As the world wakes up to the aroma of coffee beans from Araku, Hyderabad-based entrepreneur S Krishna Chaitanya has found a way to celebrate it. The first outlet of Araku Aroma Coffee opened in New Jersey in 2018, and closer home, it was unveiled at Nagarjuna Circle by Chaitanya and brand ambassador partner, Sakshi Gulati. As coffee fans, we couldn’t wait to try it and made our way to the newly opened café for our first sip of this variety!
Brewed to bits
Sourced from the Eastern Ghats and produced by the tribal farmers, this coffee is absolutely organic, shares Chaitanya, as he ushers us in. The 24-seater café has a rather cosy ambience with a vintage indoor fountain and soothing lights. Aficionados would love to check out their shelf full of Arabica beans and the live roasting set-up. And the friendly staff patiently hears all your doubts about the beans and varieties with ready answers. Before we sit down to sip on our chosen brew, we are presented with a hand grinder and a wooden bowl full of Arabica beans. “Make your own coffee,” says Chaitanya, egging us on to work hard for the perfect blend. “A little bit of exercise before your brew never hurts, right,” laughs the founder. He also adds that no chicory is added to the coffee powder at this outlet, ensuring the coffee brewed is pure. Post the blending session, the well-deserved signature, Arakuccino, arrived. Those who like their coffee strong might look elsewhere because this cup of joe is mild. Laced with chocolate syrup and pine nuts, we also added a spoonful of jaggery for a hint of sweetness. However, the chocolate syrup could’ve been spread more evenly.
Nibble on
Just as we sipped on our latte, we wondered what snack to pair it with, and executive chef Mohammed Amjad came to our rescue! He brought us a plate of Grilled Prawns. The lightly spiced prawns come with a side of sautéed veggies. This pairs well with most of the coffees on their menu, especially the signature Arakuccino. Their Barbeque Chicken with Mint Mayo is flavourful and also gets its portion size right. Their Golden Fried Prawns with a slight sprinkle of paprika, is crunchy and an instant favourite on the table. It also goes perfectly well with the next coffee that we have — Lovelatte, which was added to their menu specially for Valentine’s Day. This rich coffee is presented with rose petals strewn on the saucer and we loved every sip of it!
Price for two: Rs 200.
Photos: R Satish Babu