Dine ... Wine ... Shine

In Delhi, there are a lot of hotels with New Year Events starting 31st late evening. Basically they say have live music, good food and lots of booze. But have not yet seen any event at a coffee shop. Wonder why it is not a culture yet. Even in restaurants there is nothing special happening that is not there on any other evening. New Years is just another reason to hang out with friends. Its the people that make it a special event. So if coffee shops started with their version of New Year party with a much lower price tag and lots of coffee, drinks and snacks - I think it would work.

Me, for sure, would prefer a coffee shop New Year Bash to a wine-dine restaurant.

Anybody know anything in a coffee shop?

chaicoffeethanda.com

I have finally started talking to designers to see how and when something can be done with this domain name.

I am fine investing some time and money and am hoping that finally something would come up of it.

Is there anyone who runs a website and would be willing to guide me or share their experiences on how is has been so far?

what?

I have got a few domains names like chaicoffeethanda.com and costacoffee.in with the thought that I would write about coffee and create a site where people can turn to for coffee information.

But its been a while that I have has these domains but not made any good use of them.

Now its come time to think if I want to keep these domains. And I cannot make up my mind. Basically I do not know what to do with them.

With a full time job and living with family does not leave much time to do your own thing. May be I am just finding reasons for my laziness. I have finished all my day today watching initially MunnaBhai doing Gandhigiri (why do cable TVs show the good movies on holidays) and the rest of the day watching India-England cricket (the game is so long ... one match means one day of your life is gone). Now talking about cricket, I think there are quite a good cricket websites that give good info about cricket. Like www.cricinfo.com ... their 3D animation of each ball ... its awesome. Oh yeah, I was talking about my domains .... but then if I had something to say, I would be working on them rather than writing about them.

If anyone is reading my blog, which is not very often, let me know if you can think of any good idea to put on my domains.

Chalo ... back to watching cricket!

Life and Marriage

Got this cute little marriage life story written in terms of mobile advertisements. Liked it so thought of putting it up here for others to enjoy as well ...

Life before marriage is like AIRTEL : 'Aisi Azadi Aur Kahan'
Life during engagement is like RELIANCE : 'Kar Lo Duniya Muthi Mein'
Life during Honeymoon is like IDEA : 'A wife can change your life'
Life after one year of marriage is like HUTCH : 'Where ever you go your wife follows'
Life after 10 years of marriage is like MTNL/BSNL - 'The subscriber is not reachable'

Do you agree?

Airtel Jayahe

Initially I wanted to write just about coffee ... but slowly after like almost a year in India, my coffee fever is slowly dying ... not much coffee happening.

So I think I am going to change this blog to just chai coffee thanda reading. I will blog my mind. Will scribble as I think once in a while. Can be coffee. Can be me. Can be my frustration. can be my happiness.

And today ... its going to be the Airtel Jayahe campaign. I am awed by it. Great work I would say. The artists attract your attention and the way they have saluted the nation keeps your attention. I don't think I have ever wanted to see the same "video" so many times after the ... I can't think of any video that I have wanted to see so often.

The Airtel compaign salutes the nation. I salute the campaign.

Independence Day

I wish growth and prosperity to India and Indians.

How does one usually celebrate this special day in India?
I just went for a lunch with family and flew some "patang" - kites. Kites were not easy but that exercise definitely made me more darker than I already had become in Delhi.

What did you do?

I'm back!

its been a while ....

The last I wrote was somewhere in the end of March. Then I started working. And work took all the time. No family, no friends, no books and no blogging. I was simply working. Did I have a good time working? Oh yes! Otherwise I would be blogging a lot more.

Now, I am done with a big bold project that required me to stay in office until like 3am. But now that project is done and I hope things to be better as of now.

So, yes, I'm back!

STARSTRUCKS

Shahnaz Husain - the skincare haircare herbal products entrepreneur - is starting STARSTRUCKS. Now we know what STARBUCKS is. So it should't be difficult to guess what STARSTRUCKS is. Yes yes ... you guessed it right. Coffeeshops! coffeeshop chain with a Hollywood ambiance. And the logo ....

do I read starbucks?

caffeine

Caffeine is a drug that acts as a stimulant to the heart and central nervous system, and is also known to increase blood pressure in the short term, although there is no conclusive evidence of long-term effects on blood pressure.
The effects on blood pressure are most likely when caffeine is taken in excessive quantities or by highly sensitive people. In particular, people who are hypertensive (have habitual high blood pressure), are advised to avoid caffeinated drinks, while pregnant women are advised to limit their intake of caffeinated drinks to less than 300mg per day.

Food --------------------------------------- Caffeine content
Instant Coffee (mg/cup) -------------------------- 61 to 70
Percolated ground Coffee (mg/cup) ----------- 97 to 125
Tea (mg/cup) -------------------------------------15 to 75
Cocoa (mg/cup) -----------------------------------10 to 17
Chocolate bar ------------------------------------60 to 70
Cola drinks (mg/12oz can) ----------------------43 to 65

Got this information from bbc website so must be correct. Gives an idea of how much caffeine is being consumed with every cup.

Starbucks

Was in Florida last week. One of the things in my mind was to find a starbucks. It had been a while ... not that I was a big fan of Starbucks, but since starting this blog I had not had Starbucks. And well I found one Starbucks in "Hollywood City Walk". And guess what I had - Ice Chai Latte. This has been my favourite for a while. You know what was good about it - ice. It was cold yet the ice was not crushed and no icecream was added. Here in Delhi as soon as I say cold - coffee, icecream and ice are all put together in a mixer and what I get is a really thick liquid. I have tried to explain that I want coffee on the rocks but I have failed time and again.

Before I left I had managed to have like 5 starbucks. Earlier when I was working in San Jose, paying $3-$4 for a coffee seemed not so bad. But now after being unemployed for almost 6 months the $3 hurt - it was not $3 anymore - it was Rs. 150! And I thought the Rs . 30-Rs. 70 was bad. I would like to talk to someone working in Delhi as a fresher out of college and see how often is the coffee shop in the agenda. Do they usually have a Barista breakfast or is it just a once in a while "date" location.

Any comments?

Did you know?

I came across a few coffee facts - surprizing coffee facts.

1. It takes 42 coffee beans to make an espresso.

I wonder how many coffee beans for a latte or a cappuccino. I kind of believe that in India cappucino is preferred more than strong espresso.

2. Coffee is the most popular drink worldwide with around two billion cups consumed every day.

I guess this fact does not count water as a drink.

3. Coffee grows in more than 50 countries and is the second largest export in the world after oil (in dollar value).

most traded after oil - this definitely was news to me.

Decaffeinated Coffee

According to legislation within the EU markets decaffeinated coffee is a coffee with a caffeine content reduced to 0.1% or less in roasted coffee beans, and to 0.3% or less in soluble/instant coffee.
Decaffeinated coffee is available as a choice for those consumers who wish to enjoy the taste and aroma of coffee without experiencing the mild stimulant effects provided by the caffeine.

Is decaffeinated coffee available in India? I have yet to come across decaf in Delhi.

Coffee with what?

I have found a new way of classifying coffee shops/ tea houses - one that serve snacks and one that serve full meal. Barista and Costa coffee are more like the snacks kind. There are others like CCD lounge that have a heavier food menu like pasta and burger.

Personally, I think coffee or tea goes better with snacks. A cappuccino with a muffin or a latte with a croissant sounds a lot better and appetizing, I would say. Light sandwich is also ok.
I can do a coffee after meal, but its more like a light coffee.

But it all depends on what is accompaning what? Coffee is the sidie for food or coffee is the main!

I want to take CCD to Consumer Court

I went to the Cafe Coffee Day Lounge in Hauz Khas. It is nice with a relaxed atmosphere.
But then ... [there's always a but!] today I ordered a cappuccino. [Do you remember this blog started because of a cappuccino/cafe latte mess up at the same CCD.] And ok, I got one. When I got the bill they had charged me for Big Grande! Now what the hell is a Big Grande? I asked. He said it is a big Cappuccino. I said I asked for a regular one. He said "we did not have it, so we served Big Grande." And they charged me more for that. Ok, the price difference was just Rs. 5, but I felt cheated. So I said, I will pay. But please write in the bill that a cappuccino was ordered and that they served big grande because they did not have a cup in which they serve cappuccino.
The guy apologized! He said it was their mistake and charged me Rs. 50 which is the cappuccino price.

But how many of us check the bill. The total in my bill was Rs. 136 and I do not think a Rs. 5 difference makes much of a difference to anyone.

Ever since I moved back from US, I am hearing a lot about this consumer court. I thought I would take them there. But I do not have any proof that I ordered cappuccino and got Cafe Grande! Any suggestions?

India is so much a seller's market. They rule!

Coffee Humor

Crazy:
A man went to his psychiatrist and said, "Every time I drink my coffee, I get a stabbing pain in my right eye," the psychiatrist said, "well, have you tried taking the spoon out?"

Automation:
A man walked up to a vending machine, put in a coin, and pressed the button labeled, "Coffee, double cream, sugar." No cup appeared. Then two nozzles went into action, one sending forth coffee, the other, cream. After the proper amounts had gone down the drain where the cup should have been, the machine turned off. "Now that's real automation," the man exclaimed. "This thing even drinks it for you!"

A Santa/Banta one ...
Santa in a restaurant asked to Banta please finish your coffee jaldi yaar or we have to pay more.Banta, why we have to pay more? Santa, the price of Hot Coffee is Rs.10/- and Cold Coffee is Rs.20/-.

Also in Bible:
A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning.The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee."The husband said, "You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee."Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says:"HEBREWS"

*not my original jokes. credits to the original writer.

Caffè latte vs. Cappuccino

In Italy caffè e latte literally means "coffee and milk", similar to the French café au lait. A Caffe Latte is a single shot of espresso with steamed milk (usually one third to two third). The milk is steamed, not frothed to produce a smooth texture. There is no frothed milk in this drink. A latte is the perfect coffee for those who like a milky coffee that still has plenty of flavour. It is the ideal breakfast coffee but is great any time of day.


Cappuccino -- One-third coffee, one-third milk and one-third foam - this is the classic recipe for a cappuccino. The perfect cappuccino has just as much coffee flavour as a neat espresso, but is softened by adding frothy milk. You can froth the milk in a cappuccino creamer or simply heat it gently in a pan and whisk with a fork or hand whisk. Pour the frothy milk onto your hot black coffee and add the foam on the top with a spoon. Usually chocolate powder or ground cinnamon is sprinkled to add flavour.

Cappuccino also differs from caffè latte in that it is smaller - the ending '-ino' indicates it is small. Main difference is the foam - Cappuccino has a lot of it.

threesixty°

A multicuisine cafe located in The Oberoi in New Delhi.

The restaurant offers a world class Sushi station, a Yakitori grill, a Wood Fired Oven for Mediterranean fare and a contemporary Tandoor. In addition, threesixty°, offers a wide range of both classical and new world wines at enoteca – the Bar and Lounge.

A coffee or tea is in the range of Rs. 225-Rs.250 (about $5)
I had a cafe latte. It was very good.

So, if you have some bucks to spare and want to relax - threesixty° can be one option.

Cafe in Hindi

Over the weekend I learned something new. In India (I am generalizing based on my Delhi experience) a cafe usually means a restaurant. Now how can "cafe" mean restaurant?!? It does! I have no supporting document for that. Just an incident. I went to The Oberoi in Delhi. I simply asked, where is the coffee shop. I had to kill some time waiting. They said go straight and turn right. It lead to threesixty-degrees. It was a full fledged restaurant. Proper food including daal makhni and penne pasta was on the menu. But it is called a cafe!

Yesterday, I happened to be in the Shangrila. Since coffeeshops intrigue me, I thought I would go check out their coffee shop. I saw a variety of pastry and cakes on display. I went. Comfortable sofas around. I thought I found the coffeeshop. But you know what - it was called a Lobby Lounge. And they had a cafe - Cafe Uno. They had a Sunday Brunch on. Cheese, pasta, sushi, tandoori - everything was being served in the so-called Cafe Uno.

I had to confirm. I asked the manager - this is a Cafe right?!? He said, "Yes. Of course!" I- But you serve only regular coffee. He- Yes Ma'm. I- But this is the cafe right? He- Yes. In India cafe serves food. I- So what is Barista and Cafe Coffee Day? He- They are Coffee Bars.

Can I say "cafe" in Hindi means restaurant?

Costa Coffee

I decided to add links to various coffee shops in Delhi since I am living in Delhi. The plan is to give details of coffee shops all over the world - phew! seems like a long way. But ya, I began my voyage with known names like Cafe Coffee Day, Barista and Costa Coffee. Simple Google helped me with Cafe Coffee Day and Barista. But I was surprised to find no website for Costa Coffee. Costa Coffee UK did have costa.co.uk. But nothing about India in it. I looked to see whats up with costa.co.in and costa.in. Both domains existed - no content though. Then I thought costacoffee.co.in and costacoffee.in. Guess what? They are mine now. I own these two domains :)

Now something about the coffee shop itself.

Fina aroma of coffee and the wellknown cafe feel - you get that only at Costa Coffee in Delhi.
Costa - italian about coffee - serves all the regular variety of hot and cold coffee along with some tea and hot chocolate. You can easily enjoy a good snack or even a lunch - they serve a variety of sandwiches- at Costa Coffee with real good coffee.

At present they have 17 outlets with the 18th coming up soon.
1. Connaught place, Shop# L-8, Connaught Circle, New Delhi
2. Greater Kailesh II, Shop# M-38, GK-II, New Delhi
3. Green Park, Shop#S-28, Green Park Main Market, New Delhi
4. Pitampura, Shop#G-22, Aggarwal Millenium Tower, Delhi
5. Noida Sect 18, Shop# G-45, Sect 18, Near CentreStage mall, Noida
6. Noida Sect 25, Shop#101, Noida Entertainment Center, Plot1-2, Spice World Mall, Noida
7. Noida Sect 61, Shop#253, Shoptrix Mall, Noida
8. Rohini, Aggarwal City Plaza, District Center, Sector 3, Rohini, Delhi
9. Alaknanda, G-4, Raj Tower-II, Alaknanda market, New Delhi
10. Nehru Place, G-2, Redrose Building, Delhi
11. Dwarka, Shop#11,12, Aggarwal Mall, Ashirwad Chowk, Sector 5, New Delhi
12. Kaushambi, Food Court, Pacific Paradise Mall, Plot 1, Gaziabad
13. Rajouri Garden, TDI Mall, Plot 11, New Delhi
14. Gurgaon, Infinity Towers, DLF Cyber City, Gurgaon
15. Mohan Nagar, MMX Mall, Mohan Nagar, Gaziabad
16. Prashant Vihar, Funcity Mall, Shop# G8, Rohini, New Delhi
17. Jaipur, Crystal Court Mall, Malviya Nagar, Jaipur

And Coming up
Preet Vihar, V3S Mall, GF8, Laxmi Nagar, New Delhi

Café Morrison Hard Rock Café

Cafe Morrison - the "desi" version of Hard Rock Café is one restaurant that takes its music seriously. Refusing to let it blend into the background at Café Morrison, it is all about the spirit of rock in all its forms. While it is dedicated to the legend of rock -- Jim Morrison -- the Café is in a way keeping up his tradition. Giving space to young enthusiastic bands, it is, as the good old saying goes, "all about the music" - Besides the spicy, tangy yet soothing Mexican ala carte. Once a week live band performance, this cafe is going leave you asking for MORE!

Address:
Gourmet Gallery #E12
South Extension 2
Andrewsganj, Delhi110049
Phone: +91-11-26255652

Cafe Coffee Day

I was in Jaipur last week for a cousin's wedding. The wedding was good. Jaipur palaces and forts were amazing. Among the camel ride, horse ride and elephant ride, I managed to find a Cafe Coffee Day (CCD). In fact it was like 5mins walk from our hotel - Trident Hilton. The most amazing thing about this CCD was the fact that it was inside a gas station (petrol pump), I mean at the end. I had always thought CCDs to be more of a relaxing lounge kind of cafe - may be because the one I frequent is a CCD lounge. I was nonetheless happy to spot a cafe. I tried something different there - something that I do not see in the CCD lounge menu. It was a spinach and cheese sandwich. It was good. I happened to be there on the 26th January also - there was a group of young girls having black forest cakes and the likes at about 10am. I am sure they were celebrating their holiday with coffee ... they did not come there for gas/petrol! It just supports my argument that Indian youth are inclined towards coffee!

Coffee consumption in India

Coffee culture, as I would like to phrase it, is happening in India. But is it just an increased number of chain coffee shops? Is there an actual increase in the coffee consumption in the country? Or is it just people going to coffee shops to meet their old friend chai? I wanted to find out. So I stated looking and came across the Coffee Board of India. According to their statistics, the domestic estimated consumption was 55000 metric tonnes in 1995. It increased to 60000 in 2000 and was 80200 in 2005. So yes, more people are drinking coffee.

Do people actually like coffee or is it just more stylish to order coffee than chai? For me, while I am in India, I get better tea at home. So, everytime I am in a cafe, I make it a point to drink coffee. Whereas when in US, I used to almost always order Chai latte in all my Starbucks visit. Good coffee was available in office. We had a coffee maker. Will ask a few people around and give you a general answer in a few days - is it just stylish to drink coffee or do they like it?

Chai Coffee ya Thanda?

When someone says, "Chai coffee ya thanda?" it means do you want chai, coffee or thanda? Thanda is a Hindi word - an adjective meaning cold; like thanda pani = cold water, thanda din = cold day. But just thanda is I guess slang for cold drink including sodas (Coke, Pepsi, Sprite ...), juices - drinks that are not hot.

So in this Chai Coffee Thanda, I would want to include thanda along with the matured beauty chai and the recently debuted coffee.

The reason behind ...

I went to a cafe lounge in Hauz Khas. I did not want cappuccino. Wanted something light. Thought cafe latte would be good. I said ... I want a cafe latte! Simple. Thought the task was done. But (there's always a but) the attendant had no idea what a cafe latte is. After some explaining, she said ... oh sure - Cafe Latte! Was I proud of my explaing capabilities? Oh yes. I got my drink not very late. But then, I got a cappuccino - well in another cup than the usual cappuccino. I drank it :( Then my brain went to work as to why this happened. And I knew the answer. Because coffee culture is new in India. It is in its infancy. India is a chai country. Lets go for a coffee - this is sort of stylish. But lets go get a cup of tea - anyone and everyone says that. Be it a bulti-billionaire or a poor-postman, everyone drinks chai. Chai is tea cooked with milk and usually with sugar also [unless you are diabetic]. There can be various flavours like cinnamon, masala, pepper, ginger, [a lot of them. I don't know whatall exists.] But coffee culture is happening. So, I thought I would write something about coffee in general - some information, some gossip, some recipe, some cafe and share them with you. Hence the beginning.

I am a born chai-drinker. My dad used to share his tea with me when I was a baby in his lap. So while I try to write about coffee I thought I should not restrict myself to coffee. There is a lot that we do not know about chai. And anyways, when you go to someone's house or someone comes to yours, the first thing after Namaste is "Chai Coffee or Thanda?"

Comming up - Thanda!