Marc’s Magic Beans

From experimenting with blends to offering a customised cuppa, Auroville-based Marc Tormo sure knows his coffee

For Marc Tormo, coffee is more than a passing fancy or a morning ritual. For over two decades, the 40 year old from Valencia, Spain has been working on and studying the bean. His passion for coffee began in Barcelona where he had his own coffee shop. He moved to Auroville in 1997 with his wife and a decade later, in August 2008, Marc’s Coffee Brand was launched with the idea of bringing high quality coffee to the table. “There is a coffee for every moment, crafted for each palate,” states Tormo, who believes that the best coffee in the world is the one that appeals to you the most. Thus every brand must ideally dedicate themselves to find an ideal brew for every customer, he says.

Since he moved to Pondicherry, Tormo has been a consultant at hotels, a coffee entrepreneur. He has been a consultant at popular restaurants like Amethyst in Chennai and Le Café in Pondy. He also owns Coffee Ideas, a consulting and coffee roasting unit in Auroville.

4 flavours to go

Tormo has four unique flavours of coffee. The Buma Devi, for instance, which is shade-grown in Coorg, combines the richness and strength of cherry robusta and fragrant arabica, making this blend a unique experience for the Indian palate. “The flavours of our coffees are directly connected with the natural environment where they grow,” he offers, adding that they come from select estates in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. The Kaveri Blend (dedicated to the Goddess Kavery, who manifests in the form of the eponymous river) is made of arabica and robusta beans, while Julien Peak (with a delicate aroma, mild body and fine acidity) is roasted at medium to enhance the fragrance and subtle notes. The fourth is the Malabar Coffee, stored all through the monsoon to give the beans a golden glow.

Fired by a dream

”One day I will roast coffee!” is what Tormo had told himself 15 years ago, and this is what inspired him to study coffee in detail, from the seed to the cup. The Spaniard is also working hard to promote Indian coffee, because he believes that it has lots of unique flavours to offer the world and specially the European countries who get their coffee from either South America or Africa. Tormo himself visits each of these coffee plantations across South India and chooses the coffee carefully, which he later turns into his own blends.

Roasting, an art

According to Tormo, “Roasting is a creative moment. I stand next to my machine and feel the pulse of the drum, the music of the beans rolling, the aromas of baked bread and caramel, the first crack, the second crack and the moment of truth, when I open the door to the cooling plate. Then a silence comes and the creation is made – Marc’s Coffee.” He stresses on the importance of understanding the essence of roasting and compares it to cooking.

Where to buy

Tormo has a small coffee shop in Auroville, which he prefers to call a ‘rural café’ because of the setting. Apart from offering coffee, cookies and cupcakes, he sells coffee powder and beans here. He also does his roasting here so customers can see it for themselves and purchase their choice of blend. The brand is distributed to top hotels in Pondicherry like Promenade, Le Dupleix and Villa Shanti. He also blends a special coffee exclusively for the Neemrana group, and retails via auroville.com

Coffee trail

Torno conducts coffee visits to lesser known plantations in Coorg and Mysore to learn about coffee, with experienced guides. “Coffee Pathways was born out of the need to share our coffee story. While coffee is the theme of the trip, ecology and spirituality are closely connected,” he offers. The package includes coordination and trip management, local guide and driver, breakfast, lunch and dinner and transport.

Buma Devi is priced at `74, Kaveri Blend at `91, Julien Peak at `105. Details: auroville.coffeeideas.in

Shop, Recline, Eat

At Pondicherry’s Café des Arts, experience an eclectic charm and French staples like bruschetta and salads.

Nourishment for all the senses. That is what Eva Laberibe from New Caledonia along with her mother, promise with their enterprise in Labourdonnais Street in the peaceful French quarter of Pondicherry. The duo launched Made in Gallery in 2009, where they hosted monthly exhibitions and artists like Corrine Yvernault, Subrata Mete, B.O. Shailesh Sakthivel and many others. To add another dimension to the place that Laberibe now runs with her fiancé, she launched Café des Arts in July of 2009 with a menu inspired by southern French cuisine.

At home with soup

Find yourself a seat under the cool shade of a in the courtyard of this heritage building, and peruse the menu. I started with a chilled iced tea, with the right level of sweetness. Several French tourists had braved the hot sun and were dining on bowls of gaspacho (a cold tomato-based soup), served with garlic bread and a classic salad. They were quick to let me know that the place and the food reminded them of home. Following Laberibe’s suggestion, I sampled the bruschetta, the Forest version – ham, mushroom, mozzarella and parsley served on toasted baguette. If you love French food and the aroma of fresh parsley on melted mozzarella, this hits the spot. The food arrived under 10 minutes and vanished in no time. There are nine different varieties of baguette sandwiches starting from a croque provencal, a toasted sandwich with French ratatouille and cheese served warm with fresh Vegetables to a simple Chicken Cheese sandwich to choose from. A good way to end the mid-day meal is with a glass of Hibiscus flower syrup with soda – a lovely Indo-French touch to the experience.

A quiet setting

Peaceful, with colonial French architecture, the courtyard is a charming spot for people who would like to spend the entire day reading a book from the library at the Café. Or for tired tourists who wish to use the complimentary wi-fi service. Contemporary artists from across the country as well as other parts of the world exhibit their paintings, photos and architecture at the gallery. A boutique remains open all through the day at the Café, selling bags, accessories and tees, mostly for men. The boutique is part of the Nirvana Boutique at Suffren Street.

Day breaker

Cafe des Arts offers a good breakfast option for those with time on their hands. Their complete combo includes croissants, toast with homemade jam/butter, fresh fruit juice, salad, omelette or fried eggs with bottomless cups of coffee/tea. Priced at ‘270’ Rupees.

Lunch at the cafe for two is approximately ‘600’ Rupees. And the boutique has items from Rupees ‘50’ onwards.
Details: 9994481914