The lanes of Okhla Industrial Area are an odd location for a coffee experience. But Kaffa Cerrado — The Roastery, is braving it out there, trying to break new ground in what is now a well-ploughed field.

Over the last four years, India has seen a waft of coffee start-ups like Blue Tokai and The Flying Squirrel. Their selling point: making the non-instant kind of beverage relatively more accessible to a largely chai-drinking country (barring the south’s attachment to the filter sort).

Despite this, according to the International Coffee Organization’s Emerging Coffee Markets report of 2018, while India’s java consumption is growing, it is led mainly by soluble, or instant, coffee.

Run by three siblings, Krittivas, Rasalika, and Saudamini Dalmia, all in their early 30s, Kaffa Cerrado has been around a few years. In 2012, they were importing beans; they then moved onto studying coffee-processing, earning their SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) professional roaster certification in 2015. In December 2017 they started their first outlet — a kiosk at Food Hall in Delhi’s Chanakya mall.

Now, they’re trying to create their own “experiential space...to explore the world of coffee”. They’ve designed this as a minimal space, with a minimal (and vegetarian) menu: they’re clear that coffee is king here.

Visually, what stands out is the big glass wall separating the roasting and grinding area from the cafe space. It gives a ringside viewing of Kaffa Cerrado’s roasting and grinding processes. The siblings prepare the roasts and grounds in fresh, small batches, in their energy-conserving “green roaster”.

If you’re lucky enough to chance upon the process, you’re welcome to sit by the table to sip-and-stare: One of them is often at the big steel roaster, watching the pale green coffee beans slowly turn to a golden-brown, as another uses the stacks of bean-filled gunny bags as his makeshift desk.

The company’s signature house blend is a smooth mix of Indonesian, Brazilian, and Ethiopian beans, best enjoyed black. While milk-coffees are on the menu, the pour-overs are better if you are looking to step away from the regular coffee-experiences of bigger corporate chains. Their espresso, brewed with the Indonesian bean is worth writing home about.

Coconut, soy and almond milks are also on offer, but it goes without saying these milks drastically alter the flavour profile of the bean or blend you choose. You’re welcome to customise the blend you want to drink, or the roast to take home. There’s help for the uninitiated or still-learning.

Still in its initial stages, the owners are finalising exactly what experiences, tastings or classes they want to offer here. So for the moment, this is a thoughtfully-designed brick-and-mortar extension of their online store. All of Kaffa Cerrado’s beans and blends are available here, including the strong Indian Gungegiri estate grind and the milder Mysore Arabica. Their international collection is bigger, with beans from Mexico and Nicaragua, to Peru and Papua New Guinea. The cafe also recreates their online nook for coffee-related tools: moka pots, Chemexes, and filters, should you decide to brew at home.

9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Kaffa Cerrado, A-77, Okhla Phase 2. ₹500 for two, approximately.