Sip as you flip through

Sip as you flip through


Feel like a piping hot coffee over a good book? Kalmane Koffee has a new outlet with a bookshop attached at Jayanagar

The Hindu

There's something absolutely luxurious about sipping a hot cup of coffee while browsing through a book. If the coffee is exotic and the book thrilling, what can be better? Kalmane Koffees has opened its third outlet in the city, bang in the middle of Jayanagar. Sitting in the aesthetically done interiors of the coffee shop, one can take in the sight of the bustling Jayanagar Complex.

The speciality about this outlet is that it has a partner in Sankars, the book people. So the first floor space is divided discreetly into two regions, the coffee shop and the bookshop.

Ideal concept


"The concept of having a bookstore in a coffee shop seemed ideal since books and coffee go together, and yet one does not disturb the other," says Vivek Sankar, the director of Sankars. "Coffee and books are compatible and we were looking for an ideal partner to share the space," adds Ravindranath Singh, Manager of Kalmane Koffees.

Of the over 1,300-sq ft space, the bookstore takes up 480 sq ft. "Our outlet at Ranga Shankara has got quite a good response, and we wanted to extend our presence in Bangalore South," reveals Vivek. Designed by Kalmane's in-house designers, the book cafe allows one to lounge on comfortable settees, muse over the posters that educate you about the wonder brew, and observe the people on the street. Or you can look at the burnished copper coffee machine that roasts and grinds the coffee beans. "We believe in inviting our customers to be part of the coffee making — from bean to cup," says Singh. Thankfully, at Kalmane Koffees, it is from bean to dabara-tumbler, the way any self-respecting South Indian coffee should be consumed!

There must be something in the aroma of the brew that keeps the attenders in the best of spirits here. They zealously tell guests about the various coffees on offer — the classic blend Bluegrass, the strong Calypso, the bitter sweet Cantata, the pure Arabica Harmony, the soft Crescendo and the fine Mysore Nuggets.

Coming from the 125-year old Kalmane Estates in Chikmagalur, the coffees are priced at Rs.160 a kilogram for the 70:30 blend, Rs.180 for the 80:20 coffee-chicory blend, and pure coffees in the range of Rs.200-320 per kg.

The outlet offers over a dozen types of cold and hot coffees priced in the range of Rs. 20 to Rs.56 per cuppa.

An Ethiopian goatherd may have discovered the stimulating characteristic of coffee, but it is enterprises such as Kalmane and Sankars who have discovered a niche crowd in the city — people who like to read books with the aroma of good coffee, not noisy chatter and loud music, swirling around their heads. Let's drink to that.

Kalmane Koffees is at No.433/30/1 1st Floor, 28th Cross, 10th Main, 4th Block Jayanagar, Bangalore. Phone: 51505585. For home delivery, call 22067726.