Page 24 - Seniorstoday June 2022 Issue
P. 24
People
Coffee with Ms Menon
Sushmita Bhattrai gets chatting with Sunalini Menon, India’s first wom-
an in the field of coffee cupping
It all began with grandma’s daily ritual of would go to the coffee shop little Sunalini
sipping traditional aromatic filter coffee/ gave her company. At the shop, grandma
kaapi every morning. Little Sunalini and would customise her coffee blend and
her sister would sit with a tall glass of hot as the shopkeeper ground the coffee, the
milk eyeing grandma’s filter coffee in the aromatics of it made little Sunalini sway
hope of getting a few drops of it. Grandma with joy. This was the early association
would say, “If you behave well today then with coffee for Menon, the aroma and a
perhaps tomorrow I will let you have a few traditional family of coffee drinkers.
drops of my coffee.” She would keep her Another childhood memory Menon
promise and the next morning both sisters shares is about spending her holidays at
would get a few drops. her uncle’s tea gardens. The weather was
Grandma had an old-fashioned brass lovely, the house had tall ceilings, sounds
dabba filter and was very particular about reverberated, aunt fed delicious food and
her coffee blend. Once a week she would going to the tea factory with her uncle was
get them roasted and every time she an unforgettable experience.
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