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Eight. That's the number of Indian cafés on the Asia-Pacific ranking from The World's 100 Best Coffee Shops, a list that Singapore's Apartment Coffee tops and that Australia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan mostly run.
One thing’s clear. Indian specialty coffee isn't a Bengaluru-and-Mumbai story any more. The highest-placed from homeground is Jaipur's Curious Life Coffee Roasters: RED at No.39. Delhi's Quick Brown Fox Coffee Roasters follows at No.49, then Meraki – Vesu (No.59), Beachville Coffee Roasters (No.71), Roastery Coffee House (No.74), Nandan Coffee (No.80), Anytime at K's (No.95) and The Craftery by Subko (No.99).
It's a proper spread, all gripes aside: a Chhatarpur roaster, a Chennai roastery with a Slayer machine, an estate-to-cup brand and a Mumbai warehouse bakery.
Where to find these cafes, and what to order
No.39: Curious Life Coffee Roasters: RED
Where is it: Jaipur, on Sarojini Marg in C Scheme. Curious Life BLUE was the original, opened in 2015. RED followed in December 2018.
Order: an affogato and the vegan Buddha bowl.
No.49: Quick Brown Fox Coffee Roasters
Where is it: The lone Delhi entry and a personal favourite, this roastery-café is in Hauz Khas.
Order: the Spanish iced latte, the Turkish eggs, and the chocolate banana bread.
No.59: Meraki
Where is it: Vesu, Surat. The first of its kind in Gujarat, introducing specialty coffee to a tea-loving state.
Order: a pour-over made with single-origin beans, and the brookie, a must-try in one visitor's review.
No.71: Beachville Coffee Roasters
Where is it: Chennai. Start at the roastery-café in Alwarpet. The second outlet is in Nungambakkam, on Khader Nawaz Khan Road.
Order: the strong cortado and the Beach Toast.
No.74: Roastery Coffee House
Where is it: Hyderabad-born, and now also in Kolkata, Lucknow, Jaipur and Delhi-NCR, including Noida and Dwarka. Bengaluru is the latest: the Banashankari II Stage outpost is its 17th House.
Order: the Cranberry Coffee, a blend of espresso, soda, lemon and cranberry juice, the zucchini fries, and the gnocchi in any sauce.
No.80, Nandan Coffee
Where is it: There’s an experience centre in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai, and a Bengaluru flagship at Embassy One on Bellary Road.
Order: the classic Nandan Filter Kaapi, which is strong and milky, and the podi-spiced eggs.
No.95, Anytime at K's
Where is it: Surat, at Parle Point, Milestone Acropolis, with another outlet in Bodakdev, Ahmedabad.
Order: the Vietnamese coconut coffee and a pain au chocolat, baked fresh every morning.
No.99, The Craftery by Subko
Where is it: Mumbai, in a Byculla warehouse at JAK Compound, Bengaluru, in Koramangala, Delhi in Lodhi Colony. Subko began in Mumbai in 2020. It has outposts in Hyderabad and Navi Mumbai too, plus Dubai.
Order: the black forest flat white, one of its ‘milk experiments,’ and the 27-layer croissant.
How the list is chosen
The World’s 100 Best Coffee Shops is split into continental rankings aside from their global list, and Asia-Pacific is one of four. Each ranks 100 cafés. Nominations can come from the public or from the organisers’ expert panel, and a shortlist is drawn up from the number of nominations and an initial evaluation.
Scoring combines two votes. The public can vote once each, based on their own experiences, and that counts for 30 per cent of the final score. A panel of specialty coffee professionals (baristas, roasters and connoisseurs) accounts for the remaining 70 per cent, so industry judgement carries far more weight than popularity.
Cafés are assessed on eight criteria: coffee quality, barista expertise, customer service, innovation, ambience, sustainability practices, food and pastry quality, and community. That last pair explains why some of the Indian entries stand out for their bakes and menus as much as their beans.