My Coffee Habit

if someone points a gun at me and asks me to choose one beverage for the rest of my life, it will be coffee.

No hesitation. No second thought. Coffee.

My love for coffee isn’t new. Since childhood, I have been consuming coffee unlike any other kid you may have seen growing up. The only difference is that, somewhere along the way, it stopped being just a beverage and became a ritual.

I am not a morning person. Not even remotely.

But if there is one thing that can convince me to wake up, it is the smell of coffee. That strong aroma, that first sip, that strange sense of infinite pleasure — it is heaven.

So, let me answer a few questions about my coffee habit.

And if you are only here to find out which coffee I drink, feel free to scroll to the end. I won’t judge you.

Do I love a particular type of coffee?

Yes.

I am a lover of strong coffee, especially in the morning, and I like mine with milk.

My coffee is somewhat of a hybrid between a traditional Indian coffee recipe and filter coffee. Except, instead of going through the standard filter-coffee process of making a decoction, I use instant coffee for everyday convenience.

I also add 8–10 granules of sugar.

Before you start judging me, hear me out.

It has almost nothing to do with sweetness because I actually hate sweet coffee.

The 8–10 granules are purely psychological.

I have somehow discovered this completely irrational comfort range and have decided to stick to it, regardless of whether there is any logic behind it.

There isn’t.

And I am okay with that.

How I make it?

I warm the milk until it reaches the boiling range.

Then I take two vessels.

I add my instant coffee — usually around two tablespoons — followed by my very scientifically determined 8–10 granules of sugar.

I pour the hot milk in.

And then comes the fun part.

I keep juggling the coffee from one vessel to another until the coffee completely immerses into the milk and all that remains is a frothy, flavourful, aromatic cup of coffee.

Made with unnecessary effort.

Consumed with complete satisfaction.

How do I drink it?

Yes, yes.

I have my own style of drinking coffee too.

And no, it is probably not considered very civilised by most people.

Judge me all you want.

I need a full cup of coffee and a plate next to it.

Yes.

A plate.

Like the traditional Indian household where tea is poured into a plate to cool it down.

I do the same thing with my coffee.

My logic — and I want to make this very clear — is my logic, not a scientific paper, says that when you pour the frothy coffee into a plate, the trapped heat starts escaping. The coffee spreads across the surface, reaches a drinkable temperature faster, and, according to my personal experience, somehow gives me a better balance of flavours.

If I sip directly from the cup, I personally feel that something is missing.

The flavour balance. The temperature. The experience.

So don’t bombard me with scientific explanations now.

It is a preference backed by experience, and that is good enough for me.

If you like it, try it.

If you don’t, well…

I don’t care about anyone’s opinion when it comes to my coffee.

There is something incredibly satisfying about slowly sipping an entire plate of perfectly tempered coffee.

It is my morning kick for the mind.

And then I have another one.

And another.

Three plates and I am good to go.

Made with perfection.

Consumed with perfection.

Are there any other rules for my coffee time?

Yes.

Stay quiet.

My entire family knows this very well.

Before coffee, I am basically a half-sleeping human being questioning the entire existence of humanity.

If there is something important you need to discuss with me?

Make coffee first.

If it is just general yapping?

Make coffee first.

Actually, just make coffee first.

Before coffee, leave me alone in my half-sleepy utopian world where nobody is allowed.

I am almost 32 now, and I have had this habit since I was a kid.

I guess it isn’t changing anytime soon.

So, which coffee do I actually drink?

Finally.

The question you probably came here for.

First of all, this is not a paid review.

I pay for my coffee.

And I will happily pay my last penny to enjoy this ritual until my last breath.

But yes, I do have a very specific preference.

Over the years, I have tried almost every reputed instant coffee available in the market.

I have also tried sourcing local coffee from Vietnam and South India for specific brewing methods. They are genuinely good and absolutely worth trying when I am in the mood for something different.

But for my morning ritual, my favourite is:

Davidoff Rich Aroma.

Oh boy.

The intensity.

The aroma.

The flavour.

The way it blends into milk and still manages to retain that rich coffee character — it is exactly what I want from my morning coffee.

And the name really does make sense.

Rich Aroma.

I have been drinking it for years now, and it remains my go-to instant coffee. If you are someone who likes strong coffee with milk, I would definitely recommend giving it a try.

That said, I do sometimes get irritated by the price fluctuations and availability of Davidoff Rich Aroma. A single bottle can often cost close to ₹1,000, which definitely makes it an expensive choice for an everyday coffee.

But for me, the quality is noticeably superior to most of the competition.

So, in this case:

Quality over quantity.

And if you are a coffee enthusiast who has somehow understood, accepted, or perhaps even related to my completely unnecessary ritual — and you know an instant coffee that is genuinely better than Davidoff Rich Aroma — please tell me about it.

I am always willing to try.

Thank you so much for taking the time to dive into this little part of my life.

Check out my other articles here.

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I wish you luck, love, and many good mornings.

May coffee bless your soul too.