Espresso
Cacao nibs, orange, spiced
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Baba Budangiri Hills |
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1,100 meters above sea level. |
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S-795 |
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Washing |
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Mr. Narendra |
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Harvest 2022 |
Coffee from India Meghal State
Meghal Estate is the name of a farm located in the Baba Budangiri Mountains of southern India. The farm covers 60 hectares and sits at an altitude of 1,100 meters above sea level.The coffee trees grow in the shade of more than 150 different trees, mainly oaks and cedars.
The trees provide shade for the coffee plants, which slows their ripening. They also protect them from inclement weather, such as wind, rain, and extreme heat.
The shade and dry leaves of the trees, which decompose to create natural compost, make the use of chemical fertilizers unnecessary.
The Baba Budangiri Mountains and Meghal Estate are also home to a variety of wildlife, including bison, elephants, and peacocks.
The coffee trees are irrigated with water from mountain springs, thanks to the abundant rainfall.
The history of Indian coffee
The Baba Budangiri Mountains are named after a 16th-century Sufi, venerated by both Muslims and Hindus: Baba Budan.Baba Budan holds a special place in the history of coffee, as he is said to have been the first to break the Arab monopoly on coffee cultivation.
This Sufi scholar performed the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. He then passed through Yemen, probably as a departure point on his return to his homeland.
In Yemen he tried the coffee drink, which was offered to pilgrims as a revitalizing tonic on their long journeys.
Baba Budan immediately recognized the gustatory and psychoactive delights of coffee and wanted to take seeds of this plant to India.
At that time, the export of green coffee seeds was prohibited in order to maintain Yemen's monopoly on this crop and protect this valuable source of income.But Baba Budan, defying the authorities, hid seven seeds. Some say he did so in his long beard, and others say he hid them in his walking stick.
Be that as it may, once he returned to India, he planted the seeds in his homeland, which had and has ideal conditions for their cultivation.
Since then, this region has accounted for more than 80% of all coffee production in India.
The Meghal Estate, a family business
Mr. Narendra is a third-generation coffee farmer. His family has been growing coffee on this farm since 1890. In a country that predominantly drinks coffee, this is no easy feat.Meghal Estate not only produces excellent coffee, but also exemplifies fair trade and sustainability.
The farm workers have decent living quarters with their families, with running water and electricity. They are also provided with food, healthcare, maternity care, and other basic necessities. All of this is free of charge.
Furthermore, due to its location and its farming method, based on the responsible use of natural resources and the preservation of biodiversity, this farm is a model of sustainability.Over the past six years, Mr. Narendra, who heads the family business, has focused on improving cultivation techniques and processes, producing coffees of excellent quality.
Indian coffee from Meghal State is a model in the coffee industry of this country.
Coffee cultivation at Meghal Estate
The coffee trees selected for the specialty coffee lots are of the Arabica subspecies and the S-795 variety. They undergo a washing process. The harvest season is during the months of November and December. During the harvest, the cherries are hand-picked in three rounds, selecting only those at their peak ripeness in each round and leaving the rest for the next round.
At Meghal Estate, they specialize in treating their coffees with the classic washing process, which consists of depulping the cherries once they've been picked.They are then lifted and sun-dried on raised beds. The coffees are left to rest for 30 to 40 days.
The mucilage from the cherry and the skin, recovered after the washing process, is decomposed using natural microbes for 90 days and then returned to the soil as a natural fertilizer.
Meghal State Indian coffee is an example that when things are done well and with passion, the results are excellent.
