Hi Beanbuffs,
You are reading about a 14 year old reboot of Shack Coffee Co. Every week Abhishek sends an update about the journey and interesting things about the world of coffee.
Cafe Coffee Day and Barista did not run India’s first specialty coffee cafe. It was Qwiky’s. None have matched their vibe till date. But, first an update.
1. Update:
Coffee Quality Institute has postponed the Q Grading workshop to January, 2022. Only two people had applied for it. I won’t wait for the workshop to start roasting.
I spoke with one of my favorite coffee roasters. He advised me to get a small roaster, and start roasting and cupping coffees. He also said that Q Grading certificate is helpful for becoming a green coffee buying professional. And, I should get a cupping partner to exchange notes. When I start cupping, I would love to host fellow Beanbuffs.
Few small roasting machines are Kaldi, Huky, Gene Cafe, Behemor. I will go for Kaldi, as it is available in India. It can roast up to 400gms of coffee. It means I can roast multiple times and evaluate multiple varieties. The average cost of premium of specialty green coffee is between INR 300 to INR 500 per kilogram.
What about pop-up? It’s still on. Tomorrow I am doing a dry run with one of the prospective collaborators. I will be making espressos, cappuccinos and Americanos. The idea is to map the workflow with the available space. I will share the photographs.
Video: Why Q Grading by Mithilesh Vazalwar Link
2. Remember Qwiky’s
Between 1999 and 2003 Qwiky’s Coffee was the coolest cafe in town. It had the best coffee, sandwiches, music and locations. No other cafe or chain has or had such baristas. I still crave for chicken piccata sandwiches. They called their sandwiches panini (Italian for sandwiches). I wanted to run a cafe like that. I still want to. Thanks to Sashi Chimala, its founder.
In Delhi it was in Saket, next to Barista and PVR. It stood out. I tasted my first espresso at Qwiky’s. It was the cheapest item on the menu, but it tasted odd. The barista smiled and offered me a cappuccino. That was also my first cappuccino. I fell in love with the place. It played jazz from Worldspace. A million small things made it better than all the cafes in town.
Sashi Chimala had returned to India from US. He missed going to Starbucks. So, he started a cafe in India. It is sad that it did not expand or grow into a big coffee chain like CCD or Barista. But, he had kickstarted an industry.
Sashi told in an interview: After SSI Technologies bought Indigo, I started Qwiky's Coffee Pub. My wife and I missed a genuine coffee joint. In San Jose, we would often go to Starbucks and have a nice cup of coffee. That concept was non-existent in India.
Retail outlets, at that time, were new to India. Still, against a projected 100,000 cups of espresso in 12 months, Qwiky's sold 365,000 cups! In the first two years, Qwiky's had sold over one million cups of coffee. When I started Qwiky's I had no competition. The very concept was absent. It was frustrating and exhilarating too. I am glad that I could kickstart an industry.
Cafes are about baristas and the communities they nourish. Customers forgive a little less special coffee at such cafes. I wish we see such cafes again. If you know of such community cafes, let me know. I will feature them here.
DIY recipe: Chicken piccata sandwich Link
3. What am I drinking: Naivo Ambedo
I am drinking Naivo’s Ambedo blend. I am evaluating darker espresso blends in the market. Only two roasters have impressed me.
Ambedo is a blend of Colombian and Indian coffee beans. As per the website the blend has 6 varieties. Colombian coffee beans are famous for high acidity (nt sour), flavour ( fruity but not fermented)and medium body (unlike tea). Indian coffees are about aroma and body.
I did get high acidity and pleasant aroma, but it bordered on being sour. Espresso was sour. Americano was better. Cappuccino was not bad. Pour over did not work out for me.
Next issue:
Dry run for pop-up bar
New blend