India

Type: Robusta
Processing: Dry
Classification: Cherry AB
Region: Kerala

Notes: The soil gives this coffee generous flavours, powerful aromas; full-bodied in the mouth with little acidity.

Background

Legend has it that coffee beans were first planted in India in 1610. According to the same legend, it was an Arabica. But that’s all the legend tells us. What we do know for sure is that coffee production began in 1840, when the country was a British protectorate. The first historically recorded coffee was also an Arabica, which was cultivated around the Baba Budan Giri mountain range and on the Karnataka hills. The first Robusta would only be introduced to India from Java at the start of the 20th century. It is grown in the state of Karnataka, under the thick foliage of the local forests, and the soil gives it pleasantly intense and slightly tangy flavours.

Geography

Coffee is traditionally grown in the south-west of the country, in the highlands of the Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu regions, at an altitude of 1000 to 1500 meters. Coffee cultivation has recently developed in eastern India, in the Ghats, and in the north-east, in an area known as the Seven Sister States.
Monsoon rains, typical of tropical climates, are a determining factor. No less than 50 different varieties of coffee are grown in the forest shade. Citrus fruits, bananas, cardamom and pepper are often grown near coffee trees. The flavours from these others plants add to and combine with the aromas of the beans, which gives them a unique personality.

Crop information

Species:
• Robusta (60%)
• Arabica (40%)

Varieties:
Kent: original variety introduced by the English in 1920. Then around the 1940s, new varieties and hybrids were developed to improve yields.

Altitude:
• Arabica: 1000 – 1600 m
• Robusta: 500 – 1000 m

Growing method: Under forest shade.

Harvesting:
• Arabica: March / December
• Robusta: Year-round

Processing:
• Washed and dry.
• 36-hour fermentation for washed Arabica and Robusta.
• Natural drying process on cement surfaces.
• Mechanical and electronic sorting, with manual sorting for superior quality coffees.

Export period:
• Robusta: February to December
• Arabica: March to December
• Monsoon coffees: October

Average caffeine content:
Arabica: 0.93% / 1.12%
Robusta: 2.18% / 2.60%

Economy

India produces nearly 4.8 million sacks, or 290 000 tonnes, annually. Robusta coffee represents 60% of the total tonnage and 20 000 tonnes of it is washed.
India is currently the sixth largest producer of coffee in the world and is benefiting greatly from a growing enthusiasm for coffee among Indians. This passion has grown to such proportions in recent years that the country is now importing coffee from neighbouring countries.
The main importers of Indian coffee are Germany, Italy, Russia and Belgium.