A new chapter for Indian coffee

NAAD, despite opening just a few months ago, is perhaps the most ambitious new coffee project to open this year. For one thing, they have brought on co-founder Marc Tormo, known well beyond the coffee circle for his deep understanding of Indian coffee. More unusually, he has both the passion and the rare ability to make a complex subject feel accessible — from the nuances of soil and fermentation to drying, brewing and cupping.

Marc’s years of studying Indian coffee varietals at Marc’s Coffee in Pondicherry, working with an extensive network of coffee growers across the country, place him at the centre of conversations around Indian coffee

Coffees are expectedly sourced from the cream of the crop, estates in the Nilgiris, Chikmagalur, Coorg, but also, lesser familiar in mainstream coffee cafes, estates in Odisha. Together, the coffees highlight both experiments in farming and fermentation, and the craftsmanship of the growers behind them.

I had the opportunity to visit Naad in March. The space is sprawling, across several levels, and includes a live roastery, an open brewery, a coffee academy and a cafe space. In a gentle nod to craftsmanship across categories, the cafe is punctuated with delicious Ikat accents, thanks to co-founder Vikas Passary’s wife, who runs Translate.

Spending some time with the founding team, what stayed with me was how committed everyone seemed to be to building something special within coffee. Ashwini Maisekar, who heads finance, spoke as effortlessly about the cafe’s roasting equipment as she did the business model they are building. Kshitij Bhuraria who heads guest experience, moves between explaining the finer points of viennoiserie lamination and then walks us through the curriculum at NAAD’s coffee training academy. The retail space features design and packaging that has sustainability at its core. Khushboo Gandhi, of the design agency Go Do Good, explained that the brief was to avoid plastic and synthetic altogether. Instead, the packaging draws on local craft traditions and natural materials, using Indian-made paper, natural adhesives, embossed finishes and bhatti-printed glass bottles to create texture and character. This level of intentionality feels refreshing.

A conversation around wild varieties of Indian coffee, a guided sensory brewing and tasting with Marc, are all reasons to spend a few hours at the space. My personal favourite on the menu is the coffee blossom infusion, a delicate drink that lies somewhere between chamomile and jasmine, but with a unique flavour stamp, and is light on the caffeine. This sense of leading with curiosity, from the plant, to process, is what makes a visit to NAAD definitely worth the trip.

THIS WEEK ON GOYA

Point-Point Rice is often considered ‘outsourced food heritage’ in an era when fewer people have the time or resources to cook multiple dishes for their families at home. Affordability lies at the heart of Point-Point Rice; its essence lies in feeding the masses at a price point that remains accessible. Jayashree Panicker examines the everyday ritual of Singapore’s Point-Point Rice, and how it encodes ideas of home and belonging. Read more.

What do Hunter S. Thompson, Johnny Depp, and feminist history have in common? On this week’s History on the Rocks, Smitha Menon shares the fascinating backstory to the Singapore Sling. Learn more about the cocktail. Kadamba shares their recipe for weekend libations below.

Ingredients
45 ml gin
10 ml orange liqueur
10 ml in-house herbal liqueur
15 ml pomegranate & cherry syrup
60 ml fresh pineapple juice
10 ml fresh lime juice
2 dashes Kadamba Bitters
Full recipe here.

Learning interdisciplinary food futures

Heirloom Rice Varieties
Tuesday, 7 July 2026
Anumitra Ghosh Dastidar, Edible Archives
Book here

Decolonising Tea as we Know It
Tuesday, 14 July 2026
Dona Aideau, Tea Producer, Taster & Sommelier
Book here

GRAIN is a monthly lecture series by Goya, that connects you with the people who are shaping the way we cook, eat, and think about food: founders, farmers, photographers, writers, stylists, chefs, writers, growers, designers and everyone in between.

#GoodThings What we’re enjoying this week
1. Indian specialty coffee brand Yettu is launching in stealth. Find them here.
2. Dhoop magazine’s latest print drop has some delicious reads. Find them here.
3. Nandini's Mysore Pak gift boxes at Bengaluru airport are reason enough to get to the gate early. We never leave without one (or three).

Until next time,
bon appétit.