A filter kaapi is as much a tradition in South Indian homes during Diwali, as are the new clothes and firecrackers. Whether it is your morning coffee to start things off perfectly for the festivities, or the perfect drink to share with loved ones – nothing says Diwali like a filter kaapi.

Did you know that the Coffee Board of India and the Indian Coffee houses were responsible for popularising this now favourite beverage of many in the 1940s. Now it’s being passed down as a tradition and also as a sentiment in South Indian homes!

I wouldn’t be wrong in calling filter coffee the decor and fragrance of our Diwali mornings. I would come down from my room to watch mom prepare filter coffee while I chatted with her. We’d go get dolled up in our new clothes and begin lighting diyas, while grandpa sits with his morning newspaper and filter coffee watching us. Dad would also walk in with his filter coffee in hand, it’s pleasant aroma wafting through the house, telling us to get out the firecrackers out. If sparklers and bombs are the lights and sounds of Diwali, sweets and filter kaapi are the flavours.

So how is this gourmet-level beverage prepared in the comfort of South Indian homes?

Our moms use the traditional stainless steel coffee filter to prepare the filter kaapi, which, though it sports a humble look, manages to pack a punch with the decoction (the coffee extract) it makes. Freshly ground coffee is added to the upper cup of the filter, following which the stemmed disc is used to compress or temp the coffee. It is fitted to the lower cup, boiling water is poured into the upper cup and the lid put on. Coffee brew slowly drips into the bottom cup through small perforations. 

A stronger brew than Western drip or filter coffee and even espresso is produced by this method! The final drink is prepared by mixing the filter coffee extract with boiled milk and sugar. Finally, it is served in a tumbler and dabara after pouring the prepared coffee back and forth between the two. This in itself is a sight to behold. How deftly mom does this, pouring the coffee from so very high! I just love the froth it adds to my filter coffee.

Wondering how healthy my favourite filter coffee is? South Indian filter coffee comes with a host of health benefits. Besides being an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, controlling blood sugar levels and promoting satiety (thereby aiding weight loss), it also improves gut health from its fibre content and also improving the gut microbiome. 

More importantly, compared to unfiltered coffee, filtered coffee drinkers live longer if we were to go by the results of some published studies. This is attributed to the presence of lower lipid-raising substances in filter coffee, which does a world of good for your cholesterol levels. This means less risk of ischemic heart disease (aka heart attack) and stroke.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of the festivities, let us make the decision of choosing your South Indian filter coffee easier for you. Yantra’s South Indian filter coffee blend is made with a blend of Arabica and Robusta. It’s pure coffee, with no chicory. We ferment the Arabica and Robusta coffee beans for fixed periods of time to bring out the natural flavours of both the varieties. This delivers a fresh and amazing flavour in your filter coffee. In addition, our coffee is 100% organic i.e. sans chemicals, biodynamically-farmed and anaerobically-fermented. 

Reminiscing on the filter coffee has got me wanting one already. What about you? 

Kickstart your Diwali celebrations with Yantra coffee at yantracoffee.com. P.S. There’s some great Diwali offers in store for you. 😊