COFFEE IN INDIA

Coffee cultivation in India is major in areas of Karnataka, Nilgiris and Kerala. 60% of
India’s coffee is of the Arabica variety and 75% of the plantations are again classified as
A, B and C according to quality or variation in character. This 75% of Indian coffees are
manufactured by process of wet curing and the remaining 25 % known as dry curing
processes ‘Cherry Arabica’.

The most famous and the major bulk, of about 65% of Indian coffees are those from the
region of Coorg and Chikmangalur. The Mysore Mocha, a blend from the Coorg region
is a coffee with winy character. These regions provide Blossom showers, i.e., the right
amount of rainfall for the plant to produce flowers [white faint flowers similar to jasmine]
during the months of Feb-March. The setting showers help set the flowers, which will
otherwise wither off. The farmers use the right kind of manuring techniques and though
modernization has led to the use of chemical fertilizers, fish manure is much preferred.
Control of pests is carefully monitored. The enemy of the coffee plant is the Borer and
the fungus which can destroy an entire plantation is the Blight Pruning of the plant is
essential to regulate production since heavy produce one year is always followed by a
lean crop the next year. A good crop in Coorg would yield about 3/4 tons per acre .
Picking in Coorg is restricted to the berries on the plant and those fallen on the ground
are not picked. Later if commercially viable these are picked and is known as Gleaning.
Dry curing is used to process the coffee. The best test for picking coffee berries is to
shake it against the ear and if it rattles its well dried.

Three varieties of coffee available in India

CHICKS - are from Chikmangalur.
COORG - is a variety from the hills of Coorg and is a hardy variety resistant to pests.
KENTS - grown in the region of Nilgiris and Coorg .