Sundays are extra special when there’s a ride planned – short or long, it doesn’t matter. Last Sunday was exactly one of those, but with a twist. Yezdi sent me an invite for the inaugural ride of Biker Brewscape – a curated coffee experience from Jawa and Yezdi Motorcycles. It includes a short ride from a Jawa Yezdi dealership to the venue where you will learn the art of brewing good coffee. A breakfast ride with some speciality coffee then? I am all game.
The earlier evening, all I knew was that I had to report early in the morning to a Jawa Yezdi dealership in Pune, from where would be riding to a farm on the outskirts of the city. Never a problem waking up early for a ride. Geared up and left home (for the first time) without the keys to a bike. I would be getting those at the dealership. So there I was at the dealership, which had all sorts of Jawas and Yezdis lined up outside the dealership, with their owners as excited as I was. After exchanging a few pleasantries with fellow enthusiasts, I was handed keys to a Yezdi Adventure which was to be my partner for this ride. Alright then, keys in, ignition on, crank it. Pre-ride checks by the time it was warmed up and ready. Everything looks good, let’s get in formation. Found myself a spot around a couple of friendly helmets with whom I had ridden in the past. Flag off, and away we go! The sound of gently burbling engines on a rather quiet early morning is indeed something I won’t mind losing my Sunday sleep over.
Riding along, city roads slowly gave way to narrower country roads lined up by lush green farms along the sides. Though full disclosure, you don’t have to ride for long in Pune before you reach roads that cut through farmlands. Fresh air, or maybe not, considering I was at the back of about 20 motorcycles. But the greens around were quite fresh and appealing. Not so far ahead, we reached Ecoville - The Farm. With all sorts of fruit trees and herb plants around, this was a quite refreshing place to be. Found myself a parking spot under a tree, which was aplenty here.
The experience started with a tour of the farm. All organic cultivation, we were told, and we could pick a fruit or two if we wanted. Not something you get to hear a lot from farm owners. The tour then led on to the herb garden which had all sorts of fancy herb plants. The tour guide generously handed us freshly picked leaves from these plants so we could smell and guess what the herbs were. There was a juvenile excitement in everyone who took a guess – some right, some close, some clueless. But this is not what we were here for exactly. So it was time to head to the art centre where folks from CuCoBox were eagerly waiting for us so we could be better home brewers. I knew I wasn’t going to be a barista that day, but I was excited to be able to improve my everyday coffee experience.
The brewing session began with understanding three types of bean roasts – light, medium, and dark. Now, here’s a fun fact. Contradictory to popular belief, dark roast isn’t the coffee to go for when you want the caffeine boost. It’s the light roast that has the highest caffeine content. Now you know how to pick your next bag of coffee if you are a caffeine addict. Moving on, we brewed coffee in a pour-over, a French press, and an Aeropress. The latter being the most versatile of the lot, and the easiest to use. But there’s nothing wrong with using any other kind. Though ensure you pick the right grind size for the filter/coffee maker you use so that you get the best out of your coffee. Another fun fact, with all three filters, we had to ensure we put coffee in by weight - about 18gm, and water too – about 200-250gm. Makes coffee taste the best, and that’s what we want, right? A flavourful cuppa that’s not too bitter. And that’s what we got every time we brewed a cup.
And with the third batch tasted, it was time to wrap up. A few hours had gone by and the sun was shining bright on top of our heads. We geared up again, and had some water before setting off. Remember, caffeine can dehydrate your body quickly. Not something you would want on a rather hot sunny day. Some folks decided to stay back and take in more of the farm’s serenity, while others like me decided to hit the road. Since I was riding alone, I decided to take the more scenic route back. Make the most out of every ride, right? Plus I also had to wear off all the fresh java I had experienced.