3 weeks ago
From Irani Chai to Specialty Coffee: Hyderabad's Taste Evolves
Long ago, most people in Hyderabad drank a special milky tea called Irani chai when they went to cafés.
Now, many people in the city drink coffee instead.
A café chain called Roastery Coffee House just opened its 15th shop in a neighborhood called Filmnagar.
The new café is decorated with beautiful designs inspired by an old monument called Taramati Baradari.
The owner, Nishant Sinha, says the change happened because the city grew richer and more connected to the world.
People also started drinking black coffee because they thought it was healthier.
The café buys coffee beans directly from farmers in places like Chikmagalur, Coorg, and Tamil Nadu, and pays them fair prices.
The café also serves food that is tasty even if it isn't traditional, like grilled club sandwiches and zucchini fries.
Sinha thinks great hospitality matters more than a beautiful building.
Hyderabad still has its Irani chai, but it is making room for a new coffee culture too.
Roastery Coffee House opened its 15th café in Hyderabad's Filmnagar, inspired by Taramati Baradari with Kalamkari detailing.
Founder Nishant Sinha says Hyderabad's shift from chai to coffee was natural due to the IT boom, rising incomes, and global exposure.
Consumers are drinking more coffee, especially black coffee, driven partly by health concerns and changing tastes.
Roastery sources quality Indian coffee from estates in Chikmagalur, Coorg, and Tamil Nadu, working directly with farmers at fair or premium prices.
Sinha stresses hospitality over aesthetics, citing hotelier M.S. Oberoi, and sees cafés returning to great food, beverages, and architecture.
- Who
- Nishant Sinha, founder of Roastery Coffee House, and Hyderabad's café-goers
- What
- Hyderabad's café culture is shifting from Irani chai to specialty coffee, marked by Roastery Coffee House's 15th café in Filmnagar
- Where
- Hyderabad, India, including the new Filmnagar outlet
- When
- The article describes the ongoing shift in the present day; no specific date is given
- Why
- Rising disposable incomes, the IT boom, global exposure, and health concerns pushed more people toward coffee
Key facts
- Café brand
- Roastery Coffee House
- Founder
- Nishant Sinha
- New outlet
- Filmnagar, Hyderabad (15th café in the city)
- Design inspiration
- Taramati Baradari heritage architecture
- Design elements
- Kalamkari upholstery and custom coffee-themed Kalamkari artwork
- Coffee origins
- Chikmagalur, Coorg, and Tamil Nadu coffee-growing estates
- Signature drink
- Trademarked cranberry coffee
- Sourcing model
- Direct work with farmers at fair or premium prices, championing sustainable farming
Quotes
Nishant Sinha
Founder of Roastery Coffee House
“"Since chai was already popular here back then, people had the habit of going to cafés and drinking tea of that particular era. As the city grew, disposable incomes grew and it also became a global city because of the IT boom and increased exposure to travel. Adopting coffee became easier. Hence, the conversion from tea to coffee was natural and easier."”
deccanchronicle.com
Sources
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