South Indian Filter Coffee is a traditional Indian style coffee that is made using a special filter. A coffee decoction is brewed which is then mixed with hot milk and sugar to create a perfect cuppa. Here is how to make it in South Indian style.
Try my Beaten Coffee, Dalgona Coffee, Nutella Coffee, or Vietnamese Coffee as well if you are a coffee lover.
About This Recipe
Filtered Coffee is a Coffee where coffee beans are roasted and ground and then the fine powder is used in Coffee machines to make Coffee. This makes a fresh Coffee and has some amazing qualities and health benefits that you may not find in Instant Coffee.
This South Indian style Filter Coffee is a traditional coffee that is prepared in the Southern part of India. It is made with just 4 ingredients – coffee powder, boiling water, boiling milk, and sugar.
A decoction is made using coffee and boiling water and it is then mixed along with hot milk and sugar to make a frothy coffee.
The taste of this coffee can vary, depending upon which coffee powder you have used.
Traditionally, this aromatic coffee is served in small steel tumbler and a dabara (container/cup) that is used to cool and mix the coffee. Pouring the coffee between the tumbler and the dabarah creates the classic frothy layer over the coffee, which makes it even more divine.
You can even serve this coffee in a brass or copper dabara for a traditional look.
Ingredients
To make this traditional South Indian Coffee, you will need just 4 ingredients – coffee powder, water, milk, and sugar.
You can use any finely grounded coffee powder to make filter kapi. Brew this coffee powder for a longer time in a traditional Indian filter to make Kaapi, as it is called in South India.
Some people like to add some chicory to their coffee blend as well. It has a slightly woody and nutty taste.
If the coffee is ground coarsely, you will get a thin decoction.
Step By Step Recipe
Add coffee powder in the top compartment of the coffee filter.
Press nicely with the plunger.
Top with boiling water. Cover with the lid and let the coffee percolate.
It will take 3-4 hours for the coffee to percolate.
Add 2 tbsp decoction in a tumbler.
Top with boiling hot milk.
Add sugar and mix by transferring the coffee between the davara and tumbler a few times. Serve immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
The traditional Filter coffee has a set process.
The decoction is made using a filter and then mixed with boiling milk and sugar to make a frothy coffee, but in normal coffee, you can just mix everything in a pan including milk, coffee, and sugar and give it a boil.
While Filter coffee is a little frothy, regular coffee doesn’t have that texture. Also, filter coffee is brewed for a longer time as compared to the regular coffee.
Yes, it is stronger than Regular Coffee, as it is brewed for a longer time and thus it has a strong flavor. It is considered that a shot of filter coffee contains about 150-210 mg of caffeine.
It can be good for your health, as it is loaded with antioxidants but there are some rules to follow if you drink coffee every day.
Don’t overload your coffee with sugar, it can be really bad for your health. Either skip the sugar or use healthy alternatives such as jaggery to add a little sweetness to it. Instead, flavor it with a little cinnamon, it adds to coffee’s nutritional benefits.
Don’t consume more than a cup of coffee in a day. Too much coffee can reduce its overall health benefits because anything in excess is not good!
Choose a good coffee, if possible an organic one, which is free of pesticides and other chemicals. Read the process to make the coffee and take your decision wisely.
Also, use a paper filter to reduce the cafestol, a diterpene that can raise the cholesterol levels in the blood.
If you don’t own a filter, don’t worry, you can still make this frothy South Indian Coffee.
Add water in a pan and let it boil. Once it boils, add coffee powder. Switch off the heat, mix it after 30 seconds and again cover with a lid. Let the mixture rest for a minute to get clear decoction.
Meanwhile, boil milk, add sugar and froth by pouring into the tumbler from the pan and vice versa. Next, add sugar in the stainless steel tumbler, add in the boiling milk and add the coffee decoction slowly.
To mix, pour the coffee between the tumbler and the dabara, which will create the classic frothy layer over the coffee. Serve hot.
You will have to keep two things in mind to make a nice and thick coffee decoction.
The coffee should be finely ground.
The time of filtering should be more.
To make a thick coffee decoction, add the coffee powder in the top compartment of the coffee filter. Press nicely with the plunger, so that the coffee powder is even.
Top with boiling water. Cover with the lid and let the coffee percolate for about 3 to 4 hours. Your thick and strong decoction will be ready in some time.
It cannot be made with Instant coffee powders like Bru or Nescafe. You will need ground coffee to make it.
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Recipe Card
Filter Coffee Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Coffee Powder (Do not use instant coffee powder to make this coffee. Any medium grind with or without chicory works fine for this )
- Boiling Hot Water
- Boiling Hot Milk
- Sugar (to taste)
Instructions
- Add coffee powder in the top compartment of the coffee filter.
- Press nicely with the plunger.
- Top with boiling water.
- Cover with the lid and let the coffee percolate. It will take 3-4 hours for the coffee to percolate.
- Add 2 tbsp decoction in a tumbler.
- Top with boiling hot milk.
- Add sugar and mix by transferring the coffee between the davara and tumbler a few times.Serve immediately.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!