Chennai’s Umber Speciality hopes to simplify coffee with brews to grab-and-go

Our delivery from Umber Speciality Coffee arrives neatly packed, in pleasant hues of pastel pink and light brown. The aesthetic packaging hints at where this coffee brand aims to position itself in Chennai’s coffee market.

“I envisioned Umber as a grab-and-go option for people on their way to work or even heading outdoors on the weekend. An option that is convenient and affordable,” says Divya Minocha, Umber’s co-founder.

Currently based in Sweden, Divya was keen to start her own business and what better, she says, than to focus on her love for coffee.“I wanted everyday coffees to be a lot more accessible and easily available, rather than as a part of a beverage menu in a cafe that serves food. I’m also not too fond of the ‘syrup culture’,” she says.

Caramel crunch coffee | Photo Credit: B Thamodharan

Along with co-founders Aditya Bhutani and Vivek Vashishth, Umber Speciality Coffee currently functions out of a space at Sindur Plaza, Egmore, where they make all their coffees for takeaway and delivery.

Umber’s menu has all the classics which includes hot and iced cappuccinos, a South Indian filter coffee and an iced americano alongside their innovations — which play around with coffee and a melange of ingredients ranging from spiced honey to coconut cream.

“We were keen on drinks that weren’t too sweet and sugary, and at present, we do not use processed sugar. As a conscious company, we source our organic and fair trade coffee beans from Chikmagalur in small batches,” Divya says, of their hero ingredients. 

We sip on a coconut creme latte from their specials menu, made with espresso, brown sugar, coconut cream, milk and a sprinkling of candied coconut bits. The caffeine in this cold coffee is thankfully not too strong, and allows the coconut to shine through. Their other iced coffee special, the milo mocha is chocolatey with just a light hit of condensed milk.

Wild Hazel from Umber | Photo Credit: B Thamodharan

Sampling their classics, the iced americano though has a little too much sugar, and is missing a stronger hit of caffeine. While their cappuccino is strong and frothy, it makes you wonder if the taste will more than make up for the experience of savouring an artfully done cuppa, in a cafe.

Umber, however, is slowly but surely finding its niche. Divya says they have been getting orders from workplaces in particular, for bulk coffee orders during the workday – either for their breaks or even as a welcome addition to their meetings. “We are also constantly experimenting and innovating. There is an InVi, an Indian filter coffee made Vietnamese style with condensed milk, a spiced honey latte, and even a ‘gur’  java coffee that we are adding to our menu,” she says. 

To order from Umber, contact 8217410398, or find them on Zomato. Coffees are priced ₹150 upwards.