Kumbakonam Iyer Kaapi, a right spot to stop

BVS Bhaskar

TANJORE (Tamil Nadu): Kumbakonam Degree Coffee is popular in most parts of the Tamil Nadu and particularly it denotes the traditional habit of taking pure coffee by Brahmin community. On the same lines, another coffee house was found to the much excitement of tourists and students of Sasta Engineering College and University on Srirangam and Tanjore state highway. No one will believe that it is a coffee parlour as it looks unique in all its features. 

     At the entrance of the `house’ there is a big flower pot in which green Tulasi plants were planted. The driver asked me to look at one corner of the house, where a round sign board was kept “Kumbakonam Iyer Kaapi”. So, I understood that is a coffee house. The walls of the clay house were neatly plastered with cow dung and two small rope-cats were tied on the left side of the entrance and a cart was parked on one side of the wall.

      One would say Wow! as they enter into the coffee house, because the old artifacts displayed in all corners of the big hall. The artifacts include oldest cots, ancient Indian traditional stoves, brass vessels, brass tumbler and drinking glasses, very old dried bottle guard, traditional wooden cot, gramophone record and so on. All the walls were colorfully painted with caricatures and oldest photograph of Tanjore Brihdeeswara Temple was hanging on one of the walls.

    “We want to create good atmosphere, environment and feel for the visitors. So, I collected these artifacts one after one from last three years”-said Vijay Murugan, owner of the Kumbakonam Iyer Kaapi. Mr. Vijay who hails from Tanjore mastered in Hotel Management and shifted to Bangalore. He started Dolci Hospitality Innovations, a consulting agency to start big hotels, restaurants, coffee shops in an innovative way. “The shop is one of my dream projects. Kumbakonam Degree Coffee does not owe much to the powder but to the purity of undiluted milk used in the preparation of the coffee. Most locals are indignant that the Kumbakonam Degree Coffee name is used to market coffee all around the State. But, Brahmin community had popularized this from long back in my native place”-he added.

        Anand, who worked in Maldives, Sasikumar and Ganesan from Singapore-all from Tanjore are maintaining the above Iyer Kaapi. According to Mr. Anand “The credit goes to Panchapikesa Iyer, the proprietor of the old Lakshmi Vilas in Kumbakonam, also called Pasumpal (cow’s milk) Coffee Club, where coffee would flow from 5 a.m. till late evening”. Mr. Sasikumar said that his proprietor Mr. Vijay Murugan had started this coffee house only in April this year and being on the state highway every vehicle passing this way used to stop here for a tumbler of coffee. He also added that students of Sasta College are frequent visitors for not only coffee, but also for ice creams, milkshakes, cold coffee, Italian Cappuccino Coffee that they serve in artifacts like bamboo bars, variety of brass articles.

     Mr. Vijay Murugan who spoke over phone from Bangalore said that he is having Freddo Ice Cream shops on the other side of the highway and also in Tanjore in which all varieties of foreign ice creams will be served along with Kumbakonam Kaapi.

     So, it is the time for all tourists and locals to make a visit to the coffee house.

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