Tucked away in a narrow lane within the Adi Kumbeswarar temple complex in Kumbakonam is Sri Mangalambika Vilas Coffee Hotel. With a low roof that partially hides the name board, it is easy to miss, but for the aroma of fresh coffee being brewed.
Wrapped in old-world-charm, this hotel has been functioning for 109 years with the famous degree coffee as its flagship item. Rajagopalan Iyer and his wife Neela, the owners of the hotel, take us to their coffee station. “This is where it all started,” says Rajagopalan, fondly called Ramani. “Back then milk would be tested daily for its purity, rather, density with a lactometer. It has to show the letter ‘M’ . That is where the title ‘degree’ comes from,” he adds.
