08on the shelf
Chikmagalur is where coffee in India started, on the slopes of Baba Budangiri in the Malnad belt of Karnataka. Estates here sit roughly between 1,000 and 1,500 metres, under native shade trees, with a monsoon that arrives hard and a dry spell that follows it. The combination gives beans that are dense but rounded, chocolate and caramel far more often than sharp acidity, with fruit showing up mainly in the naturals and the ferments.
The regional signature is body. Chikmagalur lots hold their shape in milk and under pressure better than most Indian coffee, which is why so many espresso blends lean on them. Shade also slows cherry ripening, and slower ripening is why these beans tolerate a wider roast range than altitude alone would suggest. If you are comparing estates, brew them side by side on the same recipe before you change anything. The differences between Ratnagiri, Kaimara and Baarbara are real, but they are not loud.
The history of the region is set out on our Baba Budangiri coffee page.
