Traditional South Indian coffee maker

by Shreya
(Tamil Nadu, India)

I live in South India where coffee is the most favored drink. The best South Indian coffee is a very strong brew traditionally made from freshly roasted and ground coffee beans.

A simple device- it has no brand name - is used to extract the brew. This device has two chambers, stacked one on top of the other.
The top chamber has a lid and its bottom has concentric circles of tiny holes.

There is a ‘filter’ that fits into the top chamber.This filter is a concave disc, with pin holes in it, and has a little handle attached to its centre. The required amount of ground coffee is put in the top chamber and the filter is placed over it.This set up is now placed over the bottom chamber. Boiling water is poured into the top chamber over the filter and the lid is put on. Coffee drips into bottom chamber.It takes a while to percolate but one gets a very strong brew.

My version of this coffee maker is like a coffee pot, with a handle and a spout.The removable filtering device is set inside this pot. My coffee maker is made of steel and makes coffee for two. This model comes in larger sizes also.

The traditional models are usually made of copper. The problem with these coffee makers is that the holes have a tendency to get clogged if the coffee is ground too fine.It then takes a long time for the brew to filter down. I have tried Mr. Coffee Maker but found the brew to be too thin for my liking.

The Dutch favor strong coffee and they have excellent coffee makers, rather like the traditional South Indian coffee makers. These coffee makers do not need electricity to operate.