India Coffee Beans

Legend has it that a pilgrim named Baba Budan smuggled coffee beans from Yemen to India in 1670 when returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca. He planted them on the hills of the Karnataka region, now named after the saint as Baba Budan Giri.

The defining features of Indian coffee are its low level of acidity and its full-bodied texture, which make it especially good for espresso.

Indian coffees are classified into:

• Plantation – Processed by the wet method
• Cherry – Processed by the natural method
• Parchment – A washed robusta variety

Another grading method follows the sieve size of coffee beans, going from AAA, AA, and A to PB (peaberry).

Processing coffee in India is done using three methods: dry processing, wet processing, and the monsooning process. In this unique method, harvested coffee beans are exposed to the monsoon rain and winds in special warehouses without walls. It causes the beans to attain a yellowish colour and spicy taste.