India Kaapi Royale Robusta is a fully washed AA (or screen 18) Robusta. This coffee is cultivated in the Coorg region, in the Western Ghats of Karnataka. The Coorg region produces more than 50 percent of India’s Robusta and is therefore recognized as an important hub for coffee production.
As is common across the country, India Kaapi Royale Robusta is produced by smallholder farmers who cultivate less than 4 hectares each. Coffee is often intercropped with pepper, cardamom and other spices as well as orange, bananas and arecanut.
History of Coffee in India
Coffee first came to India in 1670 by a man named Baba Budan. At the time, it was illegal to take coffee beans out of Arabia. It is said Baba Budan successfully smuggled a handful of green beans and planted them in the Chikmagalur region, near Coorg, in Karnataka.
It wasn’t until 1840 that coffee plantations first appeared. After this time, cultivation of coffee spread to other parts of India, in part fueled by the British colonial interest in export as well as the popularity of local consumption.
Coffee leaf rust reached India in the mid-19th century, devastating the Arabica crops. In reaction, many producers transitions to Robusta by the late 1800s. Today, Robusta comprises half of India’s total production.
Cupping notes: Clean cup. Chocolate, malt, popcorn, sweet,
