Saturday Feeling: India is waking up to local coffee

For most of us, coffee is synonymous with waking up or getting that midday boost, but for many it has also become an elaborate ritual. Water temperature, roast heat, blends, grind settings and equipment that could fill a lab are necessary before they enjoy that delicious first sip. It’s a coffee addiction, alright, and one that’s taken off post pandemic when people got stuck into all sorts of hobbies while trying to pass time at home. In the last five years, the coffee drinker has become coffee’s biggest ambassador, and the focus is slowly shifting away from mere export of beans to domestic consumption. Estates are, therefore, becoming more particular about how they process and market their coffee, and they’re making a name for themselves within India, as Aravinda Anantharaman reports this week. Processing coffee is a fine art and one that roasters in India have now perfected. And Indians are slowly waking up to the particular charms of locally-grown coffee, instead of sourcing their beans from Europe and other parts of the world that merely process instead of grow the coffee too.

How we fell out of love with the dupatta

The dupatta, once essential everyday wear and matched perfectly to the embroidery on salwar-kameez sets, is struggling to find a place in the modern woman’s wardrobe. As women look for more practical silhouettes and fuss-free everyday wear, the trailing 2-metre drape is finding itself reduced to occasion wear. Some designers are trying to redesign it for the modern wardrobe, writes Pooja Singh, but it might be too little too late for the dupatta.

KTM 160 Duke: A good bad-boy bike for a first-time rider

For teenagers learning to ride geared bikes, the KTM 160 Duke provides smooth power delivery, controlled thrills and familiar orange charm, writes Rishad Saam Mehta after putting the bike through its paces. It is powered by a 164.2cc liquid-cooled single-cylinder engine that produces 19hp at 9,500rpm and 15.5Nm of torque at 7,500rpm—which means it is the most powerful bike in the 160cc segment, pulling with eagerness but never madness.

When dogs create a kinder corporate culture

The corporate world is filled with more stories of competition than compassion, but across companies, there are people who care for the stray animals living outside of their workplaces or ensure that their office ‘adopts’ the local streeties. This compassion for community animals often permeates organisational culture, building tolerance, strengthening work relationships and offering another reason to come to work, writes Reem Khokhar. Caring for community animals can create a kinder corporate culture.

A sleek soundbar to elevate movie nights

Are your movie nights marred by the hollow clatter of built-in TV speakers? Is the roar of the football crowd more of a meow? If you’re looking to upgrade your TV sound, perhaps even dip your toes into the Dolby Atmos spatial sound pool with something living room (and pocket) friendly, take a look at the Sama 5000 soundbar from Sonodyne. Tushar Kanwar writes about the homegrown brand that has recently shifted its focus towards consumer audio, and its sleek soundbar, cheaper than most high-end ones at ₹24,999.

Modern masterpieces under the hammer

To celebrate 25 years of its live flagship auction, Saffronart is hosting a sale of modernist masterpieces. Somak Ghoshal writes about the selection of paintings, which are unique not just because they were executed by the masters of modern Indian art, but also because they are imprimaturs of their early styles, when they were still young men on a quest to discover their artistic voices. The highlights include a stunning panel by F.N. Souza, titled Six Gentlemen of Our Time (1955), M.F. Husain’s Floating Figure, and works by Jehangir Sabavala.

Is your smart watch getting it right?

Smartwatches and wearables have made it possible for us to track everything from steps and sleep to menstrual cycles and breathing. However, a study by researchers at Leiden University in the Netherlands, warns us not to believe everything it shows. In a three-month study of 781 participants, smartwatch stress readings did not align with self-reported stress levels. Considering that 43% of users of wearable devices prioritise mental health features like stress detection, it might be time to be more careful about relying on your smart watch, writes Shrenik Avlani.