“Do you want to learn how to make a perfect cup of coffee?” Mr. Mod inquired.

After Fingerface set the bar high by brewing coffee in the Kamakura mountains, Mr. Mod was feeling the heat. Maybe it was the heavy Chinese lunch we just had or the sheer need for someone to recognise his coffee making skills. Anyway, he invited me to watch him make a fresh cup of kohee.

We went up the stairs to AQ office and took an unopened pack of Mysore Nuggets that I brought with me from India. The electric coffee grinder was filled with 4 scoops of beans. In a moment of madness he decided to collect the ground coffee directly into the filter. Needless to say, he made a mess of it; but the gaijin in us took control of the situation. We fled the scene.

With what was collected in the filter we returned to a pot of a boiling water.

“You have to evenly wet the coffee” he said during the initial pour. After waiting for the coffee to soak he continued the operation. From the way he negotiated the kettle I assumed that as a kid he must have wanted to make coffee (or the weirdest of smoothies) for a living.

In the end, it was a good cup of coffee. Balanced with the flavours intact. Four days after landing and even after countless cups of coffee, I can assure you that making a cup of coffee (or even drinking) with these two will always be amusing. Always.