Indian coffee estates are moving slowly to gain US’ roasters interest.
As a first step, the Sethuraman Estates located at Magundi in Chikmagalur after showcasing its produce at various speciality coffee events in the US has now become the first Indian coffee estate to get ‘R Grade’ certificate.
‘R Grade’ certificate are given for washed robusta coffees by the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) which is an arm of Speciality Coffee Association of America (SCAA).
getting premium
The SCAA recently tested Sethuraman Estate’s robusta coffee submission at the CQI and found to have all the required quality parameters. This certificate facilitates the estate to sell and charge a high premium in the US .
The certificate and recognition allows Sethuraman Estates to sell its entire submission of 15 tonnes speciality robusta in the US market spread over a year by using the CQI and SCAA logo.
“The ‘single-origin estate-branded’ coffee of Sethuram Estates has so far fetched a premium of over 30 per cent over the domestic market prices. Currently the domestic washed robusta coffees is trading at Rs 145 a kg,” said Nishant R. Gurjer, Managing Partner, Sethuraman Estates.
entering US
“This certificate and recognition will allow us to enter the lucrative US café market as well,” he added.
The Sethuraman estate located at Chikmagalur began in operations in the 1950s. In the US market, the company is marketing estate-branded coffees – the Sitara Parchment Robusta and the Ne Plus Ultra of Robusta coffee brands.
The US, a traditionally arabica-consuming country, is slowly replacing it with robusta coffees and few companies have initiated moves to source from various countries for create blends.
shift to robusta
This has led to the Coffee Quality Institute, which used to certify only Arabica coffees, now has introduced separate certification for robusta coffees.
ratings
According to the institute’s finding of Sethuraman Estates, the following are the rating with baseline score of 7.14. Aroma 7.58 , flavour 7.42, aftertaste 7.42, acidity 7.83, mouth feel 7.42, balance 7.50, Uniformity 10, clean cup 10 Sweetness 7.42 cupper points 7.58.
Gurjer said, “We entered the US market in 2006 by exporting just two containers (36 tonnes) and so far have reached the level of 8 containers (144 tonnes) of speciality robusta coffees.”
source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home / by Anil Urs anil.u@thehindu.co.in / Bangalore – June 21st, 2013
The well established brand, label and worldwide dance music empire Ministry Of Sound has recently joined forces with commercial house giant Defected to create the Association for Electronic Music (AFEM). A pretty colossus partnership.
The 51-strong international board of advisors will meet during this week’s International Music Summit in the global ‘party’ capital of Ibiza to discuss a range of issues covering marketing, health, safety and piracy. It brings together representatives from across the industry covering 15 countries, with an eventual aim of creating a “worldwide voice for electronic dance music”. Representing India is of course our ‘EDM poster boy’ Nikhil Chinapa.
Nice idea but we’re not quite sure what this will actually achieve other than being a glorified networking holiday, but who’s going to say no to a free holiday in the sun.
Star Indian shuttlers lit up the hall as they walked the ramp in a gala opening ceremony here on the eve of the India Open.
Displaying designer clothes, Parupalli Kashyap, Jwala Gutta, Ashwini Ponnappa, P.V. Sindhu, Pullela Gopichand and Saina Nehwal took to the ramp Monday night as the entire Indian badminton contingent cheered them on. Olympian Kashyap got the loudest cheer from his fellow players.
Shuttlers who played in the London Olympics were felicitated and presented with prize money as had been promised by the Badminton Association of India (BAI).
Saina got Rs.25 lakh for winning the bronze medal in London last year. Women’s doubles specialists Jwala and Ashwini got Rs.2.5 lakh while Jwala’s mixed doubles partner V. Diju was awarded Rs.1 lakh.
source: http://www.vancouverdesi.com / Vancouver Desi.com / Home> Sports / by IANS / New Delhi, April 23rd, 2013
If you are planning on traveling to southern India and want to get a different perspective on Indian culture, consider traveling to Coorg. This area is unlike any other area in south India and you will find that it is a land of surprises and mystique. The locals of Coorg have their own distinct culture and customs, so a visit is sure to produce some enriching experiences.
The people of Coorg are known as Coorgs, but locally they are called Kodavas. While they are Hindu, they practice ancestor worship known as “Karana” which takes priority over traditional worship of Hindu gods. Coorgs usually keep images or idols of ancestors that have passed. These items are traditionally made out of wood or clay and are offered prayer and obedience. Along with the worship of ancestors, the Coorgs also worship nature and consider the Cauvery River to be holy.
As you might guess, Coorg culture also has different values when compared to other areas in India. Coorgs are the only race in India that are free from the Indian Arms Act and are allowed to possess guns without a license. The locals have become very close to their weapons and they even have a festival called Keil Podh which is dedicated to weapons. Even some family traditions have weapons involved. When a family has a newborn son, a gun is shot into the sky as a welcoming to the little one. When a Coorg passes away, two gunshots are fired into the sky to notify others of the passing. While the Coorg people are fond of their weapons, there is no need to be nervous as they are renowned for their hospitality.
Coorg is definitely a place that honors tradition yet finds a way to make its own way. A visit is sure to open your eyes to a different way of life in India.
source: http://www.bigfive.com / Big Five Tours & Expeditions / Home> Travel Blog / March 18th, 2013
Panorama from reception area of Vivanta by Taj – Madikeri
Forget the big cities, Stephen McClarence discovers the charm of small-town India in the Coorg district.
You’ve almost certainly had a phone conversation – however brief – with someone in Bangalore, the boom city of South India.
Fifteen years ago, it was a sleepy old-worldly place, green and gracious. So many people went to retire there that it was called the Pensioners’ Paradise. Now, thanks to its burgeoning call centres, it’s the most dazzlingly modern of India’s cities, full of high-rise office blocks, shopping malls, and aspirational, high-spending young people.
The greenness is in shorter supply these days. “What used to be here?” I once asked a man showing me round a techno-park boasting IBM and Microsoft. “Nothing was here,” he said. “Only forest.”
In just such a forest, four hours’ drive to the west, naturalist Sanjeev Kumar is taking a wry view of Bangalore’s headlong development. “When I was a boy there, we used to have to wait an hour for a bus,” he says. “Now a bus comes every five minutes, and we have to wait an hour in the traffic.” Kunihit Aya, grocer in Bekal
Butterflies flutter past like floating tissue paper as Sanjeev leads my wife and I on a forest walk. “Maybe we will see a Malabar whistling thrush,” he whispers. “I was once playing the flute and as soon as I stopped, it carried on with the same tune.” A bird starts singing high in a nearby tree. “No, no, that’s a barbet.”
We’re a few miles outside the small town of Madikeri, far from the main tourist routes. Goa, to the north, is a familiar destination for Brits; so is Kerala, to the south. But Madikeri, capital of a district called Coorg, is unknown to many Indians, never mind foreigners.
That’s likely to change. High in the hills at nearly 3,500ft, and surrounded by rubber and coffee plantations, it has a new luxury resort: Vivanta by Taj, Madikeri. More than 60 cottages and villas are dotted down a hillside, with electric buggies ferrying guests from one spectacular viewpoint to another. Vast panoramas of rainforest and misty blue mountains stretch all around.
As a retreat, a scenic eyrie, it could hardly be bettered, but for us Madikeri itself turns out to be as great a lure. It’s a perfectly ordinary small Indian town, and that’s its charm. The wheel of life turns considerably slower than in the cities; people have time to talk to each other and to strangers; we have a delightful couple of days exploring it.
Some 40 years ago, the great travel writer Dervla Murphy chronicled her two-month stay here in the engaging On a Shoestring to Coorg. She likened the area, once British India’s smallest province, to the Garden of Eden, a place where “a civilised harmony still exists between landscape and people.”
She explored Madikeri’s library, where “earnest-looking young men were sitting around large tables studying fat tomes, or consulting yellowed newspaper files.” Similar young men – perhaps the originals’ grandsons – are still here, still studying and consulting. The dusty shelves behind them buckle under the weight of the fat tomes. Upstairs, string-tied bundles of monsoon-ravaged documents are stacked high, like slag heaps of bureaucracy.
Next door, a yellow-distempered British church has become a museum. Religious sculptures from the 12th-century share space with a portrait of George V, a watchful stuffed leopard and a Victorian portable typewriter. Also a rusty trunk, labelled “Trunk”. The walls are still lined with colonial monuments: “Molly, for over 30 years the dearly loved and loyal, faithful and devoted wife and pal of Lt Col Sir Richard Burke, late Resident of Mysore”.
We’ve caught the town’s Friday market. The streets are full of traders selling garlic, honey, trainers, chillies, wall clocks, dried fish by the barrelful, sachets of rat poison. The traders are courteous, and curious about us. Many have the characteristic caramel-coloured complexions and aquiline noses of Coorg people, said to be descended from Greeks who got lost.
We buy coffee and aniseed from Mr Shoukath Ali’s spice stall, piled high but neat with cardamom, cinnamon, cashew nuts, cloves. “Dates from Iran,” says Mr Ali. “Figs from Afghanistan.” A tiny old man joins us, his face lined like runes: Mr Yusoof, Mr Ali’s landlord, still working at 85. He sits watching, shrewdly, and, as I take a photograph he darts forward to be in the picture, giggling.
We need to change money. “Be seated,” says the bank clerk, and a zen-like hour of paperwork stretches ahead. Ledgers are entered, forms are filled in, and I take them to another clerk who gives me a metal token, numbered 87, to keep until the cashier calls me over.
Raju Shah, a businessman clutching Token No 86, sighs about the laboriousness of it all, but it gives us a chance to talk. He recommends a restaurant and guides us to it. His wife, Dimple, invites us to call round.
The whole town feels pleasantly suspended in a gentler time, nowhere more so than at the 130-year-old North Coorg Club, where retired coffee planters and army and air force officers gather in the evening to play bridge and billiards. Little seems to have changed since Indian independence in 1947, when decades of club presidents called Mr Frazer, Mr Pritchard and Mr Humphries made way for Mr Chengappa.
Madikeri is how Bangalore used to be, we reflect as we drive to the call-centre city to catch a train north. On the way we have lunch at a pleasant roadside cafe called Prashanti. “‘Prashant’ means ‘place of peace’,” the owner explains. A Bollywood soap opera blasts at full volume from a TV in the corner. We’re suddenly back in the 21st- century.
Getting there
Cox & Kings (0845 154 8941, www.coxandkings.co.uk) has seven-night breaks from £1,695pp, including three nights at Vivanta by Taj, Coorg and four at Vivanta by Taj, Bekal, a wonderfully relaxing garden-village resort 50 miles away in Kerala. The price includes breakfasts, private transfers and international flights with Emirates.
Visit www.tajhotels.com for more information on the hotels.
Stephen McClarence travelled to London (for his flight) with East Midlands Trains. 0845 712 5678, www.eastmidlandstrains.co.uk
source: http://www.yorkshirepost.com / Yorkshire Post / Home> Lifestyle> Outdoors> Travel / by Stephen McClarence / April 29th, 2013
Kodava Hockey Academy President Pandanda Kuttappa is seen inaugurating the 17th Kodava Families’ Hockey Festival hosted by Madanda family by pushing the ball with a silver stick at Balugodu Kodava Cultural Centre near Virajpet town this morning. Picture right shows Kuttappa greeting the Punjab XI team members before the start of the inaugural match. Virajpet :
The 17th edition of Kodava Families’ Hockey Namme (festival) began at the Balugodu Kodava Cultural, Heritage and Sports Centre near here today, under the aegis of Madanda family.
Kodava Hockey Academy President Pandanda Kuttappa, who founded the Kodava Families’ Hockey Tournament in 1997, inaugurated the fest by pushing the ball with a silver stick. The inaugural match was played between Kodagu XI and Punjab XI, with 1-1 goals tie when we went to Press.
The Madanda Hockey Namme has 225 Kodava family teams participating and the finals will be held on May 12.
Federation of Kodava Samajas President M.N. Belliappa, speaking as the chief guest, recalled that the Kodava Cultural Centre at Balugodu village was the result of a discussion with his friend K.B. Ganapathy, Editor-in-Chief of Star of Mysore, about 13 years ago. “I discussed with my friend Ganapathy about the need to set up a museum-like cultural centre in Kodagu and thanks to the then Chief Minister S.M. Krishna and former Minister M.C. Nanaiah, we could purchase the land in Balugodu,” said Belliappa and added that the government has granted Rs. 2 crore for the project.
Federation of Kodava Samajas Secretary C.K. Kashiyappa, sports person J. Appachu, Olympian Dr. A.B. Subbaiah, Madanda Sports Committee President M.S. Poovaiah, Akhila Kodava Samaja President Mathanda C. Monnappa and others were present.
The Kodava Cultural Centre at Balugodu is a picturesque land of 15 acres located 6 kms from Virajpet town. Various programmes showcasing Kodava culture and heritage will be held at this venue. Cost of the project is estimated at Rs. 12 crore. A huge auditoium-cum hall, with a capacity of 1500 people is under construction. It has a museum where traditional household articles and antiques are displayed.
source: http://www.starofmysore.com / Star of Mysore / Home> General News / April 14th, 2013
I love coffee and everything that goes with it. Because I seldom drink it alone, it carries a social aspect and a comfort dimension that are difficult to separate from the actual beverage itself. I do try to restrict my daily consumption to three or four cups. We all know that it isn’t healthy to drink more than that, or at least that’s what we’ve always been told.
The Mayo Clinic now suggests 2-4 cups of brewed coffee a day is okay but more than that can cause insomnia, restlessness, stomach upset, and increased heartbeat. The Globe and Mail in September 2012, reported that people who drink 4-6 cups of coffee a day are 28% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, benefits attributed to antioxidants. The same article also cautions that more than 2 8-oz. cups of coffee may increase the risk of miscarriage. According to an *article in the Health section, March 18th issue of Mail Online, a UK newspaper, Swedish researchers have been quoted as saying that one cup of coffee a day could reduce your blood pressure and provide a temporary boost to your brainpower; researchers at the University of Florida say that two cups could stave off Alzheimer’s and according to The International Journal of Sports Medicine, enhance exercise performance; the American medical journal Cancer states that three cups could reduce the risk of developing ovarian cancer in women and, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association, reduce the risk of gallstones in men; another U.S. study found that more than three cups could increase the risk of heart attack; five cups, according the National Cancer Centre in Tokyo, reduce the risk of serious liver damage by three-quarters; researchers at Wayne State University in Detroit report that drinking six cups can reduce the risk of some skin cancers but according to Dr. Sarah Schenker, dietitian, can lead to dehydration. More than six cups … well, you get the idea. Simply choose the advice you like best.
All medical research aside, I find that ordering a cup of coffee is becoming more complicated all the time. Unless your coffee shop of choice is the ubiquitous Tim Horton’s, you may find everything on the menu except a normal cup of coffee. I have a good friend that refuses to drink the specialty options. He loves his coffee straight up in a normal mug with a shot of cream. That’s it. He gets a little testy when he steps up to order and sees nothing that he recognizes. “Just a plain cup of coffee,” he laments. “Can I get that?”
Last weekend, my friend said this to the woman behind the counter and she looked totally puzzled. I felt sad for her, guessing that no one had made such an archaic choice before and obviously her training hadn’t prepared her for this. This particular shop sold green coffee beans and home roasters so that you could not only grind your own beans at home, but roast them first. I wondered what hour these people wake up in the morning in order to brew their breakfast coffee and still arrive at work on time.
I am of two minds on the subject though. I have to admit that I was curious about the green beans. I do love a great java and have to believe the more you know about the growing and harvesting, roasting, grinding and brewing process, the better the resulting coffee has to be and then, as if to affirm my suspicions, the carafe of that beautiful black elixir that they served was incredibly delicious!
Things have changed since the days when my parents would drink a cup of instant coffee mid-afternoon. It seems the natural cycle prevails in this context as in everything – our inclination to wish for more choice and then when that happens, to wish for simpler times.
source: http://www.janethepburn.com / Home> Blog> Non-Fiction / March 20th, 2013
The legendary Karavalli, the well-known South Western Coastal cuisine restaurant, at The Gateway Hotel, Bangalore has been voted 44th of the top 50 restaurants in the Eleventh annual listing of The S. Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurants. Karavalli at The Gateway Hotel, Residency Road
Bengaluru, Karnataka :
The legendary Karavalli, the well-known South Western Coastal cuisine restaurant, at The Gateway Hotel, Bangalore has been voted 44th of the top 50 restaurants in the Eleventh annual listing of The S. Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurants.
This list organized by William Reed media, a British trade publishing house celebrates the top 100 restaurants of the world annually, a credible indicator of the best places to eat in different parts of the world. The list of Asia’s best restaurants was voted for by The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy, made up of 936 voters from the hospitality industry.
Chef Natarajan Kulandai, Corporate Chef, The Gateway Hotels & Resorts, acknowledged the recognition and said, “Being 44th on the Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list is a great honour for us as this is also the highest rank and recognition achieved by any restaurant from Bangalore. Critics, gourmets and celebrities across the world celebrate Karavalli. The chefs at this culinary destination continue to delight diners with exceptional meals, using the wealth of local spices, red chillies, coconut, pepper, fresh fish, meats and vegetables unique to these coastal regions. It reiterates our place among gourmands at the global platform, and is testament to the highest standard of an authentic culinary experience that we offer our guests”.
Chef Naren Thimmaiah, Executive Chef, The Gateway Hotel Residency Road Bangalore adds, “We are delighted and proud to be voted among the best in Asia. Karavalli captures the essence of 22 years of extensive research, reflecting the culinary legacy of the coastal regions of south west India We have been exploring the mystique of the region and have been fascinated by the bouquet of flavours of the south western coast It gives us immense joy to share these epicurean pleasures with you at Karavalli.”
Having embarked on a journey in 1990 to offer guests traditional and authentic cuisine of the South Western Coastal region, Karavalli promises to give connoisseurs and gourmands a rejuvenated epicurean experience. Authenticity is the hallmark at the iconic Karavalli, where well-researched home-food recipes come together to ensure an experience like never before – be it a refreshed blend of novel additions to the menu which includes a distinctive compilation of vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies with extensive culinary journeys ranging from the best of the Mangalorean Bunts and Konkani’s, Kodavas from Coorg, Malayalees, Calicut Muslims and Syrian Christians of Travancore, Havyaka Brahmins of Vitla and the Portuguese of Goa; innovative desserts or unique dining proficiencies. Another acclaimed highlight of the restaurant is its West Coast Seafood Grills section in the alfresco area, which gives guests the opportunity for an interactive session with the chef and co-creation in the cooking experience.
Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list features the restaurants in Asia that have received the most votes from The World’s 50 Best Restaurants Academy. The S. Pellegrino World’s Best Restaurants List 2013 also included restaurants like Narisawa (Tokyo), Wasabi (Mumbai), Nahm (Bangkok), Ultra Violet (Shanghai), Varq (New Delhi) and others from the world over.
source: http://www.indiaprwire.com / Home> Restaurants, Awards / India PRWire / March 01st, 2013
Team Coorg members pose with the third place trophy. Photo – Supplied photo
Muscat:
Defending Champions Team Coorg, Oman, took the third place in the Gulf Cup Hockey 2013, held at the Dubai Sports City turf ground on March 1.
Organised by UTSC for the fourth consecutive year, once again, 10 teams participated in this increasingly popular event in the region. The local clubs, having played a few tournaments leading up to the event, were tested to their limits, with a few teams bringing in professional players to ensure they were better positioned to win the trophy.
After an engrossing series of round-robin matches, where Team Coorg won against last year’s runners-up Axiom Dubai (2–0), Dubai Hockey Club ‘B’ (6–0), Sharjah Tigers (4–0), and UAE Falcons (Red) (1–1), the semifinals were played against the team from Pakistan, UAE Falcons (Green).
Easily one of the best matches of the tournament, both teams played skilfully and made repeated attacks on their opponents’ goal post. Team Coorg succeeded in gaining a penalty stroke and took the lead. The UAE Falcons (Green) team tried their best to break into Team Coorg’s circle of defence. A foot goal wrongly called by the referee enabled UAE Falcons (Green) to level the score, despite Team Coorg’s strong protests against the goal. The drawn game resulted in penalty shoot-outs, which UAE Falcons (Green) won, and they went on to take the trophy. Team Coorg defeated the Axiom team in the third-place playoff.
The predominantly female team from Dubai Hockey Club played some scintillating hockey and stood their ground against stronger teams.
The UAE Falcons (Red), with a mix of European and Asian styles of hockey, enthralled the spectators, while Axiom played a very decent game to take the “Fair Play” award. The Best Goalkeeper award was won by Team Coorg’s Mohammed Ayyad.
With the current general secretary of the Oman Hockey Association (OHA), Redha Taqi Al Lawati, under the guidance of the Chairman of the OHA Sheikh Mahfoodh Ali Juma Al Juma, announcing the Arabian Hockey Club championship to be held in March in Muscat as well as the upcoming 6-a-side tournament for the locals to be organised by the local expats’ United Tallassery Sports Club, March will be a hectic month for hockey enthusiasts.
SAS Naqvi, the sports consultant to the OHA, gave high praise to Team Coorg on their creditable performance and encouraged more expats to emulate their hard work.
Manager and Player of Team Coorg M.U. Kuttappa thanked the sponsors Al Qurum Centre, Al Rawahi International, Services and Trade Company LLC, Al Ansari, Elite Trading, Berger Paints, and the numerous individuals who came forward to contribute to the teams’ expenses. He also thanked all the supporters who turned up at the stadium in Dubai. Team Coorg Captain N.A. Cariappa congratulated the organisers for raising the bar for the competition and hoped other enthusiasts would hold similar events in other countries too. He also thanked the Oman media for their support and efforts in promoting hockey in the Sultanate.
Team Coorg: M.U. Kuttappa, K.K. Poonacha, N.A. Cariappa (C), C.A. Nikkin Thimmiah, K.D. Bidappa, K.G. Kiran Kumar, Zaman Qureshi, Poorna Chandra Shetty, Mohammed Ayyad (G), Salah, Ali Humaid, Aiman Abdullah, Jarvis Ahmed, and Adil.
source: http://www.timesofoman.com / Times of Oman / Home / by Times News Network / Monday, March 04th, 2013
Muscat :
The annual Republic Day of India Hockey Cup match between Team Coorg Muscat and Oman Veterans XI will be played at Sultan Qaboos Complex Bausher on February 1.
The match, being organised by the Team Coorg Muscat and Friends of Naqvi Group, is scheduled to start at 4.00 pm.
Indian Ambassador J S Mukul will preside over the day’s proceedings while Oman Hockey Association (OHA) chief Mahfoodh Ali Juma al Juma will be the guest of honour.
The OHA Vice-Chairman Shaikh Saif Mubarak al Rahbi and General Secretary Redha Taqi al Lawati will also be present.
Team Coorg will be represented by Maj Cariappa, Chendu, Dinal, Erappa, Ganapathy, Hitin, Harshit, Jalal, Javis, Kuttappa, Kushalappa, Lavin, Muddappa, Nanaih, Rafeeq, Subbaih, Sakeel, Vinu and Zaman.
The Oman Veterans Team comprises Darwish al Balushi, Hamood Abdullah, Khalid Khalfan, Yousuf Darwish, Younis Darwish, Salim Rashid, Ali Hassan, Asim Dawood, Khamis Talib, Khalid Abdulrahman, Badr Hamdan, Salim Hamdan, Mohammed Nasser and Thani Sahim.
source: http://www.main.omanobserver.om / Home> Sports / Friday, January 25th, 2013
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