June 22, 2006
Not the official sponsor of the MutinyFood
“Yo Dad” informs me that the local free paper in the D.C. suburb where he lives has been advertising a new beverage called Café Sepia.
Experience the finest in coffee with ITO EN’s new CAFÉ SEPIA (TM). Each ready-to-drink coffee delivers an artful balance of aroma, body and flavor. Our beans are specially selected for their unmistakable character…to create a truly exceptional coffee encounter. [Link]
I wish we had thought of this first. It would have solved our funding problems. My mom says we should sue them. The question is, “is it any good?” I hate the taste of coffee so I am going to rely on the blog Air Massive to give us a review:
We’re sad to report that Café Sepia tasted weak. It was too watery and diluted than we like. In fact, it lacked the coffee punch of even most established major brands of Japanese can coffee. (Personally, the Boss brand is our gold standard in this East Asian drinks sub-genre.) Café Sepia didn’t taste “bad,” mind you. It was actually pleasant to the tongue. But we expect more — much more — from anything that a drinks maker dares call coffee. [Link]
abhi on June 22, 2006 11:31 AM in Blog, Food · T·r·a·c·k·b·a·c·k address · Direct link · Email post
bottled coffee? blasphemy! some things cannot be captured, especially mutinous drinks.
1) Shouldn't you call "Yo Dad", um, my dad, when you refer to him? ;)
2) Tsk, tsk, everyone knows that if SM were going to have an official drink, it should not be in the coffee family- chai maybe. Or perhaps water laced with bhang?!?
those starbucks fraps in a bottle taste alright..but i see what you are saying
sue them i say...
Abhi- you thought the "paneer issue" doomed our love? My grandfather grew coffee beans. It was the first non-baby-formula liquid I tasted. I love coffee.
Brimful- if you combine what I wrote above AND the location of all those awesome SF meetups, you'd probably understand why I might have to ask you to reconsider your ideas. ;)
Brimful is right, SM's official beverage should be Chai!
But....coffee, as one of friend's father is fond of saying, "Ack. No. Stench!"! :)
Wha?? As an honorary south Indian, I'm ghana take issue with that statement.
When I was first fixing to comment, I was going to add:
But I thought it might be too inside-jokey. :)
As a wannabe mutineer who does not like coffee but loves tea, what about that kicka$$ DC meetup that had nothing to do w/ coffee whatsoever?
I have a gag reflex when it comes to hot drinks. I love my Moroccan Mint Tea at Coffe Bean but I open the cup and wait a half hour for it to turn lukewarm before drinking. I love the smell of coffee but the taste makes me nauseous.
Once, a long time ago at the end of the night, a girl asked me up to her apartment for some "coffee". I was taken by surprise and blurted out, "uhhh, sorry but I don't drink hot liquids." This was followed by a very awkward silence.
That was one of my lowest moments in overall smoothness.
I'm all for Tea.
Abhi don't take it to heart - we've all been there man! :)
Indian tea is a legacy of British rule in India. As such, it runs contrary to mutinous sentiments - sepoy, sepia, or otherwise.
As an official drink, I propose the mango shake.
or Mango Lassi.
Mango Lassi!!
Nobody in India drinks Mango Lassi. Its found only in Indian restaurants in US.
Its like fortune cookies.... people always associate it with Chinese food. They don't give any fortune cookies in China.
Chinese restauratns in India serve "American Chopsuey"! You won't find that in US.
Their website cites ingredients as "Spike of chocolate and a creamy shot of milk"
Is this coffee or a cocktail?
Sriram, i think someone at the table behind us ordered a coffee, so technically, your statement does have something to do with this topic.
Not true. I've had mango lassi at several places in Rajasthan. I think there's also a stall below a medieval archway somewhere in Jodhpur which is very famous for their flavoured lassis (I had a mango lassi there about ten years ago).
Anyway, I think the official Sepia Mutiny drink should be the plain old creamy lassi. Because some people prefer it sweet or salty, know what I mean ?
Jai, I can second that emotion. I would like to submit for reconsideration, however, the mango aspect vis-a-vis the introduction of the indian mango to the US market. There might be something very symbolic, and even powerful, of mutineers outside of India drinking lassi mixed with the imported fruit of their native land.
This proves it. There is at least a little bit of Costanza in all of us.
Thekingsingh,
You could have a mango flavoured (orange-tinted) lassi for the harcore saffronists.
You could have a pistachio (or mint) flavoured green-tinted lassi for the hardcore Islamists.
You could have a whisky-infused lassi for the hardcore Punjabis.
And a plain white lassi for those who don't give a damn about the colour as long as it tastes nice (I must stop these double-meaning dialogues before all the women on SM stop talking to me completely).
Once, a long time ago at the end of the night, a girl asked me up to her apartment for some "coffee". I was taken by surprise and blurted out, "uhhh, sorry but I don't drink hot liquids." This was followed by a very awkward silence.
You goofball.
Hope you have learned your lesson.
As an alternative, I guess one could also propose coconut juice or sugarcane juice. Both hardcore desi drinks.
Or "nimbu sherbet".
My grandfather grew coffee beans
Mine too... God bless his soul. I distinctly remember drinking weak black coffee as a 3-4 year old, wearing just a " konakam" ( the original South Indian loin cloth), just like my Grandpa :-)in Kottayam.
I still love my coffee, these days it is Starbucks though...decaf.
How come the bottle is not sepia? And only 6.2 fl. oz? That's the size of an alcoholic drink, not a soft drink. When a country starts to lose its global dominance, marketing is usually the first thing to go.
I would have suggested 'Chaash' but I think thats a version of Lassi that only Gujus drink. I quite like the idea of 'thandaai' as well. I have had that in Bhuj, Kutch (very uncosmopolitan) numerous times.
Um... Toddy? =D
OK you lassi drinkers here's a suggestion from a lush wannabe (I love lassi too). How about the official SM drink be a Mango Martini? Like SM it's a blend of the east and the west with a kick!
Bhang lassi anyone?
Jai - "Ganne ka ras" (sugarcane juice) is also a good choice.
Nimbu sherbet (shikanji) used to be my fav in summers.
Also I would like to nominate goti wadi soda, which comes in a glass bottle with a big marble in the neck that gets popped before adding salty masala and lime/lemon. Not sure if this is just a Guju pan stall thing...the goti is essential.
For the after-hours crowd (or afternoon crowd, depending...) Toddy, Arrack, Feni to make your gut bleed. If you like to think of yourself as a classy person there's always McDowells whisky "Mera No.1" :-)
Neha:
Its quite common in North India. Its called "banta" or "kancha" in UP/Delhi.
they sell it here in gallons.
if sepia really wants to have an official beverage, it should be JAL-JEERA or that paani from panipuri
oh man those were good and the cheapest out of all
Jal Jeera makes more sense...why would you want to drink that panipuri paani though? The 'sanchar' in it is ghastly. Unless you're talking about imlee juice.
You guys are evil..I am craving nimbu paani, chaash and paani puri now.
Any Thums Up fans? Jai, the lassi in both Jaipur and Jodhpur is delicious. Have you ever tried the little kulfis they sell out there on the streets? 10 rupees of pure bliss.
I drink it everyday 3 times a day no kidding. Fot these hot days it's fantastic. I actually make it out of store bought Axelrod Buttermilk. :-)
Whats with the cat in the pic?
oh please, Jeet! Not Jal-Jeera!! Anything but that. Despite my family formerly having ties to the tea gardens, I second the nomination for lassi. Plain. Salt or Sweet. Bas.
Either that or a Rooh-Afza cocktail.
"chaash"
I guess we call it by a slighty different name.."chhach"/mattha.
Blech. I like Lassi about as much as coffee. I propose Coconut water like the street vendors in Ahmedabad sell.
if we're going to be able to continue producing spelling bee and science contest champs (and future soccer stars), i suggest elaichi flavored horlicks - hot or cold :)
speaking of chai, has anyone here been able to find a decent decaf tea brand in the u.s.? i just tried twinings decaf, and though better than red rose and lipton (ugh!) it still tasted like hot water with a spot of milk, a favorite in asterix's time.
Abhi, no hot beverages, no lassi... Shall we ask Yo Dad to ring in as to whether or not you were always such a picky eater? ;)
I am not a picky eater but I am a picky drinker :) I also don't drink soda. I do like my boba occasionally.
I am surprised nobody has mentioned this yet...Buttermilk with green chillies
i dont know what sanchar is but the paani byitself used to be pretty good in Delhi or Mumbai. I had JAL-Jeeratini the other day, it was disgusting. Somethings should be just left as they are and not fused
anybody remember Gold Spot or Rim-Zim?oo Uncle-Chips
DD i am with you on Rooh-Afza cocktail or Roofafza in milk
What about Rasna? Water, sugar, and a *healthy* dose of dye. Can't go wrong with that. I love you Rasna. Especially with Lijjat papad on the side.
YES PLEASE, DD.Thumbs Up all the way, baby!
and what about every auntie's favourite.....Roohafza! (rose syrup, milk etc)
Kickapoo, named after those other indians - kill two birds with one stone.
Whose God...,
I like the Tazo chai and it comes in decaf. You have to kind of work with it though, like I always add elaichi to it before adding the milk. Otherwise it ends up tasting too "cinamonny". You also have to ignore all the "tea helps you achieve nirvana" stuff on the box.
Oh, and I think there's this one company that has darjeeling decaf. It might be twinings, it's whatever company that has like forty billion different varieties (like lemon calm and mint bliss and English breakfast etc. etc.). No, it starts with a B. Anyway, there is a darjeeling decaf out there and I remember it being good if you boil the crap out of it.
Rooh-Afza, Rasna..o the good old days.
Thums-Up is my fav cola drink..much better than Coke/Pepsi.
Gold Spot, Limca, Campa Cola were great too.
Binnies Chips (pudina flavor) were better than Uncle Chips :)
hmmm. I might have to experiment with this. Rooh-Afza, vodka, and maybe just a splash of lime or lemon juice for some tartness... maybe 2 drops of cranberry juice instead...
I'll get back to you...
Oh and I have to vehemently disagree with horlicks being the breakfast of spelling bee champs. I suggest warm milk with a couple of tablespoons of codliver oil. I have happy memories of being tackled and forced to drink the crap because it would cure my sickliness and also improve the brain and stuff. I never got past district competitions but I attribute that to never really believing in the magic that is codliver oil. Darn.
sleepy, thanks. is that Tazo the one that comes in liquid form? are all their teas cinnamony, because i can't stand cinnamon in drinks. the twinings i tried was english breakfast, but it just didn't cut it. darjeeling decaf sounds promising. the search for a truly nirvana-inducing decaf tea (if that's even possible) continues......
"oh and I have to vehemently disagree with horlicks being the breakfast of spelling bee champs. I suggest warm milk with a couple of tablespoons of codliver oil. I have happy memories of being tackled and forced to drink the crap because it would cure my sickliness and also improve the brain and stuff. I never got past district competitions but I attribute that to never really believing in the magic that is codliver oil. Darn."
ah, good old cod liver oil. my cousin was made to drink warm milk with liquid cod liver oil in it but i escaped with the capsules. but recent science does prove many of the much touted benefits of all these omega 3s and 6s and whatnot. to me childhood was an endless round of horlicks, bournvita, ovaltine and other "strength and health" drinks. fortunately i actually liked them so parents had to find alternate ways of threatening me.
I vote for Masala Coke (or Thums Up). You could have your mutinous drink ANYWHERE by just carrying around a little bag with a mix of black salt, pepper and whatever else they put in there. Mutinous and refreshing AND caffeinated.
Bigelow? But I didn't see it here. I do love their decaf earl grey, though. You'd think this joint would be willing to help us with both the official drink and the decaf darjeeling... ;)
Good ol' buffalo milk (now THAT'S desi) should be SM's official drink!
oh guys... old memories... horlicks milk every morning for years with almonds!!! glad that's over!
and those darn cod liver oil capsules! first off, my family is vegetarian! so how did cod liver oil make the cut?! my curiosity also led me to burst the capsule open a few times... yes i did it more than once... i totally resisted conditioning of my mind as a child! i have those memories hidden very well someplace!
i say go with roohafza lemonade... its awesome!
who's god is it anyway... try Celestial Seasonings' decaf mint green tea!
Thanks Anna, it was Bigelow that I was thinking of. I guess they don't have decaf darjeeling. Since I live for caffeine, I don't remember my few decaf experiences well. This Tavalon place though, it has much potential :)
Whose God..., Tazo chai comes in the liquid (gross) and also in teabags. If you don't like cinnamon, you could try their other decaf black teas. The secret is to boil very very well. I'll now go back to grumbling about how some people had all the luck and got their cod liver fix in capsules.
I didn't even read the rest of this thread. Abhi, I can't believe you just said that. Not when Yo Dad might tell Yo Mamma!
But OMG, that made my day.
P.S. I advise that you learn to "drink hot liquids" ;) Peace out, playa.
What about Kingfisher or Cheetah. The beer, people. Don't forget the beer.
Well, whatever you may choose to make your Official drink, be it chaach, rooh-afza martini or chai...
...just make sure that it's served in a http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/04june14/page1.jpg
:)
Well, whatever you may choose to make your Official drink, be it chaach, rooh-afza martini or chai...
...just make sure that it's served in a Kullard...(http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/web1/04june14/page1.jpg)
:)
Um...that's more like official entertainment ;)
Do you at least make exceptions for Limca, Gold Spot, or Thumbs Up?
Shruti believe me, after two years of blogging the "Yos" have heard it all :)
Thumbs Up is okay. My one real soda exception however, is Inca Cola. I love that stuff. Can somebody testify?
Not to be totally random... but speaking of DC meetups, let's do another one!! I'm FINALLY in a city where it's possible (as opposed to Columbus, OH) and life would be peachy fine if we could arrange that.
Oh and another random question -- has anyone been to a place called Naan and Beyond in DC? It's right by my office and it seems interesting enough, but kind of shady at the same time.
And just to tie it back to the original topic so I can justify this entire comment... That reeeeeally orange mango juice that your mom bought from the indian grocers when you were little to shut you up is THE best drink ever. hands down.
Maaza?
As far as I remember, Maaza is just mango juice...no orange in it.
I can testify that Inca Cola is, by leaps and bounds, the sweetest soda on earth. Some ancient Incan secret makes it possible to saturate this soda with sugar moreso than any other beverage. It makes Jolt and Mountain Dew seem mild! :)
Thumbs up was great in the '80s. Then Coke bought it out and now it tastes like...Coke.
-s
I nominate Paanakam and Neer-more, both usually prepared on Ramanavami day.
Amitabh,
I haven't been to Rajasthan for over 10 years but the lassis are renowned there, especially that place in Jodhpur I mentioned earlier (I think it's even mentioned in the "Lonely Planet" guides). Kulfi-wise, I tend not to eat anything in India that's not in a 4-star/5-star restaurant (apart from food at relatives' houses, obviously), due to well-founded paranoia about food-poisoning. I've had too many bad experiences ;)
My parents insist on referring to the channel Al-Jazeera as "Jal-Jeera". Admit it. Yours do too (you know who you are). Typical desi uncle and auntie behaviour ;)
A little "tartness" is always appreciated, heh heh heh.....(Jai does "Frasier Crane dirty laugh").
A "Mangotini" ?
Other nominations for desi drinks:
1. "Masala chai" (desi-style -- you can actually get this at some Indian restaurants here in the UK too).
2. That disgusting haldi(turmeric)-milk-honey concoction that your mother would make you drink when you were younger and had the flu.
3. Falooda (more of a dessert than a drink, I guess).
4. Vimto. (Not sure if this is available in India -- or the US for that matter -- but it's a pretty hardcore "desi" drink amongst Indians here in the UK that many grew up drinking).
5. And, of course, that all-time classic.....
.....Bournvita.
Jai you are missing out on better food. If you want the real indian food taste, you HAVE to eat at the stalls, dhabas etc. Its much better with the mosquitos, dirt and god knows what else. I understand the paranoia about the diseases and whatnot but i'll take diarrhea over bad food anyday.
Ravin, that recipe is now on my list of, how one bartender sweetly put it, "drawers-dropper". THANKS
Jeet,
Yes I know the food is much better in the places you've mentioned, but I've been seriously ill due to eating dodgy food in India far too many times when I was younger to want to experience all that trauma again. It tends to ruin the holiday experience (for me anyway), plus it's an added burden on any relatives I may be staying with as part of my trip. On top of that, my father's a doctor so he's fairly risk-averse to the idea of us all having to deal with an avoidable food poisoning incident yet again, as you can imagine. He tends to regard it as highly irresponsible behaviour, especially as he usually ends up having to diagnose & informally treat the illness himself.
However, by all accounts the dhaba/roadside stall etc food is indeed very tasty and I would recommend it to anyone who is prepared to face the "d & v" consequences. I do recall the food being excellent -- and yes, much better than the "cleaner" versions sold in more high-class restaurants -- on the odd occasions I did try it in my younger days.
sleepy and sumiti, thanks for the recommendations.
Ugh...Jai. I gagged at the memory of that stuff. It was naaaasty.
Vimto rocks! It's the best summer drink ever. And falooda is awesome as well.
Someone mentioned Bournvita...I never drank that stuff. I would eat with a spoon, the way some people eat peanut butter. The sugary crystally stuff used to be so much fun to eat.
I still like nimbu pani as a sepia drink of choice..
This is veering off the topic of drinks but one of the best desserts I've ever had in India is a Bengali one called 'mishti doi' which I think translates as 'sweet yoghurt' but is really incredibly good (when done right). Apparently you can't really make it at home, most people buy it from certain famous shops.
Msichana, you used to eat bournvita with a spoon too! I used to sometimes mix sugar in with it. I think I also tried different experiments with heating the sugar/bournvita mix, don't remember how it turned out. Badly I'm assuming :)