South Indian Filter Coffee vs French Morning Coffee (Café au Lait)

Both drinks pair strong coffee with hot milk, but they arrive at very different cups. South Indian Filter Coffee starts with a concentrated decoction slowly dripped through finely ground coffee. It is sweetened with sugar, then frothed by pouring the hot milk in from a height and passing the coffee rapidly between two tumblers, giving a sweet, foamy, intense drink. Café au Lait combines equal parts dark-roasted coffee and gently steamed whole milk in a wide bowl, with sugar optional, for a rounder, softer cup suited to dipping pastries.