Coffee that tastes a million bucks?

Some of them, who tasted it elsewhere, were happy that they can now have it their own city and others wanted to see what the hype was all about. Starbucks coffee has finally arrived in Hyderabad!

Coffee aficionados will reach anywhere for their favourite cuppa. No wonder, when internationally popular brand of coffee, ‘Starbucks’ announced their arrival in Hyderabad, there was excitement amongst the Hyderabadi coffee buffs. Some of them, who tasted it elsewhere, were happy that they can now have it their own city and others wanted to see what the hype was all about. The result is the never ending stream of people visiting the outlet on Road No 92, Banjara Hills from day one of the launch.

For the starters, the brand does not operate through franchisees. The company operated outlet follows stringent procedures (they actually have a timer while brewing the coffee). The carefully chosen coffee beans (through scientific analysis), also contributes to the flavour of the coffee. The emphasis on the four factors – body, flavour, quality and acidity gives the coffee that extra edge. There is a wide range of beverages available at the counter along with simple, yet delicious sandwiches, wraps, cookies, muffins and cakes to choose from. The hot, creamy and mildly sweet vanilla-flavoured Caramel Macchiato, Javachip Frapucchino – the ice cold coffee flavoured with mocha cream and served with chocolate chips and several other handcrafted beverages or just the classic varieties of the freshly brewed coffees – there is much to taste to decide if Starbucks is really worth the wait.

The community table at the outlet is where a coffee lover can turn into a connoisseur. The masters take you through the coffee tasting session, understand the various coffees, the brewing techniques and just the pure art of coffee drinking –Smell the coffee, slurp it well and taste the flavours that fill your palette and pair it with the right short eats. (Well, sounds no less invigorating than wine or scotch tasting). Here’s where you learn the fundamentals of coffee brewing – the fresh filtered water to be used in the right quantity, using the right hand to grind the coffee and the time taken for brewing; that there are primarily two ways of brewing – the pour-over method and the French press, the difference between espresso, medium roast, dark roast and the coffee that’s grown in the high lands to that of the shade grown coffee beans - You can actually taste the spicy flavour while tasting Indian roast grown under the shade of silver oaks and pepper creepers and since they take long time to ripen, the coffee is usually more refined in taste too.

The Hyderabad outlet is done up tastefully, drawing inspiration from the opulent Nizams and the world famous pearls, yet extremely contemporary and warm enough to indulge in conversations and coffee.