Filter coffee is a hot beverage made with ground coffee using a coffee filter. This type of coffee is particularly popular in South India and enjoyed with idli, vada and dosa.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 5 minutes
  • Cook time: Not specified
  • Total time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 3
  • Category: Beverage
  • Cuisine: Indian

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons ground coffee (for coffee decoction, I use Cothas brands)
  • hot water

For single serving

  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup coffee decoction (adjust to how strong you like your coffee)
  • 1/3 to 1/2 cup cup milk (use milk of choice, adjust to how much milk you prefer)
  • 1 teaspoon sugar (or to taste)

Method

  1. To the coffee filter add, 2 tablespoons of ground coffee in the upper compartment (one with perforations). You can use less coffee for a light coffee. With 2 tablespoons you get a strong coffee which I like. Spread the coffee with a spoon or your hands and then press the coffee with the disc.
  2. Add boiling water and fill until it's almost filled to the top. Cover with the lid and let the coffee percolate into the lower lower vessel for 20 to 30 minutes. This time may be more if your filter is bigger.
  3. After 20 minutes or so open the lid, all the water would have percolated in the lower chamber by now. And what you have is a strong coffee decoction.
  4. To make one single serving of coffee- add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of hot coffee decoction to your cup again this depends on how strong coffee you prefer. I add 1/2 cup. I am using classic dabra here.
  5. Stir in sugar to taste, or skip sugar if you don't want like sugar in your coffee.
  6. Add in hot milk, this could be 1/3 to 1/2 cup depending on how much milk you like. I add 1/3 cup since I like strong coffee with less milk.
  7. Now, to make it frothy and dissolve the sugar, pour the coffee from the tumbler into the dabra. And again from the dabra into tumbler. Pour from a height so that you get nice froth. Repeat this couple of times until it's frothy.
  8. Make more servings similarly. It would make 2 or 3 depending on how much coffee you use. Serve hot.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.