Coffee Rockers!

Never ever thought that coffee and conversations can really go that far until i visited UCS Bombay the first time.

The place has it all.
-Super ambience
-Super hosts (@sonikabhasin & @thecoffeenazi)
-Super drinks (you name it, they have it)
-Super food (yummylicious)
-Super entertainment
-Super members

Whether its trying out new coffee or discussing some business plans, listening to hangover stories or playing taboo with strangers soon to be friends, watching movies or exchanging twitter gossip, i have done all of these at UCS Bombay. It makes it so easy for catching up with twitter handles you just have interacted with twitter and personally know them. It made me realize that i actually follow some really awesome people around on twitter.

It's a mad big party every time i have been there. No shortage of fun, food or laughter. Initially i really thought it to be an awkward thing to go to a house full of strangers who might not even have heard or maybe not even following you on twitter. But then i realized that UCS Bombay makes it so easy and 'feel-at-home' kinda place that you instantly connect to the whole thing.

There are so many incidents and stories but i feel its best that they stay within the four walls of UCS Bombay.

The only thing i would like to change about UCS Bombay is that someday i will learn few tricks and tips of coffee & pancake making, and make sure i spend the whole time in kitchen rather that @thecoffeenazi doing all the work. Each and every time he is left in the kitchen making yummy things for us and misses all the fun outside.

As @shawnlewis once wrote that not everyone deserves to get an entry at UCS Bombay, I am so glad that i made it through to the 'A' list. And i even have a privilege card to prove the same!

The place is an addiction.

P.S.: Vallet parking ka kya hua!?

Coffees, Tales and Taboo

There are ways in which you meet people. New people – all the time, and meet them again and again, till it feels that may be you have known them forever. I had heard of the UCS and its meetings from people on Twitter – those who had attended it and loved it. I used to wonder, ‘So, they meet for coffee and converse.’ I did not realize that one day I would come to love these UCS gatherings, where people randomly met, got to know each other and live life so to say with The Coffee Nazi’s blends, conversation and the occasional loud but fun round of Taboo.

Coffee according to me has to have been a communal binding factor. Making people meet and talk and share lives and stories. No one does it better than The Coffee Nazi, who has his house open to anyone and everyone. Where friendships are garnered. I was hesitant to visit his house the first time. I was reluctant like most of us (assuming) were. However, the minute I stepped in I was made comfortable. Most of it also had to do with the smell of coffee – the knowing that I would finally get to taste Nazi’s famous coffee – and a plethora of choices, from names I cannot pronounce to filter coffee to the simple cold coffee, which I opted for. I can almost still taste it – the sharp flavor of coffee, infused with a hint of chocolate and of course milk, frothy and tongue tingling.

From the first time, the visits were almost an addiction and it wasn’t just the coffee. It was company. People play a vital role – different people, different lives and yet somewhere, minds converge. Tales are shared. Stories are told. Lives are no longer observed under a microscope. The fascinating part is that you take an online contact or acquaintance (Twitter in this case) and turn it to an offline bond – the binding factor could or could not be coffee (for instance, one UCS member, does not drink coffee).

But there is something to the UCS which is already so unique and special and then games or in my case Taboo became an integral part of these meetings. I am highly competitive and all of us who meet then get into the spirit of the game. I have met some wonderful people through the UCS - @sonikabhasin , @thecoffeenazi , @dhruvster, @madhumita and of course @shawnlewis and like I said, the connecting factor, always the UCS. I am not trying to sell or promote the concept or the idea. What I am doing is telling my story of meeting people, of drinking coffee, of cherishing moments (especially those laced with cakes and brownies), amidst soon to become friends (or they already are) and yet another well spent evening.

Weekly Update (20th-26th Feb)

The whole of last week was pretty quiet at UCS! On Friday night I sent out a couple of tweets to invite people to come over for Coffee, But I guess people already had plans. Me and @sonikabhasin ended up watch a couple of movies that evening.

We were thinking that Saturday would also pass by as the Friday did, but in the afternoon, @TheBigDowg & @taklooman dropped in, with some beers. A couple of hours of beerage, conversations and stories happened.

In the evening on Saturday, @kristoph3r, @dhruvster & @ghaatidancer dropped in. Kris' visit was pending for a while has he had overbooked his schedule at the time of previous meetings. GhaatiDancer was making up for her boo-boo that she made (this : https://twitter.com/#!/ghaatidancer/status/170142496838524928). Bengali dinner was had. Twitter gossip was shared. Stories were exchanged.

A good weekend, although a quiet one, some that UCS is not really used to.

Will fix that this week.

Hello

Hello world. This blog has been created with the purpose of documenting all the fun evenings that happen at The Underground Coffee Society.

A couple of years ago, when @sonikabhasin & @thecoffeenazi started hosting people at home for coffee evenings, they wouldn't have thought how their home would become a hub for a lot fun filled evenings of fun, games, pancakes, conversations & #wellofcourse, coffee!

So far, @UCS_Bombay has been host to over 100 people from twitter. We meet almost every week & have a good time. So far, it's been #EPICMAXX! UCS has been home to a lot new friendships especially for the hosts.

Lets keep this blog going with stories from UCS! If any of you are willing to contribute to this blog, do let me know.

Cheers to many more conversations, fun, games & coffees!