If someone in Hyderabad offers to get you a Mont Blanc these days, don’t expect a pen, perfume or watch. They are talking about coffee, specifically, the city’s latest cold-coffee obsession, a drink that has earned a following as much for its presentation as its flavour.

Built on a lightly sweetened cold-brew base and finished with a delicate layer of cream, the Mont Blanc is silky yet light, with bright citrus notes and a mellow hint of nutmeg. The snow-white cream cap lends the drink its name, evoking Mont Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps and Western Europe.

Where to find it

In Hyderabad, the Mont Blanc has found a home at cafés such as Torris, 24 Coffee, Butter Kin and Qaffeine, each contributing to the city’s increasingly experimental coffee culture.

Where it began

The Mont Blanc’s story did not begin in Hyderabad. The layered coffee traces its origins to 2022, when a café on Melbourne’s Lygon Street began serving an iced coffee topped with cream under the name. The drink arrived in Hyderabad only this year, as the city’s café scene began experimenting more boldly with coffee-forward beverages.

The cardinal rule: don’t stir

Part of the Mont Blanc ritual is knowing how to drink it, and resisting the urge to stir. The two layers are meant to be tasted together as they meet, rather than blended beforehand.

“When serving the Mont Blanc, we avoid giving guests a straw,” says Abhishek Kota,founder, Torris speciality coffee, Hyderabad. “When they ask for one, it gives us an opportunity to explain how the drink should be enjoyed. Take a deep, long sip until the coffee beneath reaches your mouth.”

I tried the Mont Blanc at Toris, Butter Kin, and Qaffeine to compare the drink. Toris’s recipe uses a lighter brew prepared with medium roast beans, and they prefer to keep the sweetness at its lowest. Butter Kin uses a stronger, not-too-sweet cold brew. Qaffeine’s version of the Mont Blanc is sweet. Most cafés offering the Mont Blanc stick to the original recipe, with variation only in the roast of the beans.

Despite its appearance, he adds, the drink is surprisingly mess-free — no milk moustache required.

Published - July 16, 2026 07:09 am IST