Coffee Houses In Madurai!

Dear Varalotti,

I am a relatively new member and joined this site this month.

I have been browsing this site almost every day since the day I joined and have participated in a couple of posts/threads on songs. I wanted to get involved in other discussions as well and your description about coffee reminds me of the good old days I spent in India.... at Thanjavur, where I went to School, Tiruchi where I went to University and Chennai, where I lived for few years and coffee had been an integral part of my life in all these cities.

Your description about Madurai coffee also makes my mouth water. Coffee is something I have always cherished and could drink it anytime of the day, even on a very hot midday. My husband makes really good filter coffee, however, coffee doesn't agree with me for some reasons and I have switched to tea recently. All our friends who visit us love to have coffee at our place.

Yes, as you mentioned, Starbucks, and other famous coffee houses like Tim Hortons, Second Cup....none is anywhere near home made filter coffee.

My brother-in-law lives in Madurai with his family and we have visited Madurai a few times. Next time we talk to him, we will surely mention about Visalam Coffee.

Regards, Shanthi

Originally Posted by varalotti

Most Gracious ILites,
My first and foremost thanks are due to Induslady for starting a subforum for "namma ooru" Madurai and for Moderator Chitra for channelling my request to the Organisers.
I dont want to crowd this forum also with my posts. But want to start the first post more out of love for this mofussil town which exudes a lot of charm.
I was surprised to read in the latest Vikatan(or Kumudam, I forgot) that when a Chennaiite was in Germany and asked some Germans about Tamilnadu, they immediately remembered Madurai, its temple and all. The poor Chennaiite had to explain that Chennai was a bigger town and is about 450 kms from Madurai.

One of my passions (apart from my profession and writing) is coffee. I will do anything to have a strong, good, aromatic coffee. My search for a good coffee is as fervent as my search for good books and good friends.
And such a search took me to some of the best coffee joints of Madurai. Let's have a little bit of history while sipping Madurais best coffee.

Now I am not for any kind of readymade coffee. Bru/Nescafe or for that matter any other brand, I say a firm no. In fact my body is so much against instant coffee that even that smell makes me puke. Yes, believe me, with a whiff, I can find out if the coffee is instant or not. To put it short I have an instant dislike for the instants.

The first coffee to become popular in Madurai is the College House Degree Coffee. College House is a large hotel at the Town Hall Road. At the end of the Road is Victoria Edward Hall which was in those days the only hall in Madurai. Hence the road is called Town Hall Road.

And you know why the hotel was called College House? Because some decades back the property belonged to Madura College (a hundred year plus old educational institution like American College, another hundred year plus old college, where yours truly did his P.U and B.Com). The property was used as a hostel for Madura College. Subsequently the college acquired properties elsewhere and sold this to some one. In honour of the college the person who bought it (Mr.V.K.K. Chettiar family) named it The College House.

The Coffee Master in College house was very popular. His "degree coffee" was much sought after. In those days rich people would drive in their Hillmans and Fords to have coffee at the College House. It was clearly an addiction and people who tasted it always came back to it.
There was even a rumour that the Coffee master used to apply some narcoctic paste in the coffee filter and hence the addiction. But it remained a rumour.
The rumour did not affect the fame of College House coffee.

Much later the Coffee Master left College House and started his own venture. Rajendra Coffe Bar which after shifting a couple of places moved to Mandayan Asari lane, off Town Hall Road. The cofee in that shop even today has that flavour and aroma. They have a very limited menu in Rajendra Coffee Bar - idli, dosas, vellaiappam etc.

When you talk about coffee in Madurai you need to particularly mention Visalam Coffee. This became so popular that the man started outlets in a number of places in the city. People thronged to these places. A board "Visalam Coffee" was enough to attract crowd. The promoters then sold some of the shops and got a high price for the goodwill they had created. That was the first time a coffee shop in Madurai sold its "knowhow" and "good will"
But I personally feel the persons who bought the name and the shop did not live up to the reputation of the original promoters though they do make good sales.
Now original Visalam Coffee is available only in Goripalayam opposite to American College (you will now remember why American College is so famous; if not go to the beginning of this post and start reading the post again slowly ha ha ha).
My mother and my wife make really very good coffee. But once in a while I do make a trip to Visalam. Normally I go there on a Saturday afternoon.
I would rank theirs as the best I have so far tasted. I had been to Singapore. I had taste 20 $ coffee in Starbucks, Coffee Beans and Tea Leaves! But nothing to beat Visalam.
Their integrity is what I love more than their coffee. When you go there around 745 PM they would have exhausted the "first-round" decoction. They will have a lot of "second-time" decoction. Any coffee vendor would serve coffee and make some quick money. But Visalam has a policy not to serve any second quality drink.
The taste is also consistent.
I can tell at the first sip, whether the milk is old, the decoction old, the milk is diluted or there is a problem with the filter. In Visalam the quality has been consistently the same all along.
Now many good hotels like Meenakshi Bhavan, Murugan Idli and star hotels like Pandyan, Sangam and Taj serve good filter coffee.
But if you ask me there is nothing like standing right on the street sipping Visalam coffee gazing at the passers by in the busy Goripalayam thoroughfare.

So next time you visit Madurai make it a point to sip that popular brew.
Regards,
Varalotti

I still remember the coffee, tea of all sort of areas and "Kalkandu Paal" (Hard Sugar Milk) which I tasted when I stayed in South Gate area (I didn't remember the lane name). But as of now you can taste Cappuccino, Latte and other flavours of international coffee and tea in Madurai (Cafe Coffee day, Aryabhawan).