siblings preferred tea. I wonder if there was disagreement over the beverage preferences between my parents.

While the wives of the younger siblings of Appa preferred coffee except for Appa’s second younger brother who loved chai. Sadly, I lack the finesse in identifying the coffee blends. Starbucks was too tall and absolutely didn’t cater for my short glass preferences.

Cultural Shock with Coffee at Starbucks

That was my cultural shock in one of the Starbucks outlets when they handed me the tall, I took a step back, I dare not ask the person at the counter and if I could have a smaller cup. The concept of mug was still alien at home.

One of the cafes gave me a bad experience, I don’t remember the outlet name but when I saw the movie ‘English Vinglish’, the scene where Sridevi is at the café trying her best to order a coffee and some snacks. It was an experience that I had gone through.

I would say my Life before US and my Life after US were colourful! There are so many good things and some bad too. I could never connect with US at any level. I would always think why an uncouth person like me is in US even if it is for studying.

Amma’s Stainless-Steel Filter Coffee Maker

I am now enjoying laid-back style of life and making coffee may not be the most often done activity. But I experiment with different chai. When my Amma and Appa passed away I found her filter in the trunk box, and I got it out to make filter coffee.

The blend of A and B berries without chicory which I still remember to be the exact blend preference of Patti. The next day I set out to find the outlet and surprisingly enough it was still open and running.

I got blend of hot coffee powder measured into the gloss white paper packet and sealed. I got home and made myself a fresh batch of decoction and that is when I realised that people in our lives may move on, but the memory of their presence is just like a freshly brewing coffee.

The smell from the brew reminds us of the past. In my past, Patti’s coffee tumbler was so huge to my young eyes. ‘Davar tumbler’ are always considered as a pair that speaks for the savouring of life’s slow moments.

Concluding the Reminiscence

I, for most part, am a chai lover and coffee is like rain time hot ‘pakora’ with masala chai. But with coffee or the Kappi the equation is different and magical. I may not be a connoisseur here but the joy of making coffee is equally disarming for me.  

Image of Coffee Filter: https://images.app.goo.gl/AEgkVz3wLYidvghx9