The Perfect Cuppa with Beanstalk & Leaves

A morning is not complete without a mug of coffee. Neither is mid morning or evening. The aroma of the freshly brewed coffee followed by the its strong bittersweet taste that lingers on your tongue feels so divine that sometimes it could be considered sinful. You never know how the day is going to pan out for you, but with that first sip of coffee in the morning, what you do know is that at least the beginning of the day, has been good.

I come from a family of tea drinkers, and amidst the tea drinkers, there is a coffee drinker – my mother. That is where I get my coffee addiction from. Just like her, I need to start the day with a cup of coffee and some quiet, and then I’m ready to conquer the world!

Growing up, coffee was just a drink to get you started in the morning, usually a bit of a stimulus before you hit your books. In time, with all the fancy coffee shops springing up here and there, it became am excuse to hang out with friends. I remember on several occasions, having a single cup of coffee over hours as my friends and I sat in coffee shops chatting away. For my mother and me, it has always been something that we would have our ‘mother-daughter’ time over. After all these years, even though I have moved out of my parents house, gotten married, and started a home of my own with my husband, having coffee together remains a sacred tradition between the two of us. A fresh cup of coffee is prepared, sometimes at my place, sometimes at hers and quite often over the phone, and we have our long catch up *cough* gossip *cough* sessions over coffee.  Coffee is such a central part of my life. In fact, I drink a cuppa while I write at this very moment. I guess that’s why the words seems to flow…

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About a year ago, during one of the usual Friday night/ Saturday night drinking sessions (can’t be sure which night exactly) my friend Vivek, told us that he’s starting a new venture – a coffee venture. Imagine my excitement! Since that day, I had been pestering Vivek to invite me for one of his coffee tasting sessions. Although I love coffee, and staying in Bangalore, so close to Coorg and Chickmaglur, the areas in Karnataka where most of the coffee is grown, I don’t know much about coffee. Perhaps this would be a way for me to understand my favourite drink a little more.

Soon enough, Vivek introduced us to his partner Ashish and their prized possession, Beanstalk & Leaves.

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I was really excited for the two of them as they launched their product and were ready to sell. That means that I, too, could get a taste of their coffee and I did when they were selling at High Street 66 last month.

The opportunity to learn a bit more about Beanstalk & Leaves came beckoning last week as I was invited to their ‘headquarters’. The office, looking out on to Kaikondrahalli Lake, is a perfect place when you want to make something that takes you away from the crazy day, even if just for a minute and gives you the sense of peace and serenity. With the lingering aroma of freshly ground coffee beans in the air of their apartment office-manufacturing unit and the quirky posters of Mughal-e-aazam, and caricatures of themselves as coffee super heroes adorning the walls, you know these guys have a good sense of humour and their product will be as personal to them as the place they work at. (Yes, that’s an architect talking! )

The love for coffee is what brought Ashish and Vivek together. In the year that they developed Beanstalk & Leaves, they learnt that although they are selling a luxury brand, they didn’t want to be out of reach from people who love coffee and are willing to experiment with flavours. They want to bridge the gap between the connoisseurs who know the components of coffee in and out and people like me, whose palette can decipher and differentiate the ‘I Love This!’ from the ‘Meh! Whatever’ but cannot break it down. That, to me, this is what makes their coffee so lovable. It feels approachable, friendly and unpretentious, while feeling luxurious at the same time.

The boys have really understood what kind of coffee you need at different times of the day and have released their first three blends accordingly.

Velvet Dew is the mild coffee you have when you need to relax and unwind.

Shot Gun as the name suggests, is a really strong blend to give you that kick.. and quite a kick it is might I add. Perfect for the afternoon cuppa when you need that stimulation.

Smooth Operator is my favourite blend so far. It is strong and has an after taste of chocolate. Coffee and chocolate together, I mean.. how could you ever go wrong with that? I liked it so much that I actually try to wake up five minutes early in the morning to brew some fresh coffee and not throw in the instant in my morning cuppa. (I wake up at 6 am everyday FYI, so I must really enjoy this!)

Their blends have a character that defines them so well. I cannot wait for them to release their other blends, which, according to the conversation we had the other day, seem really promising. Can’t disclose the ideas just yet folks, but I assure you, it is really exciting!

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Gone are those days when you have coffee just to wake you up in the morning and you buy the coffee that you get in the store next door. We are all learning and experimenting with new products, new flavours and new experiences. Beanstalk n Leaves would be something I would call affordable luxury. You don’t have to think twice about buying the product as it will not burn a hole in your pocket and you are assured of a good cup of coffee anytime of the day or night! You can feel the personal touch with each sip that you take and you know that a lot of work has gone into bringing that perfect blend to your door step. All you need to do is just sit back and enjoy it… one sip at a time.

Check them out in their habitat

If you want to feel special and have them make a cup of coffee for you, head up to their stall at the Soul Sante on March 13th at the ITPB Cricket Ground in Whitefield. You can also checkout their website here and follow them on Facebook here to keep up with them. They are on coffee remember? They will be whizzing by at a million miles an hour. You don’t want to miss out on anything!

I think I have found my fix.. what about you?

#whatsyourfix