What Makes Chikmagalur Special

Legend says Baba Budan brought seven coffee beans from Yemen to the hills of Chikmagalur in the 17th century. Whether or not the story is true, this region has been growing coffee longer than anywhere else in India.

The Terroir

Chikmagalur sits between 1,000 and 1,500 metres in the Western Ghats. The combination of altitude, laterite soil, and monsoon rainfall creates ideal conditions for Arabica. The coffee grows slowly here, developing density and sweetness that lower-altitude regions can't replicate.

What's unique about Chikmagalur is the biodiversity. Coffee shares space with tropical forest, not monoculture. This shade-grown approach isn't just sustainable — it contributes to flavour complexity. The soil is rich with organic matter from decades of leaf litter.

Cup Profile

Chikmagalur Arabica is known for a balanced, medium-bodied cup. Expect notes of dark chocolate, toasted almond, and a gentle citric acidity. The washed lots are cleaner; the naturals lean towards stone fruit and caramel.

It's not the flashiest coffee — it won't bowl you over with explosive fruit like a Kenyan or a Gesha. But it has a quiet sophistication. The kind of coffee that makes you slow down and pay attention.

Our Sourcing

We work with two estates in the Baba Budangiri range, both certified organic. Each harvest, we cup multiple lots and select the ones that best represent the season. No two years are exactly alike — and that's part of the beauty.