Profile Overview
Rohith Rao, a former aspiring animator-turned-wedding photographer, found his love for coffee through his camera. He has since turned his passion into True Black Specialty Coffee in Hyderabad - a way for Rohith to make more people fall in love with specialty coffee. The coffee shop fosters a community-oriented, minimalist, and distraction-free environment which invites everyone to explore and enjoy the art of coffee.
Coffee is an industry that welcomes anyone who takes an interest in it. Rohith Rao's first introduction to the world of coffee was through the lens of a camera while he was working as an aspiring photographer. Nearly ten years later, Rohith is revolutionising Hyderabad's coffee culture with True Black Specialty Coffee.
An Unexpected Beginning
Growing up in Karimnagar, a district in Telangana, Rohith dreamed of becoming an animator. However, unable to find a good college for animation, he pursued a degree in engineering. After moving to Hyderabad, he briefly worked in visual effects, before shifting to travel and wedding photography to pursue his passion. While this career provided financial stability, it left him feeling unfulfilled.
During this period, coffee became a crucial part of Rohith’s life. A self-described "café person," he spent hours in coffee shops working on photography projects and catching up with friends. Yet, he grew increasingly frustrated with the mediocre coffee served in Hyderabad, lacking the refinement he had experienced elsewhere.
Soon, he began experimenting with brewing techniques and coffee at home using a basic espresso machine and grocery store beans. Initially, the results were disappointing—bitter and over-extracted—but Rohith’s curiosity fueled his desire to learn. He delved into research on brewing methods and specialty coffee, determined to elevate his coffee experience.
From behind the counter of True Black Specialty Coffee
Strict standards of procedure guarantee the best brew at True Black.
Diving into the world of coffee, Rohith discovered the importance of using freshly roasted beans and grinding them by hand. He immersed himself in blogs and explored various coffee equipment. His first breakthrough came with the AeroPress.
“It was euphoric,” Rohith recalls. “I had no idea coffee could taste this good.”
What began as a quest for better coffee at home blossomed into an obsession. Rohith began carefully sourcing high-quality beans and experimenting with different brewing methods to hone his skills over time. As his coffee journey progressed, he embarked on road trips across India, always accompanied by his AeroPress. Some of his most cherished memories come from homestays in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, where he brewed coffee in kitchens filled with curious locals.
"It felt like I was creating magic," Rohith says, recalling their wonder as they tasted coffee they had never imagined.
Soon, Rohith’s hobby had become a significant part of his life, with friends gathering at his home every evening for coffee. By 2017, he quit wedding photography to start Hand On Heart Studio, focusing on building digital voices for cafes and restaurants which helped him work closely with coffee and pastry shops.
What we do here is a coffee space, not just a café.
- Rohith Rao
The Birth of True Black
In June 2022, Rohith partnered with a friend to open the first True Black café in Kompally, Hyderabad. His mission was to provide a minimalist coffee experience without the distractions of elaborate food menus or complex service.
“What we do here is a coffee space, not just a café,” Rohith explains. “After years in coffee shops, I wanted to create a calmer, more spacious environment with zero distractions.”
He carefully considered every detail, from the music to the materials, ensuring that the focus remains on the coffee experience.
True Black quickly gained a reputation for its craftsmanship and minimalist design, attracting coffee enthusiasts weary of commercial chains. The journey wasn’t without challenges as Rohith and his team had no experience in food and beverage. Despite this, the café thrived. By September 2022, True Black expanded to its second location in Jubilee Hills. The café's popularity surged, serving 500 cups per day. True Black’s success lies in its focus on quality, minimalism, and a seamless coffee experience, making it stand out among Hyderabad’s best cafes.
The open setup at True Black allows customers to witness every step of the coffee-making process.
Redefining Coffee Culture in Hyderabad
In a city where milk-heavy lattes and cappuccinos were common, Rohith’s focus on black coffee provided a welcome change.
A hallmark of True Black’s appeal is its minimalist, community-driven design. One of the first things that Rohith focused on was building confidence among customers who feel intimidated while ordering since they are not familiar with the different types of coffee listed on the menu.
“For a customer who never had coffee in life, I found that they face a layer of difficulty while ordering. Nobody wants to come to a coffee shop and look like a fool, right? Because people feel like they don't know anything, they don’t enter these cafes or end up ordering a cappuccino.”
The visual menu also reduces the need for highly trained baristas, streamlining operations without sacrificing quality. This focus on simplicity allows the café to hone in on its core mission: serving exceptional coffee.
Transparency is another cornerstone of True Black. The open setup allows customers to witness every step of the coffee-making process, from grinding to brewing. This not only builds strong connections between regulars and baristas—who often remember customer preferences—but also creates a sense of loyalty.
Rohith emphasises quality, using high-grade beans, house-made vanilla, and premium Belgian chocolate.
I found customers who have never ordered coffee face a layer of difficulty while ordering for the first time. Because people feel like they don't know anything, they don’t enter cafes.
- Rohith Rao
Elevating Coffee Quality at True Black
True Black’s commitment to elevating coffee quality is central to its operations. Rohith and his team have streamlined the brewing process to focus on delivering the best flavour. Unlike many specialty cafes that offer various brewing methods like V60, AeroPress, and French press, Rohith recognised that this approach often diluted quality, making customers pay more for the experience than the taste.
“We simplified things to avoid overwhelming both customers and baristas,” he explains. By honing in on a few perfected methods, including a Cycling device for consistent pour-overs.
Precision extends to their handling of coffee beans through a single-dosing system, where beans are portioned into labelled containers detailing roast dates, grind size, and brewing instructions. This prevents beans from sitting in hoppers and losing freshness through oxidation.
Rohith Rao believes that ordering a cup of coffee should be a simple and enjoyable experience for everyone
"Instead of topping up hoppers throughout the day, we grind fresh batches as needed. At the end of each day, we empty and clean the hoppers to preserve the coffee's integrity," Rohith explains. This guarantees that every cup is brewed with beans at their peak freshness, maintaining optimal flavour and quality.
True Black also focuses on temperature control, especially with their popular long-black coffee. They use 22 grams of coffee and limit the shot to 30 ml to prevent bitterness. Instead of relying on hot water from the machine, they heat fresh water for each order, adjusting the temperature between 85 and 90 degrees to match customer preferences. This careful approach guarantees a clean, bright flavour without the harshness often found in poorly made long blacks or Americanos.
The quality of ingredients at True Black is another area where they consistently strive for excellence.
"We make our own vanilla in-house, source the best Belgian chocolate for our mochas, and use the highest quality milk available in the city," Rohith shares. This commitment to premium ingredients ensures that every drink, from a simple black coffee to a flavoured latte, is made with the finest components, further elevating the overall experience.
[At True Black] we simplified things to avoid overwhelming both customers and baristas.
- Rohith Rao
True Black's commitment to consistency extends to meticulously managing each coffee's flavour profile. Rohith explains that beans are tested to determine their peak flavour, whether it is seven days or 21 days after roasting.
"If a coffee is best after seven days, our staff knows it’s ready. If another hits its peak at 21 days, we wait until that moment to serve it," he says. They maintain a strict cut-off at six weeks; any beans older than that are repurposed for non-drinkable uses, like body scrubs.
To ensure every cup meets the same high standards, True Black has developed detailed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) governing everything from brewing times to cleaning routines. Each grinder is weight-based, and beans are tested to identify their optimal flavour window. Each 1 kg bag is dated and monitored until it reaches peak taste, with staff sampling and discussing each batch to determine its best quality.
Once ready, the beans are single-dosed into sealed bean cells to prevent oxidation, ensuring they stay fresh until ordered. This system eliminates the risk of beans sitting exposed and losing quality. Baristas can easily dial in the perfect brew thanks to detailed labels on the bean cells, and each cup is served with an information card, allowing customers to know what they’re drinking without needing extensive explanations from staff.
"Mr True Black" spotted at True Black Specialty Coffee, Hyderabad
Passion and Craftsmanship
By reshaping Hyderabad’s coffee culture, True Black has made specialty coffee more approachable, transparent, and community-oriented. Rohith and his team have successfully created a space where customers feel welcome and inspired by the craft of coffee, free from unnecessary complications.
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