After having heard numerous rave reviews on this concept café, that opened about a few months ago in Indiranagar, we finally put ourselves up to the task of experiencing the place to verify how true the buzz was. And so, last weekend we found ourselves seated inside HumbleBean Coffee, a café that wishes to educate people more about the nuances of coffee and how essential it is to pair good coffee with food.
Soaking in the calming white interiors and a perfect setting where people can enjoy pleasant music and conversations simultaneously, we were introduced to a variety of sections on the coffee-making counter, which includes AI-operated manual brewing machines. We began with a shot of light roast pour-over and Citrus Madeleine (with orange marmalade and lemon balsamic glaze). Before we took a bite, we were advised not to add sugar to our coffee and instead allow the food to balance the flavour on our palate. We obeyed.
We can assure you that those word-of-mouth reviews were nothing but the truth. The pour-over was light, mellow bodied and gave us floral and fruity notes, the flavours of which were enhanced by the sweet treat that accompanied it. That’s when we were told that their kitchen uses only fresh, natural and premium, preservative-free ingredients, unlike the coffee giants that serve sugar-loaded delicacies. We followed this with a shot of medium roast pour-over and Passionfruit Choux (filled with passionfruit ganache, bitter caramel, whipped vanilla and topped with white chocolate ganache). From the colour of the coffee to the acidity and the notes — everything was so well-balanced and the coffee married beautifully into the flavours of the pastry, which was simply impressive.
We then switched to a mini latte boasting a cute heart and dark chocolate notes and what a delight it was to pair it with the butter croissant that was equal parts creamy, crispy and flaky. We also savoured their Mango Pistachio Tart and Chocolate Eclair. The former was a delectable dish thanks to the pistachio pastry cream and layered fresh mango cubes while the latter, made with dark chocolate and drizzled with sea salt, was surprisngly smoky.
Eager to try more, we sampled their Lemon Cold Brew (mint leaves, lemon, jaggery, tonic water and cold brew) and Cinnamon Cold Brew (freshly ground cinnamon, cold brew and jaggery), both of which we quite liked. And of course a special mention to the Chocolate Hazelnut Tart, which we highly recommend if you are a Ferrero Rocher fan.
Meal for two: ₹1,200 onwards. At Defence Colony.