Around 2013-2014 my cousin and I lived like there was no tomorrow. We were sharing an apartment in Pune, away from our families in Chhatisgarh, which was reason enough to do what young 20 somethings do best. We'd go out almost every night and stay over at our friend's place in Baner. On our 20-km ride back to ours in Fatima Nagar the next morning, we'd stop to get breakfast at an Up-South outlet that soon became the cure to all our hangovers. Looking back as someone who starts most of her breakfasts with a dosa and a coffee, perhaps that's where it all began, at Up-south, with its perfect masala dosa that came with 3 spectacular chutneys.

But as we sat there waiting for our order, sleep deprived, dehydrated and a little sore from dancing all night, my favourite thing to do was watch the gentleman in the outdoor area preparing our filter coffee. The brew came from a little apparatus that looked like a tiny rocket ship and was mixed with hot milk and poured back and forth between two tumblers to create froth. This coffee served in a tumbler and a 'dabra' (a kind of saucer) became the thing I looked forward to more than my night outs for almost two years.

The shared love for the perfection of an Indian filter 'kaapi' reached all-new heights this year when it was titled the best coffee in the world. TasteAtlas is a foodie’s dream encyclopedia — a global guide to the most authentic dishes and drinks, complete with recipes, reviews, and rankings. And as of their latest update on November 15, our very own filter coffee rose to the top of the list.

So, what makes this humble brew so extraordinary? How did it rise above the espresso, the cold brew, and a gazillion other high-tech gadgets that exist in the caffeine community? Let’s dive into the story of South Indian filter coffee: where it came from, how it’s made, and why the world can’t get enough of it.

Legend has it that filter coffee’s roots can be traced back to the 16th century and a Sufi saint named Baba Budan. On his way back from a pilgrimage to Mecca, he smuggled seven coffee beans from Yemen to India. (Seven, because apparently smuggling fewer would’ve been bad luck!) Those beans found their first Indian home in the misty Chandragiri Hills of Chikmagalur, Karnataka, where the perfect climate and soil helped them flourish. Fast forward a few centuries, and coffee became a southern staple, embraced with gusto in states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala. TasteAtlas' ranking of the filter coffee is a full-circle celebration of the true craft of the masters in the South.

Filter coffee is typically made with medium to dark roasted Arabica or Robusta coffee beans, or a blend of the two: Arabica, known for its smooth, mild flavor with a hint of sweetness, and Robusta, that has a stronger, more bitter taste and contains more caffeine. There's also Chicory in the blend, a root that enhances the body and flavour of the coffee, lending it a subtle sweetness and nutty undertone. Making filter coffee is fairly simple. It starts with a steel filter, a no-frills but genius contraption that uses gravity to work its magic. A blend of dark-roasted coffee is packed into the filter’s upper chamber, hot water is poured over it, and then… you wait. The water slowly seeps through, dripping into the bottom chamber to create a thick, aromatic decoction. But the real fun begins when the decoction meets steaming whole milk. The two are poured back and forth between a tumbler and a dabra, a mini steel bowl, until they’re perfectly mixed and wonderfully frothy.

I have cooled my coffee the same way consistently for the last few years. I never quite understood how but this areation always made my coffee lighter and brought our the flavours.

Speaking of which, the South Indian filter coffee has a sweet, clean, and surprisingly delicate flavour profile. It’s not bold like an espresso or punchy like a cold brew, but that’s exactly the point. It doesn't attack the senses with bitterness but comes off as balanced and rich, especially with whole milk which softens the acidity and brings out out all those delicious coffee notes. And because the brewing process gives you full control over things like the grind size, temperature of the water and steeping time, every cup can be fine-tuned to perfection.

Watching seasoned baristas make coffee on Instagram feels like witnessing a science experiment. A lot of thought and technique goes into making the perfect cup. But it makes me wonder whether we got too obsessive with it and overdid what could be a simple brewing method. That's what filter coffee represents; the way it has been done forever. We're a country known for its chai but one could argue that the same craftsmanship applies to our coffee too; one that comes not from innovation necessarily but tried and trusted tradition. The filter coffee in its spirit is also very Indian. It doesn't wake you up with a slap on the face (something that coffee culture has sadly become synonymous with aka "don't talk to me until I've had my coffee), it's rather a hug, softer, cordial and hearty; a symbol of hospitality filled with love that nourishes your soul. The world can certainly use more of that.

Check out TasteAtlas' full list of the best coffees around the world here.

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