Table of contents
India
$ 0.35 - $7.43 per ounce
| Varieties | Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, Kent, Catimor, |
| How to Serve | Sometimes served as whipped instant coffee with lots of sugar and milk |
| Flavor | Balanced acidity with savory and sometimes spicy flavors. Many people say that it leaves an aftertaste like you just gnawed on some tree bark |
| Recommended Machine | Stovetop, Pour Over, Moka Pot, AeroPress |
| Good As | Americano, Cappuccino, Latte and Cortado Shots |
| Price Range | $0.35 – $7.43 per ounce |
| Caffeine Level | 0.25% on average |
Today India is one of the ten largest coffee supplying countries in the world. It is believed that this drink came to the country around the 18th century from Yemen. This is how India became one of the first non-African countries in which coffee plantations appeared.
Coffee has taken root well in the Indian climate – first in the southern regions of the country, and later in the northern part as well. Originally, only Arabica was grown in India, but over time, due to the instability and unreliable nature of the bean, it was replaced by Liberica and Robusta. Currently, there are 5 main types being cultivated here:
| Arabica | Robusta | Liberica | Kent | Catimor |
Overall, India is currently the sixth-largest coffee-producing country in the world, with over 400,000 hectares of plantations in the country because Robusta gives about twice the yield of Arabica. So for every ton of Arabica grown in India, there are about three tons of Robusta.
Luckily, the country does not have a shortage of workers to take part in the arduous process of cultivating coffee beans. Therefore, Indian coffee is always organic, eco-friendly, and most importantly, tasty.
India (like Sri Lanka) is primarily a “tea” country, and coffee is not really considered a primary export market as in Brazil or Colombia, but India still has some achievements in this field.
In 2007, the country produced 262,000 tons of beans.97% of which was grown in the three southern states: Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.
India is the only country in the world where coffee is grown under two-tiered canopies formed by the crowns of evergreen trees, and coffee in these “forest plots” is often not the only crop. Often, spices are literally planted side by side: cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg. Coffee beans absorb these aromas, which subsequently affect the taste of the drink.
What makes the coffee from India stand out against the background of coffee in other countries? Despite the fact that Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Vietnam remain the main suppliers of aromatic beans, the Indian drink has unique characteristics, thanks to which it has won the hearts of many coffee lovers.
Now let’s take a closer look at every region in India that has some kind of coffee industry.
The most prolific coffee-growing state in India is Karnataka. According to legend, it was here that the first beans, brought by the ancestor-pilgrim from Asia, took root. The mountainous terrain has proven to be suitable for maximizing the preservation of the precious seeds of the Arabica tree.
A special climate with frequent showers and bright sun, optimally low altitude (600-750 m) above sea level has a beneficial effect on their maturation. Over 60% of the Arabica crop is harvested in this district.
Most of the plantations are concentrated in the southwestern part of Karnataka. From the beginning of June, gusty squalls bring heavy downpours that hit the entire territory. By the end of the rains (end of September), sometimes more than 4 meters of precipitation falls.
In order to preserve the priceless coffee bushes, the planters have come up with a kind of natural protection. Coffee is sheltered from bad weather, scorching rays, and fierce winds by other plants, towering in several layers.
Evergreen beans mixed with fruit crops and spices cover delicate coffee trees with their impenetrable crowns. The close proximity of cardamom, orange, pepper, coriander, vanilla, banana, and other greens (up to 50 varieties at a time) has a beneficial effect on the number of crops.
Kerala produces somewhere around 20% of the overall coffee output of India, the majority of which is primarily the Robusta variety. Local farmers have come up with a technology that creates favorable conditions for plant production by protecting them with the use of birds.
The birds actively take part in the cultivation here as they’re enticed to exterminate any vermin or insects that may have otherwise damaged or degraded the coffee plants. By planting the coffee trees next to bananas and other high-reaching plants, a natural way of creating fertilizer has developed through the foliage.
Thanks to Kerala’s tropical climate with frequent rainfall and humidity, it was one of the best places to start planting the Robusta beans. Unfortunately, due to the region’s lack of altitude, Arabica beans are pretty hard to grow here and don’t come out too nice either.
Tamil Nadu accounts for only 5% of the local coffee production, focusing more on the Arabica variety due to its mountainous landscape and higher altitudes.
However, its strong summer heats sometimes create a very unfavorable condition for the coffee plants, often leading farmers to lose much of their crop to drought. But, thanks to the development of modern technology, these kinds of cases have started to drop since the mid-2000s.
Yes, it might be hard to purchase Indian coffee directly in the country, because of additional charges, so we have decided to collect 4 coffee brands on Amazon that we think are the best.
We pay attention to the following:
For more detailed information on how exactly we rate the coffee products we suggest in our guides, click here.
Now, let’s take a look at each of the brands listed above individually. We will tell you what we liked, why we liked it, and whether or not it may be a good fit for you.
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Price: $$16.99 (subject to change) |
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Size: 16 oz |
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Type: Arabica |
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Roast: Medium |
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Producer: Volcanica |
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Beans: Whole |
I started off my search for Indian coffee thinking I’d mostly find Robusta blends, but I was elated to see Volcanica featuring their Monsoon Malabar. It’s a 100% Arabica coffee with notes I’d never imagine could be possible with coffee. It almost tasted like tobacco and roasted sesame seeds. It’s completely devoid of acidity, making every sip pretty much the best I’ve ever taken.
I thought that Indian coffee beans were much more acidic and bitter than this, and started to blame my method of preparation (pour-over). But, when I brewed it both with my percolator and Espresso Machine, the smoothness remained intact.
This is a superb product I can’t recommend enough to everybody who wants a clean decent cup of java any time of the day.
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Price: $$25.99 (subject to change) |
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Size: 3.5 oz |
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Type: Arabica |
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Roast: Light |
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Producer: Waka Coffee |
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Beans: Ground |
There’s not much to say about instant coffee in general, but this particular Indian coffee brand really caught my eye when I was browsing around. The packaging is not something I’m used to with instant coffee, which is why I decided to give it a try.
I was expecting an overwhelming bitter taste with notes of ash and wood but was met with a very pleasant brew with notes of spices like cardamom and even curry. Only then did I realize that this was Indian Arabica coffee and not a Robusta blend. You can only imagine my happiness.
One thing that doesn’t really make me happy about this product is the price. $25.99 for 3.5 ounces of “good” coffee is too much in my opinion. For “great” coffee I’d pay that much, but this is simply not at that level. It’s still a nice ice-breaker for friends coming over.
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Price: $$17.99 (subject to change) |
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Size: 17 oz |
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Type: Arabica & Robusta Blend |
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Roast: Medium |
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Producer: Panduranga Coffee |
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Beans: Ground |
This coffee belongs to single varieties and has a classic rich taste and aroma. 1 teaspoon is enough to make a good, rich coffee drink. It has a subtle chocolate aroma, which gives a special piquancy, which I personally really like.
As for the overall taste, it’s not something you’d get with a 100% Arabica coffee from Colombia or Ecuador, or any other Latin American country. It simply stands on its own and is completely different from what I’ve ever tried before.
It’s a very pleasant blend, but not to a point where I’d lose my mind over it. It’s extremely cheap, clocking around $1 per cup, which is a win in my book.
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Price: $$16.99 (subject to change) |
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Size: 16 oz |
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Type: Arabica |
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Roast: Medium |
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Producer: Deckan Coffee Co. |
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Beans: Whole |
I was very happy when I discovered another whole bean Indian coffee brand on Amazon. I was starting to lose hope after Volcanica, but the Indian Giri Peaberry came out of nowhere.
I always try to get whole bean coffee products because I prefer to grind them myself. This helps me keep it fresh as well as adjust the level of grind I want.
The taste of this coffee was exquisite, as I was expecting. It’s a 100% Arabica coffee, meaning that all the aromas and different flavors that Indian coffee is known for, were easily found here. Highly recommended!
Indian coffee is not just a drink to help you wake up in the morning. It’s something to be enjoyed throughout the day. Because of that, not every machine can be suitable for brewing Indian coffee beans. Below, we’ve listed some of the best options we’ve tried that yielded amazing results.
Indian coffee is especially useful for the pour-over method for numerous reasons. First, it’s a great method to concentrate the flavors in a small cup by slowing down the brewing process. This is possible by slowly pouring the water on the coffee grounds, compared to the constant filtering that it goes through in other machines like the French Press (although that’s tasty too).
However, due to the unique characteristics of Indian coffee, the pour-over method still came out pretty nice even though we were expecting a much more acidic and bitter taste. Thanks to the unusual method of cultivating Indian coffee, the final brew was velvety and extremely smooth, with barely any bitterness.
The Moka Pot is the perfect alternative to an Espresso Machine if you want concentrated coffee and don’t have the tools for it.
It’s a type of percolator that boils the water into the grounds above and pushes the brew at the top level through pressure. It’s kind of similar to how the Espresso Machine works, minus the thousands of dollars you’d have to spend on it, of course.
It’s pretty good for Arabica blends of Indian coffee, but not as good for instant coffee.
