Kaapi Blend - Medium Dark Roast

Currently, we have a small amount of inventory from end of September in stock and will be launching pre-orders for fresh inventory soon.

During pre-order periods, you place your pre-order for coffee now, and we collect all orders to ship at once from India. This ensures you receive freshly roasted, high-quality coffee, rather than inventory that has been sitting on a shelf.

In the future, we plan to partner with a local roaster to roast and ship coffee fresh throughout the year. But as a new business, managing fresh inventory can be challenging. Pre-ordering is our way of sustainably launching – rather than investing our savings into inventory that we are not guaranteed to sell.

Coffee tastes much better when freshly roasted and shipped. By pre-ordering, you’re directly supporting a zero-waste approach, where only the necessary amount of coffee is imported from India—nothing extra, nothing wasted.

We always recommend purchasing whole beans to preserve the freshness of the coffee for as long as possible. Grinding your beans right before making your coffee is life-changing. You’ll notice more flavor and aroma in your cup. However, coffee does remain fresh for 3 months and having your coffee pre-ground saves time. If you must get the coffee pre-ground, this is what we recommend:

• Medium Fine: South Indian filter, Moka Pot, Drip, Home Espresso, Chemex
• Medium: Pour-over (Hario V60, Kalita Wave, Cone Drippers), Aeropress, Flat bottom filters, Siphon Brewers
• Coarse: French Press, Steeping/Pot, Percolator
• Extra Coarse: Cold Brew

Kaapi is the most iconic coffee beverage in South India, and it is renowned for its rich, creamy flavor and aromatic appeal. Traditionally, it is prepared with milk and sweetened with jaggery, a natural sweetener commonly used across South Asia, although sugar can be used as well. The beverage has many variations, such as black coffee (without milk) or even with different ratios of milk to coffee decoction. Kaapi is more than just coffee—it's a cultural symbol of warmth, hospitality, and comfort.

The blend is specifically ground to a medium-fine consistency because it includes chicory, a herb that needs to be evenly distributed throughout the coffee for optimal flavor and texture. The medium-fine grind ensures that both the coffee and chicory extract evenly during brewing, creating a smooth and well-balanced cup.

While this grind is ideal for the South Indian filter or Moka Pot, it is versatile and can be used in various brewing methods, such as the French press, Vietnamese phin, or even a drip coffee maker. That said, we are unapologetically biased toward the South Indian filter, as it brings out the full-bodied richness and distinctive flavor profile of the blend like no other method! 😊

Chicory is the roasted and ground root of the chicory plant, often blended with coffee powder in South Indian filter coffee. It adds a slight nutty, earthy flavor to the coffee, enhances its aroma, and gives it a smooth, rich texture. Chicory also increases the density of the coffee decoction, making it feel creamier and more satisfying when mixed with milk. The inclusion of chicory is one of the defining features of South Indian Kaapi.

Fun fact: Chicory is a key ingredient in New Orleans-style coffee (NOLA coffee).

Absolutely! Kaapi can be enjoyed without milk, and one such variation is called "Bella Kaapi" in some South Indian regions. In this version, the coffee is served black, sweetened with jaggery (a natural, unrefined sweetener), and without milk. The combination of strong coffee decoction and the earthy, caramel-like sweetness of jaggery makes for a bold and flavorful drink.

For those who prefer their coffee unsweetened, you can also enjoy a pure black version of Kaapi, often referred to as "Kattan Kaapi" or simply South Indian black coffee, which highlights the robust and aromatic flavors of the coffee itself.

• Arabica: Known for its delicate and nuanced flavor, Arabica coffee is typically sweeter with higher acidity and aromatic complexity. It is grown at higher altitudes.
• Robusta: Robusta coffee is bolder, stronger, and more bitter, with a heavier body and earthy flavors. It contains higher caffeine content and grows more easily in diverse climates.

In South Indian coffee blends, both Arabica and Robusta are often combined to achieve a perfect balance of aroma, flavor, and strength.

• Washed Arabica: Also known as "wet-processed," this method involves fermenting and washing the coffee beans to remove their outer layers. It produces a clean, bright, and fruity flavor profile, often with higher acidity and nuanced taste notes.
• Robusta Naturals: In this "dry-processed" method, the coffee cherries are dried in the sun before the beans are extracted. This results in a bold, intense flavor with lower acidity and a heavier body, often with earthy and chocolatey notes.

A South Indian coffee filter is a traditional brewing device, often referred to as a "filter dabara set." It consists of two cylindrical compartments: the top section holds the coffee powder and hot water, allowing the decoction (concentrated coffee) to drip into the lower chamber. The resulting brew is rich and highly concentrated, often about twice the strength of espresso. While it works similarly to a French Press or drip coffee maker, its unique design and slow brewing process create a distinct, full-bodied flavor that sets it apart.