Cups and Cacao: A Sensory Journey with Subko Coffee Roasters

Subko Coffee Roasters is a Mumbai-based specialty coffee and bake brand reimagining South Asia’s relationship with coffee. With a name that means “for everyone” and nods to the subcontinent, Subko champions traceability and terroir. They work directly with Indian producers, using experimental processing methods to unlock expressive flavours.

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Espresso Bar & Equipment

This visit to their Espresso Bar was more than just a coffee stop. With Shubham Ambre, Subko’s Head Roaster and Quality Control Lead, personally brewing and sharing insights, the experience unfolded as a live tasting at the International Indian Coffee Festival to understand not just how coffee tastes, but why it tastes the way it does.

The brewing bar was kitted with a La Marzocco, an espresso machines that is gleaming under the sunny skies of Bangalore. Around it, a team of baristas brewed and pulled shots and showcased their technique.

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Pour Overs by the Roaster

It’s rare to be served a coffee brewed by the person who roasted it. But what made it even more memorable was how generously Shubham shared his knowledge. As he brewed, he explained the nuances, how yeast affects sugar breakdown, and how temperature changes impact aromatics.

He had two origins on the pour-over bar that day, both from Paderu, a lesser-known coffee-growing region in Andhra Pradesh. Each showcased a different flavour profile, thanks to distinct processing methods.

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Dry Yeast Honey Process

Flavour Notes: Ice Apple, Muskmelon, White Chocolate

The first brew was processed using a dry yeast honey method—a fermentation-forward approach where selected yeasts are introduced to influence the final cup. Shubham explained how this allows for greater control over flavour development, especially in coaxing out fruit notes and sweetness.

Served hot, the coffee opened with a clean, light note of ice apple—a crisp, watery fruit tone that immediately evoked tropical freshness. As it cooled, muskmelon made its way into the cup, juicy and mellow. The finish was silken, with a lingering taste of white chocolate, adding a rounded sweetness and subtle creaminess.

Tried iced, this same coffee took on a new personality. The tropical notes became more pronounced, with the muskmelon shifting into focus and the white chocolate evolving into something more like sweet cream. It was both refreshing and layered—a coffee that invited a second sip before you even realised it.

Classic Honey Process

Flavour Notes: Hazelnut Praline, Plum Jam, Milk Chocolate

The second brew brought comfort and richness. It opened with a hazelnut praline sweetness that felt instantly familiar. Plum jam gave it depth, introducing a sticky, stone-fruit character that danced across the tongue. The finish of milk chocolate tied everything together—smooth, lush, and deeply satisfying.

This coffee felt like a cozy afternoon dessert, especially in the hot pour over format. But iced, it brightened. The plum jam lifted higher, tasting almost like compote, while the chocolate softened into a light, creamy undertone.

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Design, Branding & Materials

Subko doesn’t stop at just coffee. The design sensibility extends to every touchpoint. From the pour tables boxes to their VLGE Boxes stacked neatly on the counter, everything is a piece of visual storytelling.

Even the smallest materials like straws, stirrers, and sugar packets were a design experience. Bright colours, engaging patterns, and intentional copy made each element stand out.

Subko nailed it.

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Since I reached quite early, they were still prepping the table and keeping get different chocolate varieties that they have processed, and it was kept for tasting. a lot of people stopped by looking at the spread being kept.

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Behind the counter was Likhitha, who spoke about the whole process, which is summarized in eight steps. The first one being the tiny flowers on the Theobroma cacao tree turn into green pods over six months. When the cacao fruit is mature, it is opened, and the beans are separated. And then the next step would be to take the unroasted cacao beans and roast them. The next obvious step is still a love the flavors to develop in the beans.

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Small bars of chocolate kept on the display, and then each of the balls were the smaller pieces of chocolate bits that anyone could pick eat and decide which was your favorite so that they can purchase the one they like the most.

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What I liked even more was how each bar had a different sticker with details of the farm where the origin is located and the amount of hand that it took to make it be 70% 45% 37% or even 39%. The flavor notes varied from chamomile tea, earthy, prunes, dessert wine and Cherry.

Have you ever tasted a coffee where the story behind it was just as rich as the flavor? Let me know in the comments.