14 November 2026 · Issue 05
Here's what's inside:
- Coffee plans: a festival in Thane, Colombian coffee in Mumbai, and cupping sessions in Hyderabad and Shillong.
- My take: why moving to the Timemore C2 opened up a whole new world.
- From the community: confusing grinder names, coffee subscriptions, and the everyday bag.
- New on the website: ten coffee roasters to explore and our city cafe guides.
1. Coffee plans
Thane: a weekend coffee festival
Gourmet Coffee Festival · 14–15 November
Lake Shore Mall · From 4 pm · Tickets from ₹299
Coffee brands, workshops, food, and music. If you're nearby and want to try a few different coffees, this could be a nice way to spend an afternoon.
Mumbai: Colombian coffee with COFINET
Every Morning Cartel, Kandivali West · Sunday, 15 November
Noon–2 pm
A public cupping featuring new-crop Colombian coffees. You'll get to taste different lots and hear more about how they were processed.
This is something I find useful about tastings: you can compare several coffees without having to buy several bags yourself!
Hyderabad: an introduction to cupping
Blue Tokai, Somajiguda · Sunday, 15 November
Listed at ₹799
A coffee cupping session with Navkar Mehta, covering different origins, flavours, and the basics of tasting.
If you've been reading tasting notes and wondering what everyone else is finding in their cup, a guided session could be a good place to start.
Official event listing and registration link
Shillong: one for next Friday
Blue Tokai coffee cupping · Friday, 20 November
Kynjai Winery, Meghalaya · Listed at ₹300
Another opportunity to try coffee through a guided tasting. You don't need to arrive knowing how to identify fifteen different fruits. That's what you're there to learn!
Details checked on 14 November. Confirm availability and timings with the organisers before making plans.
2. Yes, your first grinder can make a huge difference!
Someone on r/coffeeindia recently bought their first grinder and wondered why they'd waited so long.
I completely understand that feeling.
When I first moved to the Timemore C2, it added so much value to my coffee. It opened up a whole new world! Being able to grind fresh and change the grind size gave me much more room to play around with what I was brewing.
I've bought other grinders since. But that doesn't take anything away from what the C2 did for me.
Sometimes we get so caught up in comparing equipment that we forget how exciting that first step can be. You don't have to jump straight to an expensive grinder to get something valuable out of it.
That's part of why I made my Timemore C2 vs 1Zpresso ZP6 video. There's a difference between them, of course. But the C2 was already doing something very valuable for me long before I bought the ZP6.
If you're using pre-ground coffee and wondering whether a grinder is worth considering, my answer is absolutely yes.
Read the first-grinder discussion.
3. From the coffee community
C3, C5, S5, ESP… wait, which one?
A recent grinder discussion had people comparing different Timemore models, with some confusion about which version was being discussed.
Honestly, I get it. There are enough names and variations now that it's easy to think you've found a great deal when you're actually looking at a different grinder.
Before buying, check the exact model and whether it suits how you brew. Especially if you want it for espresso.
Would a subscription make choosing coffee easier?
Another discussion started with someone struggling to choose their next bag. There were too many options, so perhaps a subscription would help.
I think I'd first ask what I wanted from it.
Do I want my everyday coffee arriving before I run out? Or do I want someone to choose something different for me?
For my morning cappuccino, I'm often happy sticking with something I know. For pour-over, I'm much more curious. I'd probably want different things from those two subscriptions.
Read the subscription discussion.
Your everyday coffee doesn't have to be an experiment
An earlier November thread asks what to try next without spending a lot more on the daily bag.
This is something I relate to. I enjoy trying coffee, but I also want to drink it!
For my morning cappuccino, I'm not always looking for the most unusual processing method or the most exciting tasting notes. Sometimes I just want something I know I'll enjoy before getting on with my day.
There's room for both. The interesting bag you spend time figuring out, and the familiar one you happily finish.
Read the everyday-coffee discussion.
4. New on Indian Coffee Stories
Ten roasters you might not have tried
Building Coffee Atlas keeps introducing me to more people roasting coffee across India. So I put together a list of ten coffee roasters to explore.
I haven't tried their coffees yet. The article looks at what they offer and what caught my attention, rather than pretending to be a tasting review.
Tiny Tiger is sending me 500 g of coffee to try for free, which I've disclosed in the article.
Find coffee by city
Cafe Atlas now has dedicated guides for Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Pune, and Bengaluru.
Each has a few places to start, followed by the full city list. Hopefully that makes choosing your next coffee stop a little easier.
What was the first purchase that really changed your coffee at home? Mine was definitely a grinder.