Ah!
Degree coffee 
On Venkatesh Bhat’s Idhayam Thotta Samayal, what I’m going to teach you today, rather, show you how I make it, is the way to make fantastic degree coffee decoction
Though making coffee is relatively simple, preparing Filter Coffee has many techniques, small nuances
Which greatly alter the final taste of the coffee and ensure that its aftertaste lingers in your mouth for almost 15 minutes
To get such a feeling, there are various minute tips. Come, Let’s see what they are
To prepare coffee, specifically filter coffee, the most important thing is a filter
There are many types of filters, Here I have 2 steel filters and and 1 brass filter
Normally, brass filters are very traditional
Personally, I don’t find a difference in taste when using a brass filter, however, many people vouch for the taste of coffee made with it
Let’s examine the components of a filter. A filter has 3 parts, the bottom part, the upper part, and the plunger
The upper part has many holes through which the decoction flows through. One might ask why I’m elaborating on this detail
Now, the most important thing before making filter coffee, is to keep the top part of the filter directly on top of low flame for 2-3 minutes
This is because the filter may contain residual particles from previous coffees which may not be visible and tough to clean
If this is the case then the flow of the filter may not be even
I learnt this technique in a coffee brewing class conducted at Indian Coffee Board
Many people follow different concepts/techniques, but this is as per my experience
2 minutes have passed since I kept the top part on the flame, turn off the flame
Simultaneously, keep water for boiling in a vessel
While making coffee, an important point is to not let the water fully boil 
For water’s boiling point of 100 degrees, it will start bubbling at around 91 degrees. That is when you should turn off the flame. This is important
If you use fully boiled water, it will kill the coffee’s taste
Now place the heated upper part of the filter upon the lower part (Be careful while handling, it will be hot) 
Here I have some coffee powder which is from a specific brand
First, add 2 heaped tsp of coffee powder and shake it slightly to make it even and insert the plunger
After inserting the plunger, add 5 heaped tsp again on top of it and shake again to make it even
Now the water I’ve kept for boiling has reached the bubbling point and you can see the minute bubbles coming up. 
Wait another 10 seconds for it to bubble vigorously and then turn off the gas
Now add this water up to the filter’s brim to make the decoction
To this add little sugar. After adding, close the top lid
Now heat milk in a pan
Usually, for coffee, Buffalo’s milk is highly recommended. It gives a characteristic thickness to it. This is because it has high fat content
That texture is essential for the taste of coffee to linger in your mouth
In comparison, Cow’s milk is slightly watery and won't give the desired thickness. I have used Buffalo’s milk here
Now I’ll elaborate on my coffee powder. There are a lot of combinations
In my experience, the best combination is Plantation A - Arabica, Plantation B – Peaberry and a small portion of chicory
In the coffee powder I use, 80-85% of the composition is coffee powder and 15-20% is chicory
Speaking in terms of a kilogram, I have taken 700g Plantation A and 300g Plantation B
To this, 150-200g of chicory. All of these roasted beans are ground into a powder
Chicory is the root of a plant. It gives a characteristic darkness and thickness to the decoction
No matter what the composition of the coffee powder is, no matter how much flavour Plantation A may possess, it won't possess the required thickness.
To achieve the same, the addition of chicory is very important
Now the milk here is continuing to boil and I have my decoction set aside
Previously, for the decoction, when I added the first 2 tsp of powder, it was about 40g
The coffee powder added after inserting the plunger, was about 80-100g
So overall this is a filter with a capacity of 250ml of decoction
Now as the milk boils and rises, turn off the gas
And with the help of another vessel, mix the milk by the yard
Doing so, ensures that froth is formed at the top. This prevents a cream layer being formed at the top
Now, the coffee decoction which we started brewing earlier has been filtered
It has flown from the top to the bottom part and produced our desired decoction
So for around the 150ml of water we’ve added, it has produced 100ml of decoction
Now, since the decoction is thick, pour 20-30ml into a drinking cup
After pouring, top it up with milk
Mix the remaining milk by the yard, once again
This is a 5 star way of serving coffee! It is not compulsory to do it the same way, but doing it gives a superb taste to the coffee
We want the froth that has formed at the top, so pour the remaining milk while keeping the froth intact
And pour it over the head of the coffee
Embellish it with a small amount of the decoction
Our fantastic degree coffee is ready!
The thickness of the milk is such that the bubbles formed on the top will last for almost 15 minutes
One of the basics of brewing a coffee, the way I added sugar at the top, is an improvisation
The reason for adding the sugar is for it to get caramelized as it passes through the hot water, hence producing a brown glaze
Similarly, there is another beautiful technique
To a 100ml filter coffee decoction, add around 15g Instant Coffee mix and mix well
It’ll be fantastic! The flavour of the coffee will make you question if it is an instant coffee or a decoction coffee
Nectar of the gods! 
