What’s Brewing, India? Let’s Talk Coffee

In a country where every morning begins with “Aaj khaane mein kya hai?”, we often forget what comes before khaana—what starts our day, fuels our 8 a.m. moods and 4 p.m slumps, and keeps us awake for that 11 p.m. “just one more episode” binge.

Yes, I’m talking about that sacred cup—chai or coffee.

Now, I’ve penned a lot about chai before (yes yes, blog throwback here). But today, let’s cheat on chai for a bit and get high… on caffeine.

Baba Budan & the Seven Beans of Destiny

Most of us have heard the legend: a Sufi saint named Baba Budan smuggles seven coffee beans out of Yemen, tucked into his robes, and plants them in the misty hills of Chikmagaluru in the late 1600s.

That little act of botanical rebellion? It changed the flavour story of South India forever.

Mind you, tea entered Indian soil nearly 200 years later—proof that Coffee was the OG brew in this part of the world.

Coffee, Before It Was Cool

By the 1940s, our Mysore Coffee (read: Arabica) was all the rage in Europe. Elegant, complex, and aromatic—it was India’s dark horse in the global market.

But then… WWII happened. And boom—Europe’s coffee imports vanished faster than a double shot of espresso on a Monday morning.

Desi Techniques, Global Impact

One of the reasons Indian coffee has a unique edge? Our shade-grown technique. While the world grows coffee under the sun, we let our coffee bloom under the Silver Oaks, Figs, Jackfruit and Jamun trees of Chikmagaluru and Sakleshpur. This isn’t just pretty scenery—it’s smart farming. How?

Tall trees form a natural canopy. Their fallen leaves feed the soil. The roots prevent erosion.

The coffee shrubs grow slow, and steady—absorbing forest aromas, cohabiting with birds, bees, bugs, herbs… it’s biodiversity on a brewing budget.

It’s like growing coffee inside a permaculture temple.

Arabica, Robusta & The Rebel Child – Peaberry

Let’s break it down like a good filter kaapi decoction:

•Arabica – The sweetheart and comes with a premium tag. It’s low on caffeine, high on aroma, and has floral notes making it ideal for black coffee lovers—drip, pour-over, Chemex types.

•Robusta – The gym bro. High caffeine, more bitter, strong-bodied.

It’s perfect for espresso blends, iced coffee, milk-heavy brews.

•Liberica – The underdog. Grown mostly in Kerala. Rarer, funkier flavour.

And then there’s the Peaberry—coffee’s version of the lone wolf. While regular cherries have two beans, Peaberries have just one. A natural mutant, found during sorting, and full of personality.

Think: sweeter, punchier, more acidic. It’s best enjoyed via French Press or AeroPress where it can sing.

Here’s a Brew-tiful Thought

Let’s nerd out for a moment:

1. India has around 2.1 to 2.5 lakh coffee growers, most of them small farmers.

2. We’re 7th in global coffee production, and 5th in export.

3. Karnataka alone grows 65-70% of India’s coffee.

4. Filter coffee made its first menu debut via India Coffee House in the 1940s.

5. The Dutch sowed the first coffee seeds commercially in India, later taken over by the British East India Company.

So the next time you sip your filter coffee or your slow-drip Arabica, remember—you’re not just drinking a beverage. You’re sipping a story.

One that began with few smuggled beans, bloomed under forest canopies, and became the pride of Indian hills.

I’ll brew more stories soon. Until then, go pour yourself a cup. Make it bold. Make it Indian. And if you need some inspiration, find them here and here..

Sil-Batta – Then an

Samruddhi says:

May 26, 2025 at 10:09 am

I wanted to tell you that you are the one who gave the idea and dream to become a chef and food historian I am a girl in 8th geade

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