City firm celebrates coffees from south Indian estates

Started by three friends and coffee lovers, Viggnesh V, David Ashwathaman, and chef Mathangi Kumar, the company is procuring hand-picked coffee beans from the estates in Perumal Malai in Dindigul district, Chikmagalur in Karnataka, along with Meghalaya, to create the richest of brews.

Viggnesh, an IT professional in the city, began researching about coffee when he was looking to create a perfect cuppa for his grandfather, and over the years turned into a coffee consultant for cafes and restaurants. “Three of us were seated at a restaurant table about six months ago, thinking about bringing better coffee to Chennai. That is how Arrostire was born. Instead of buying coffee in bulk, as done by many brands, we procure our beans in small batches, which allow for hand-picking the beans to give good quality roast and brews. Coffees bought in bulk often have immature beans, which reduces the quality of output,” explains Viggnesh.

The procured coffee beans are then roasted and ground as per the brew. Currently, they offer a total of nine varieties of coffees, including four filter coffee variants (with different proportions of Arabica and robusta, without any chicory), three blends of espresso and two kinds of cold brews. Their 100 per cent premium Arabica is sourced from a women-run estate Halli Berri in Chikmagalur. “Each kind of brew requires a different temperature and texture of coffee, which is not hard to achieve. We just need to educate people about the different kinds of ways in which they can consume coffee,” he adds.

A filter coffee made out of their Eclipse blend of 60 per cent Arabica and 40 per cent robusta, keeping out the chicory (used often by commercial coffee makers to cut costs), creates a coffee with a lush foam and a rich taste. Using 100 per cent Arabica, they even show that cold brews are possible with regional coffees. “There are a lot of good coffee estates in the South itself and we wanted to educate people about it,” adds Mathangi. The company, which is now working with cafes and restaurants in the city in an attempt to introduce people to different coffee brews, also plans to open a storefront in the future. “As south Indians, we drink a lot of filter coffee. With a little experimentation, it can have an identity in itself, without chicory,” Viggnesh remarks.