It was Karnataka’s Chikmagalur where Coffee first reached India and it has stayed in the hearts of Indians ever since. Coffee is mainly grown in southern India, and South Indians love to take a sip of hot filter coffee along with their crispy dosa. While these beans are not naturally found in India, a saint from Yemen by the name of Bababudan brought coffee beans along with him and planted them in the Chandragiri Hills of Karnataka! And today, coffee is grown in several parts of the country.
In the year 2000, coffee consumption was around 60,000 Metric Tonnes. This number shot up exponentially and was 115,000 metric tonnes in just 2011! With the boom of aesthetically pleasing cafes and pretty outdoor restaurants, coffee has been able to reach every generation, from the oldest to the youngsters. Coffee is enjoyed as a Mocha, Latte, Espresso, and as Filter Coffee too. If you are a coffee lover who enjoys a good old cup of coffee at home, Sunbean Coffee produces both gourmet and instant products like Sunbean beaten coffee which can delight the coffee connoisseur in you!
The timeless and rich flavour of Indian coffee is unmatched. Grown under shade, Indian coffee is mild, slightly acidic and features a fine aroma. Arabica and Robusta beans are the two different types of coffee beans grown in several regions of India. The cultivation of coffee requires pleasant temperatures between 20-27 degrees Celsius and an ample amount of rainfall (about 100-200cm per year). Coffee does not flourish under direct and harsh sunlight; hence, shade is an important factor in coffee cultivation. Moreover, coffee does well when grown on hilly slopes as they are cooler and well-drained. Therefore, there are very select regions where coffee can grow and flourish and most of them are hilly and cool regions in the country.
There are three main coffee growing-regions in India:
Traditional South Indian region: This region includes states like Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, where Karnataka is the major producer of coffee with about 70% of the country’s coffee coming from the state. Kerala and Tamil Nadu together produce 20-30% of the nation’s coffee.
Some important places in these states that are known for their coffee plantations include Chikamanglur, Coorg, Mysore, Manjarabad, Travancore, Nilgiris and Wayanad.
Non-traditional region: Besides the popular south Indian coffee growing regions, there are two states in the East: Andhra Pradesh and Odisha that also grow a significant amount of coffee. These two states are the top 4 and 5 states for growing coffee with a total of 11,000-12,000 metric tonnes produced in a year.
Some important places in these states that are known for their coffee plantations include Araku Valley, Chintapalli, Paderu, Koraput, Kalahandi Phulbani and Keonjhar.
North-eastern region: Coffee was first brought to the North-Eastern region in the 1850s in Meghalaya. Today, states like Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Tripura are among the major coffee-growing states in the region. However, the climate in these north-eastern states is not as conducive to coffee as compared to the southern regions which result in a low amount of coffee production.
Coffee plantations also make for good tourist spots are they are grown on slopes. Visiting a coffee plantation in Coorg, Chikmagalur, Wayanad or Araku Valley will surely refresh your eyes and give you a taste of delicious coffee!
