Does India, the "Hacker Nation" of Asia, Produce Coffee? What Kind of Coffee Does India Offer with Authentic Flavor?

Introduction to Indian Coffee

When it comes to Asian coffee, most people immediately think of Indonesian Mandheling, Vietnamese coffee, Laotian coffee, or Yunnan coffee. However, few mention India—a country with a remarkably long history of coffee cultivation. India was actually the first Asian country to grow coffee and has always held a significant place in the coffee world, making it one of the world's major coffee-producing nations. Today, let's explore the coffee of this fascinating country.

In the early days, Arabs monopolized coffee cultivation and trade, exclusively selling coffee to Europe while maintaining extremely strict control over coffee seeds and seedlings. In 1670, an Indian Sufi pilgrim named Baba Budan traveled to Mecca for pilgrimage. He discovered coffee in the port of Mocha, Yemen, and smuggled seven coffee seeds back to his homeland, planting them in the southern Chickmagalur mountains.

To commemorate this person, Indians refer to the Chickmagalur mountains as Baba Budan Hills. Today, Chickmagalur is an extremely important coffee-producing region in India. In 1696, Indian coffee was further transplanted to Java, Indonesia for cultivation, making India one of the earliest coffee-growing regions.

Indian coffee cultivation is primarily concentrated in the southern regions, featuring mountainous terrain with abundant humidity at elevations between 800-1,600 meters. Few coffee-growing regions in the world possess such rich biodiversity as this area: forests, herbaceous plants, shrubs, flowers, and animal communities form a spectacular paradise. The climate is generally tropical in summer and pleasantly cool in winter, providing an excellent environment for all coffee farmers. The coffee flowering season is a spectacular sight worth experiencing in person. During the entire flowering period, one can witness landscapes adorned with white blossoms emitting captivating fragrances, with bees and butterflies dancing among the flowers. The entire region is blanketed in a sea of white coffee flowers, like jewels in the crown of coffee farmers.

Kent Variety

Discovered in 1911 in the Kent coffee estate of the Mysore region in India, this is a Typica hybrid variety created by crossing S288 with Typica. It is characterized by high yield and rust resistance. The coffee aroma has more body than Bourbon varieties and was introduced to New World coffee-producing countries such as Kenya and Indonesia, making outstanding contributions.

S795 Variety

Also known locally as Jember, this variety was developed in the 1940s by crossing Kent (a Typica selection known for being tall, high-yielding, and highly resistant to leaf rust) with Coffea Liberica. In 1955, the Indonesian Coffee and Cocoa Research Institute (ICCRI) named it Jember, and it is widely cultivated in India, Indonesia, and Ethiopia. This variety has some resistance to coffee leaf rust, though this resistance diminishes over time. It possesses flavors reminiscent of maple syrup or brown sugar. S795 is currently India's main variety, accounting for 70% of total Arabica production.

Conclusion

In summary: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research house dedicated to sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation simply to help more friends fall in love with coffee. Additionally, we hold three discounted coffee events each month because FrontStreet Coffee wants to provide the best coffee at the lowest prices for more friends to enjoy. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years!

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