How to prepare Filter Coffee (Kumbakonam Filter Coffee)

Hey, it is simple to prepare an instant coffee. But when it comes to filter coffee, many falters. The filter coffee is often called as Kumbakonam filter coffee.(also called 'degree coffee') There are many things involved which are simple but vital in the end when you sit and sip the coffee. Elders used to tell that the taste at one's house can be judged based on the taste of the filter coffee served. Here is the method where one can make the authentic filter coffee in its original taste:



Required :

1.Coffee powder- four spoons for three tumbler coffees. The best blend is feebary with 10% chickory mixed), when you buy 250 grams, ask them to mix 25 grams chikory in to it. The coffee powder should always be kept in air tight container.

2. Coffee filter, a small sized is preferred or medium sized is just ok.

3. Fresh Milk(should not dilute it with water). If cow milk is available, it is ideal.





Prepare the dikokshan(is the spelling correct? :-)

Boil 3/4 tumbler water and boil it very hot.

when it is getting boiled put four spoons of coffee powder into the filter. Put them loosely, scattered and evenly. Do not press the powder by any device.

Once the water is boiled very hot, pour the water into the filter very very slowly and across. One should not put it from distance, one should not pour in a single place. It should be very slowly poured into the filter evenly.


It will take about five minutes to get the dikokshan.

Boil the milk:

Boil two and half tumbler of fresh milk approximately after three minutes. The milk should be a fresh one, ie i should not be a reheated one or old milk.

Prepare the coffee:

Take a vessel(preferably ever silver sombu) with small mouth which should have the capacity to hold 3 -4 tumbler of coffee.



Pour the milk in the vessel, check the filter that there is no water left but only the wet coffee powder is there in the upper portion of the filter. Then open the lower portion of the filter and pour the dikokshan into the sombu where the hot milk is already being put.



Now add three spoons of sugar and it should be mixed by pouring in and back into tumbler approximately three times.



Now the hot Kumbakonam coffee is ready to be served. Serve preferably in ever silver tumbler and dabara. Pour into tumbler from such a height where little foam is created on the tumbler and coffee should not be visible but only the little foam layer on top of it.


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Common mistakes which people do and end up with bad coffee:

1.Using old dikokshan. It has to be noted that the dikokshan should be fresh and should have been prepared at that time only. Never prepare coffee in a refrigerated dikokshan

2. The milk should also be a fresh one. The reheated milk will not give a better result.

3. Both hot dikokshan and hot milk prepared separately as mentioned about should be mixed and never heat or reheat a coffee after mixing.

4. Once dikokshan is taken out of filter, don't put more hot water and get more dikokshan.