The South Indian "Dikashan" Coffee

Coffee is a major social institution in our part of the world. It can be described as being an icon of Kannada and even Tamil culture and is a revered tradition in most households. It is customary that a cup of coffee is offered to any visitor when visiting a household in South India (In North India, Tea is preferred.) One sip of this delicious drink will make you understand why Indian "Dikashan" coffee is such a revered beverage down South.

Serving the filter coffee is one of the most interesting parts of preparing the coffee. The coffee is poured back and forth between the ‘Dawra’ and the ‘Lota’ in huge arc-like motions of the hand. A ‘Dawra’ is a wide metal saucer that is used to gently spin the coffee around to cool it. The ‘Lota’ is a tumbler used to hold the coffee and the coffee is drunk from the Lota. By pouring the coffee between the Dawra and the Lota, you will cool the hot coffee down to a suitable temperature while leaving a thick layer of froth on top to enjoy.

Recently, me and my friends went to a Cafe Coffee Day outlet at the Sector-14 shopping arcade in Gurgaon. The menu card had Hot Chocolate, Espresso with cream, Tropical Iceberg, Almond Frappes and what not. I felt there ought to be a place for the traditional ‘Hot filter Coffee’ amongst these. I ordered for a simple Capuccino while my friends went for those customized drinks.

I remember drinking mesmerizing coffee made by my both grandmas. I don't get to drink it often at home here. Maybe this was the only trait my Mom didn't inherit from her mother. That is why I like visiting my cousin a lot. My Aunt makes filter coffee 6'o clock every morning. An apt drink for refreshment. Here at home, I have to drink tea or Corn flakes with milk. Drinking these two is a sacrilege to me.

I love coffee any time of the day. And by coffee, I mean filter coffee. I know a lot of people who are coffee addicts. A friend of mine drinks a lot of Coffee in college. He says, "If you don’t drink coffee at least thrice a day, it’s a violation". He certainly has brown blood in his veins.

I consider that the making of filter coffee is almost a ritual, for the coffee beans have to be roasted and ground first. Then the powder is put into a filter set and boiling hot water is added to prepare the decoration and allowed to set for about 15 minutes. The decoration is then added to milk with sugar to taste. The final drink is poured individually from one container to another in rapid succession to make the ideal frothy cup of filter coffee.

And you get steaming, hot filter coffee with an exhilarating aroma, creamy-golden-brown froth, fulsome flavor and lingering after-taste. Nothing like it to refresh and stimulate. And so easy to achieve if you make it right.

Next time you go to a Lavazza or a Barista, recommend those guys to add this celestial drink on their list.....

Frozen Coffee Drinks

"A cup of coffee shared with a friend is happiness tasted and time well spent."

Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic variations of coffee as also the iced and frozen coffee drinks have a great taste. Try some of these recipes this summer.

Frozen Coffee Mocha
Ingredients

    * 1 tray of frozen coffee ice cubes
    * 1 cup + 2 tablespoons milk
    * 1 and ½ tablespoon cocoa powder
    * 2 tablespoons sugar (fine-grained)
    * 1/2 tablespoon vanilla

Procedure
Freeze some coffee in an ice-cube tray. Heat 2 tablespoons of milk in the microwave. Mix cocoa powder and sugar in the milk. The milk should be hot enough to melt the cocoa powder and add sugar to this mixture of milk and cocoa powder. Add the remaining milk to this sweetened mixture. Blend this mixture and add the coffee ice cubes to the blender, and blend it until it becomes smooth.

Frozen Irish Coffee
Ingredients

    * 3 tablespoons Irish whisky
    * 5 oz of hot black coffee
    * 1 tablespoon vanilla ice-cream
    * 1 teaspoon sugar

Procedure
Mix the whiskey, hot black coffee and sugar with three quarters of ice, in the blender. Top it with a scoop of ice-cream and add grated chocolate to enjoy the highball.

Frozen Coffee Cooler
Ingredients

    * 4 cups of coffee (brewed and then cooled)
    * 6 cups of ice cubes
    * 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    * 3/4 cup sugar
    * 1 cup milk
    * 1 cup coffee liqueur
    * Whipped cream and ground cinnamon for garnishing

Procedure
Take all the ingredients, except milk, in a mixer and mix it until a smooth mixture is formed. Add milk and again blend the mixture. Pour the coffee in glasses (makes 8 glasses) and garnish it with whipped cream and cinnamon.

Irish Mocha Smoothie
Ingredients

    * 3 scoops of frozen coffee yogurt
    * 1 tray of frozen coffee cubes
    * 3 tablespoons of chocolate syrup
    * 1/2 cup milk
    * 1/4 cup Irish cream

Procedure
Mix all the above ingredients in a blender until the mixture becomes smooth. Serve the smoothie in a tall glass.

Brandy Mocha Almond
Ingredients

    * 1 tablespoon brandy
    * 1 tablespoon almond liqueur
    * 5 tablespoons hot coffee
    * 5 tablespoon cocoa powder
    * Sugar to taste

Procedure
Mix brandy, almond liqueur, hot coffee and cocoa powder in a blender. Add sugar and again blend the mixture. Serve this drink in a heatproof glass.

Frosty Cappuccino
Ingredients

    * 3 and ½ cup coffee (brewed and strong)
    * 1 teaspoon cinnamon
    * 1/3 cup bourbon
    * 1 cup milk
    * 2 cups ice-cream (preferably coffee-flavored)

Procedure
Freeze the strong coffee in an ice-cube tray. Mix bourbon, milk, cinnamon and frozen coffee in a blender until the mixture is smooth. Serve the mixture with coffee-flavored ice-cream.

Iced Vanilla Coffee
Ingredients

    * 8 cups hot coffee (hazelnut-flavored)
    * 1 tablespoon vanilla
    * 2 cups milk
    * 1/2 cup sugar
    * 5 oz vanilla yogurt

Procedure
Combine coffee, sugar and vanilla and stir to dissolve sugar. Pour milk in the mixture and refrigerate. While serving, top it with 1 tablespoon yogurt. Instead of hazelnut-flavored coffee, you can also use any of your favorite coffee flavors.

Frappuccino
Ingredients

    * 1 cup of vanilla yogurt
    * 3 teaspoons of vanilla
    * 20 oz of ice cubes
    * Cocoa powder and honey as per flavor
    * Milk

Procedure
Mix yogurt, vanilla, ice cubes, cocoa powder and milk in a blender. Serve the mixture with ice-cream or coffee liqueur.

Creamy Island Coffee
Ingredients

    * 4 oz iced coffee
    * 1 banana
    * 1 oz chocolate syrup (raspberry and peppermint can also be used as per liking)
    * 1 cup milk

Procedure
Mix iced coffee, banana, chocolate syrup and milk in a blender. Top the frozen coffee drink with whipped cream and cherries.

Orange Mamba Latte
Ingredient

    * 1/2 oz orange syrup
    * 1 cup iced coffee
    * 2 scoops of vanilla ice-cream
    * 1 oz milk

Procedure
Blend iced coffee, milk and orange syrup in a blender to get a smooth mixture. Add the vanilla ice-cream and blend the mixture once more. You can use yogurt or heavy cream instead of ice-cream. Garnish the mixture with an orange slice.

These were some of the frozen coffee drink recipes. Slight variations in the ingredients can make your drink tasty. Enjoy the frosty delight!

Caffeine Content in Coffee

Caffeine is chemically a xanthine alkaloid that acts as stimulant of the central nervous system. It ranks as the world's most popular psychoactive substance. Medically, caffeine is referred to as trimethylxanthine. In the United States, about 90 percent people consume caffeine every day, in one way or the other. We all have a fair idea regarding the caffeine content in coffee. Besides coffee, caffeine is present in other natural plant sources like tea, kola and guarana. Among the several food items, coffee beans is the main source for caffeine worldwide.

Though the FDA enlisted caffeine as a substance safe for consumption, consuming a high concentration is harmful for health. In some people, caffeine intake causes certain adverse effects like headache, sleep disorder, nervousness and irritability. Considering the various caffeine side effects, it is very important for us to learn the pros and cons of caffeine intake and the amount of caffeine in coffee and other beverages.

Caffeine Content in Coffee
The diuretic and stimulative properties of caffeine induce certain metabolic effects. Hence, consuming caffeinated beverages like tea, coffee, soft drinks and energy drinks aids in overcoming drowsiness and increasing alertness. The ingested caffeine is not retained in the body, but its effects are observed after 15 minutes and last for as long as 6 hours. This is the reason as to why, many people state that they cannot start their day without a cup of coffee in the morning. So, are you aware about the amount of caffeine content in a cup of coffee?

The amount of caffeine content in coffee varies significantly based on the coffee type and the mode of brewing. The usual drip-brewed coffee contains approximately 100-135 mg per cup (8 ounce size), while the espresso contains about 30 mg per ounce coffee and instant coffee contains about 95 mg per cup (8 ounce size). On a general note, drinking two to three brewed coffee cups a day is not harmful for people who are not hypersensitive to caffeine. Read more on nutrition facts for coffee.

Caffeine Sensitivity
Caffeine sensitivity is the term that refers to the body's responses towards caffeine intake. To be precise, the amount of caffeine that stimulates a person may vary, depending upon the body size and the sensitivity. The smaller the size of the individual, the lesser is the caffeine amount to produce effects and vice versa. People who take coffee several times a day require more concentration of caffeine than first time coffee drinkers to experience the same effect.

Decaffeinated Coffee and Other Products
It is to be borne in mind that decaffeinated coffee also contains caffeine. Nevertheless, the amount of caffeine in decaffeinated coffee is comparatively lesser (about 5-7 mg per 8 ounce cup) than the regular coffee. In medical science, caffeine is administered as a mild diuretic and cardiac stimulant. Commercially, caffeine is extracted as a white, crystalline and bitter powder, which is then used in various processed food items and pharmaceutical products. For example, pain killers, diet pills and common cold medications are formulated by using caffeine in specific concentrations.

Overall, caffeine is a highly addictive substance and is referred to as a commonly consumed drug. It works in the same brain stimulating mechanism as that of other strong drugs, but in a subtle way. As per studies, ingesting a very high dose of caffeine is fatal. Taking 10 gm of caffeine, which accounts to 170mg/kg of the body weight can lead to life-threatening symptoms. To be on the safer side, take a note of the caffeine content in coffee and keep it minimum, not more than 2-3 cups per day.