International Coffee Day is here and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate the most caffeinated day of the year!
Coffee has never been more popular, with an estimated 3 billion cups consumed everyday, a number which continues to rise, the jitter juice has secured a spot in the heart of many people and become one of the most loved drinks around the world. On the occasion of International Coffee Day, let’s sit down with us, sip your favorite coffee brew and have a talk with the 2 Hosts Uluç from New York, the United States and Bipin from Bengaluru, India about their passion for coffee!
When did your passion for coffee begin and for which reason?
Host Uluç: In fourth grade, I would drink coffee to stay awake for late-night cartoon marathons on TV. Later, my passion was captured by the mysterious aspect of coffee ground reading – an ancient practice that my father in Turkey was an enthusiastic disciple of. In fact, his final reading for me – given a couple months before his passing – is what ultimately made me decide to carry on this tradition of divine positivity, encouragement, and humor.
Host Bipin: I was a coffee fanatic long before I could remember but it only started as a passion after my 3-year working experience in Italy. Coffee and Italy are indeed a match made in heaven. Over the last four centuries, coffee culture has found fertile ground in Italy and so much what we, nowadays, take for granted about coffee, was originally invented, tested, and improved here. The experience is mind-blowing, but then it also takes me back to the root of coffee in India, needless to say we are one of the biggest coffee producers in the world. So I decided to come back to India and sourced the best raw coffee beans of different varieties, roast styles and regions. The dedication to coffee is just growing more and more each day since then.
How important is coffee in your country/your culture?
Host Uluç: Coffee is a staple of Turkish culture. We drink it like water. Ironically – and very surprising to many – I am extremely sensitive to the brew. Though I worship coffee’s flavor and mystical contents, caffeine is not a friend to my nerves! Despite reading over 4,000 coffee cups – I’ve only enjoyed two cups this year. Perhaps, I am vicariously enjoying my overwhelming number of guests!
Host Bipin: The story of Indian coffee began less than five centuries ago when the coffee beans were introduced into the country by one man. The origins of each nation’s coffee industry are surrounded in myth and India’s tale is no different. History has it that the first beans smuggled out of Arab dynasty landed in India. It’s a legend of danger and intrigue about an Indian Sufi called Baba Budan who risked everything to bring coffee to India. Today, India is home to the high altitude fragrance packed specialty Arabica coffee, Valley Robusta (grown in spice plantations) and many more single origin coffees.
Tell us about your Eatwith experience. What are you most excited about?
Host Uluç: I’m super excited to share about the Turkish coffee reading tradition with my Eatwith guests, which is an authentic tradition dating back to the Ottoman empire of the 1600s. After drinking this sweet, espresso-like coffee that will be prepared on a pot of hot burning sand, it is customary to read one’s fortune from the remaining coffee grinds. These readings are always fun, light-hearted, but most importantly – insightful!
I love that Eatwith allows me to connect with so many wonderful individuals all around the world. In fact, I even met my life partner on the platform! We will be traveling to Turkey together in a week.
Host Bipin: When we first start the experience, my Eatwith guests will be introduced to different types of coffee in their unroasted form. By the end of this activity, they will be able to differentiate different types of coffee and how they add value to coffee taste in general. We will then discuss each coffee drink namely; Espresso, Macchiato, Americano, Kopi Luwak, and so much more. My guests will also go through the roasting process and longevity of taste and flavor based on the methods of roasting and storing coffee. Learning the right way of processing and storing coffee makes each cup of coffee so much better. The next step is to understand various ways of coffee brewing and how they change from one cup to another. Finally, we go to coffee cupping and tasting. A generous dose of coffee is served of different varieties of local Indian produce. Experience Indian coffee from start to finish.
What feeling do you want people to take away after your experience?
Host Uluç: We all have a faint belief of magic and wonder – each and every single one of us. To witness the signs poured from the universe into our little coffee cups, our curiosity is piqued. We are symbolically driven creatures – it’s how our minds interpret the world. So even the skeptic will enjoy “The Turkish Coffee Therapy”. When we intertwine laughter, hope, and magic all together — it touches us at a very personal, human core. I look forward to doing that for my Eatwith guests!
Host Bipin: I hope the guests will learn more about the history of coffee in the world and how India play a major role in expanding coffee culture to the world.
Check out Host Bipin’s experience here or follow this link to book Host Uluç’s fortune coffee reading session.
