Category Archives: Coffee News

In Seattle, time for coffee from Coorg

July 28, 2016Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Records, All, World Opinionadmin

Americans who thrive on Starbucks will get a taste of single-origin coffee from Coorg for the first time

FULL OF FLAVOURCoffee beans at a Starbucks store / PHOTO: PTI

A small lot of speciality coffee from Karnataka’s famed Coorg region is getting ready to make its “limited edition” and exclusive debut later this year at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery & Tasting Room in Seattle, America. It is almost considered a shrine in the world of high-end coffee.

While the formal deal has been inked between Starbucks and Tata Coffee recently, here’s looking deeper into what that cuppa might hold. For starters, it’s said to be intensely aromatic, “with notes of caramel, citrus, toasted nuts and milk chocolate”.

The coffee comes, not surprisingly, from the largest Arabica plantation (394 hectares) in Coorg district, from the Nullore estate owned by Tata Coffee Limited, close to Madikeri. “When we cupped the Tata Nullore Estates coffee, we noticed it was different from other Indian coffees. The flavour of this rare coffee exemplified the types of unusual coffees we want to deliver under our Starbucks Reserve programme,” says Andrew Linnemann, vice president, global coffee quality and engagement at Starbucks Coffee Company. The Starbucks Reserve programme features the rarest and most exotic coffees — unique, small-lot coffees that the company roasts in Seattle. “Each coffee is one-of-a-kind — sourced from small coffee-growing regions in Latin America, Africa and the Asia-Pacific. All the coffees are roasted with care to bring out their peak flavour expression,” adds Linnemann.

“Nullore Estate coffee was a microlot,” points out Sanjiv Sarin, managing director and CEO, Tata Coffee Ltd. Microlots are generally considered the “cream of the crop” from an estate, and come with a unique taste and story; they are usually sold in small quantities, mostly only a few kilos! Therefore, they are pricier.

“We have been working on premium differentiated coffees for some months now and set up a process to identify potential blocks in our estates whose coffees will qualify. Nullore passed our assessment. A small batch of carefully cultivated coffee was isolated from the regular farm produce and was handpicked and sun-dried. Producing quality microlots is a meticulous and tedious process,” reiterates Sarin. The Nullore Estate coffee will be available at the Seattle tasting room later this year, and only for a limited period. The pricing has not yet been decided.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> MetroPlus / by Bhumika K / July 26th, 2016

Cream of the cuppa: From Coorg to Seattle

July 26, 2016Agriculture, Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Records, All, World Opinionadmin

Single-origin Indian coffee will be available for the first time in Starbucks, Seattle, as a limited edition Photo: PTI

Americans, who thrive on Starbucks, will get a taste of a single-origin coffee from India’s Coorg region for the first time. BHUMIKA K. gives you a peek into what the cup holds

A small lot of speciality coffee from Karnataka’s famed Coorg region is getting ready to make its limited edition and exclusive debut later this year at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in Seattle, America, considered a shrine almost in the world of high-end coffee.

It is for the first time that the leading American coffee company will offer a single-origin coffee from India in the U.S.

While the formal deal has been inked between Starbucks and Tata Coffee Ltd recently, here is looking deeper into what that cuppa might hold, right from where it was grown. For starters, it is said to be intensely fragrant and aromatic, “with notes of caramel, citrus, toasted nuts, and milk chocolate”.

Grown in two-tier shade, the Nullore Estate coffee is a microlot / Photo: Special arrangement

The coffee comes, not surprisingly, from the largest Arabica plantation (394 hectares) in Coorg district, from the Nullore estate owned by Tata Coffee Limited, close to Madikeri. These Arabicas are grown under a two-tier shade system (under local and fruit bearing trees). The shade is carefully managed, which helps the coffee bean mature slowly, absorbing the natural “organoleptic” characteristics within – which gives it the final smell and taste. Coorg is considered to have the perfect agro-climate and soil suitable for coffee cultivation.

Coorg is known for its coffee and Nullore Estate, that belongs to Tata Coffee, is one of the largest Arabica plantations in the district Photo: AFP

“When we cupped the Tata Nullore Estates coffee we noticed this coffee was different from other Indian coffees. The flavour of this rare coffee exemplified the types of unusual coffees we want to deliver under our Starbucks Reserve Programme,” says Andrew Linnemann, Vice President, global coffee quality and engagement at Starbucks Coffee Company. The Starbucks Reserve Programme is an ongoing series of the rarest and most exotic coffees — unique, small-lot coffees that the company creates, roasting them in Seattle. “Each coffee is one-of-a-kind — sourced from small coffee-growing regions in Latin America, Africa and Asia, Pacific Islands. All Starbucks Reserve coffees are roasted with care, at our Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Tasting Room in Seattle, to bring out their peak flavour expression,” adds Linnemann.

“Nullore Estate coffee was a microlot,” points out Sanjiv Sarin, Managing Director and CEO, Tata Coffee Ltd. Microlots are generally considered the “cream of the crop” from an estate, and of course come with a unique taste and a story behind it; they are usually sold in small quantities, mostly only a few kilos. Therefore, they are pricier. “We have been working on premium differentiated coffees for some months now and set up a process to identify potential blocks in our estates whose coffees will qualify. Nullore passed our assessment. A small batch of carefully-cultivated coffee was isolated from the regular farm produce, handpicked and sun dried. Producing quality microlots is a meticulous and tedious process,” reiterates Sarin.

It is technology driven too, including using light-sensitive spectrometers to ensure that the coffee beans mature slowly but uniformly. The shade also means that there is natural mulching from the leaves that fall onto the ground, which in turn helps avoid the use of strong fertilizers and pesticides. Sustainable cultivation practices and an endeavour to maintain the ecological balance were also the focus. The Nullore Estate coffee will be available at the Seattle tasting room later this year, and only for a limited period. The pricing has not yet been decided.

The first Indian coffee to be available through Starbucks was introduced in 2013, to celebrate the Tata-Starbucks first anniversary in the India market. Starbucks created a special India-sourced coffee, called ‘India Estates Blend’, as a tribute to its customers, partners, coffee producers, and roasters. But it was sourced, roasted, packaged, and sold in India. Explaining the difference between a blend and single-origin coffee, Sarin describes how a coffee blend is a combination of coffees from different origins that, when put together, create an experience or flavour profile that does not exist by itself.

“A single-origin coffee comes from one, geographic place (country, region, town, community, estate, mill or farm). This gets to a coffee’s very specific provenance. They represent a ‘taste of place’.”

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> Features> Metroplus / Bhumika K / Bengaluru – July 25th, 2016

Govt may withdraw Coffee Act, come out with new Bill

July 25, 2016Agriculture, Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg)admin

New Delhi :

The government is considering withdrawal of the Coffee Act, 1942, as it “no longer serves the purpose”, Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Lok Sabha on Monday.

The Minister was replying to a supplementary during Question Hour on the role of the Coffee Board, especially with regard to small growers, and why it was headless for the past two years.

“Over the years, the role of the Coffee Board has changed and many provisions of the existing Act have become redundant, especially after abolition of the Coffee Pooling System in 1996,” she said, adding that it had been proposed to repeal the Act which was enacted more than 70 years back and enact a new Coffee Bill, 2016.

The suggestions received on the Bill were “regarding the control of the coffee industry, definition of coffee and coffee estate, cognisance of offence under the Act, etc, which are being examined,” she added.

Output decline

In reply to a question from Prathap Simha from Coorg, the Minister said domestic coffee production was likely to fall by 8 per cent in the current fiscal, due mainly to lack of timely rains.

“It has been estimated that there is a likelihood of a decline in coffee production in 2016-17 by 8 per cent compared with 2015-16 due to lack of timely rains and high temperature during the crucial flowering stage,” Sitharaman said.

On another supplementary on whether the government would mandate international coffee chains in India to buy Indian coffee, Sitharaman said the country was home to 2 per cent of the world’s coffee growing area, but produced 4 per cent of global production and had a share of 5 per cent of world coffee exports, worth over Rs. 5,000 crore a year. So, even though international coffee chains have set up shop in India, they do buy coffee locally, she said.

The main buyers of Indian coffee are Italy, Russian Federation, Germany, Belgium and Turkey, which account for over 50 per cent of coffee exports from India, she added.

Duncan tea gardens

On another supplementary by Trinamool’s Saugata Roy who wanted to know how many closed tea gardens’ belonging to the Duncan group in West Bengal had been taken over by the Centre “as promised four months ago”, Sitharaman said the government had moved to take over some tea gardens, but there was litigation by the Duncan group. The Minister said the process to identify new agencies to take over the management of these tea gardens was on, in consultation with the state government.

source: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com / Business Line / Home> Economy> AgriBusiness / The Hindu Bureau / New Delhi – July 25th, 2016

Coffee Board sees new high in big coffee brew for Nagaland

July 24, 2016Coffee Newsadmin

Kohima :

A coffee plantation in the range of 50, 000 hectares of land by 2030 is being envisaged by a collaboration of the department of Land Resources and the Coffee Board of India.

This was revealed by a secretary to the Government of Nagaland, Y Kikheto Sema, during a joint meeting of the department’s officials with the officials of the Coffee Board of India, under the Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry. The central team was led by Joint Secretary AP Anantha Kumar. The meeting was conducted at the Land Resources directorate in Kohima town Wednesday.

Joint Secretary Kumar said during the meeting that support would be given to the state government in its undertaking production for coffee. While assuring all possible support to the state government in its ‘massive coffee plantation drive,’ he however asked the Land Resource department to make proposals toward setting up an office of the board in Kohima. Likewise, he suggested that the state seek enhancement of coffee seed allocation.

Also, according to Kikheto Sema, the department and other line departments would be undertaking a massive ‘coffee plantation drive’ in every district of Nagaland as the state has been declared geographically and topographically suitable for coffee by the coffee board.

The officials has requested the board’s officials to enhance the allocation of coffee seeds for the state and also to provide technical support and training of trainers and officials, who in turn would be able to train villagers in ‘achieving the target.’

Saying that the department had been encouraging local farmers to give up ‘jhum’ cultivation to engage in coffee plantation, Sema said that the slash-and-burn cultivation method does not offer ‘much dividend.’ However, coffee plantation, he said, will help in uplifting the rural economy besides improving the living standard of the rural people.

Further, maintaining that there was no scope in large and medium scale industries in the state, Sema expressed optimism in agro-based industries. The Land Resources department is undertaking only a few commercial crops such as coffee and rubber but they are crops feasible for the state, he said.

The official also said that the church being the ‘main institution’ in Nagaland, the department was contemplating involving the church in coffee plantation by providing them technical support.

Sema opined that the Coffee Board and any investors willing to come to the state should not have the ‘excuse’ of law and order situations as the state, he claimed, was ‘very peaceful.’

source: http://www.easternmirrornagaland.com / Eastern Mirror / Home> News> Nagaland> State> Current Article / by Eastern Mirror Correspondent / July 21st, 2016

High temperatures may cut coffee production by 8 p.c.

July 24, 2016Agriculture, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Green Initiatives / Environmentadmin

India’s coffee production is expected to drop by 8.05 per cent during 2016-17 compared to a record production of 3.48 lakh tonnes in 2015-16 owing to high temperature during summer months.

For the year 2016-17, the Coffee Board placed the post-blossom crop forecast at 3.20 lakh tonnes, comprising one lakh tonnes of Arabica and 2.20 lakh tonnes of Robusta, an overall decline of 28,000 tonnes (-8.05%) over the previous year.

The drop is mainly in Karnataka (22,175 tonnes) followed by Kerala (6,730 tonnes). The causes could be the delayed blossom and showers coupled with high temperatures especially in major coffee growing areas of Karnataka and Kerala.

In most of the coffee areas of Karnataka, estates with irrigation facilities have irrigated their Robusta plantations for one round of blossom during February-March and with one round of backing irrigation. However, due to absence of subsequent natural showers, even the irrigated estates have suffered some setback due to prevailing high temperatures, according to Coffee Board officials.

Scattered, uneven blossom

Coffee growing regions of Karnataka received the first spell of summer showers only in April and these showers were scanty and isolated. These showers did not cause any blossom in Arabica estates but resulted in scattered, uneven blossom in un-irrigated Robusta fields, which constitute about 40 per cent of the Robusta area in Karnataka.

Officials said this resulted in pinking and scorching of buds in Robusta. The growers were unable to take up supplementary irrigations to top up the scanty showers due to drying up of water resources.

The post-blossom estimate of Arabica for 2016-17 has shown a decrease of -3.38% (3,500 tonnes) over the corresponding figure of 2015-16, while the Robusta estimate has shown a decrease of -10.02 per cent (24,500 tonnes) over the last year’s figure (2015-16).

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Karnataka / Nagesh Prabhu / Bengaluru – July 19th, 2016

Altitude ideal for coffee cultivation in Sathy hills, but rainfall inadequate

July 13, 2016Coffee Newsadmin

Coffee plants have been found to grow well in Hasanur and Thalavadi belt and in some locations on Kadambur hills in the district.

The plants raised in some of the hamlets are productive and bearing good beans. But, there is no plantation as such on the hills. An experimentation made earlier on a leased land on Sathy hills has not succeeded.

Cultivation of coffee as commercial crop will be quite remunerative, but there is limited scope for large-scale cultivation. Coffee is, by and large, being cultivated in the backyards for self-consumption, Head of MYRADA Krishi Vigyan Kendra Alagesan said.

The Sathy hills have the ideal altitude of 1,000 to 1,500 metres for growing coffee. But, rainfall is not sufficient. Against the annual rainfall requirement is 1600 to 2,500 mm, the realisation is much lesser. The annual rainfall is only around 700 mm in the district, though it is considerably higher on the hilly parts. Yet, the rainfall is far from sufficient for coffee cultivation, farmers on the hills say. Nevertheless, a few farmers in Malliammman Durgam hamlet on the Kadambur hills have plans to get beyond backyard cultivation. They now look for the right support system, Ramasamy, a progressive farmer in Kadambur area said.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> National> Tamil Nadu / by Special Correspondent / Erode – July 13th, 2016

39% of India’s coffee is from Kodagu

July 10, 2016Business & Economy, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg)admin

Madikeri :

Kodagu contributed 39% of India’s total coffee production with 1.37 metric tonnes (MTs) during 2015-16, according to post-monsoon estimates by the Coffee Board. The total area of coffee production in the district includes 76,953 hectares of robusta cultivation and 27,969 hectares of Arabica.

The estimates also revealed that coffee production in Karnataka touched 2.53 lakh MT, which is 72% of the country’s total production. Chikkmagaluru contributed 83,810 MT and Hassan 31,825 MT.

According to sources from the board, India’s coffee production during the period was 3.5 lakh MT, an increase of 7% from the previous year. Production of Arabica variety rose by 10% (9,800 MT), while the Robusta variety saw an increase of 5.76% (13,200 MT).

Contributions from other states include Kerala – 68,650 MT, Tamil Nadu – 18,125 MT, Andhra Pradesh – 9,100 MT; Odisha – 600 MT and north eastern states – 185 MT.

The total area of coffee cultivation in the country stands at 4.23 lakh hectares, of which 2.30 lakh hectares is in Karnataka.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / News Home> City> Mysore / TNN / July 09th, 2016

Brewing coffee from jackfruit seeds

July 4, 2016Agriculture, Business & Economy, Coffee News, Natureadmin

Healthy:Maithraye Shenoy displaying the ‘Jaffe powder’ made of jackfruit seeds.— Photo: H.S. Manjunath

Can powdered jackfruit seed taste like light coffee without adding any other ingredient to it?

If you cannot believe it, you ought to taste the “health drink” made by Shivanna from Sakharayapatna, of Parivarthana, a non-government organisation, in Chikkamagaluru district.

“My product is very near to coffee; it can become a substitute for coffee,” said Shivanna, who was at the jackfruit mela here on Sunday. He told The Hindu that the processed seed powder was the result of his one-year research and it was free from any stimulant like caffeine.

He said that three cups of the “health drink” could be prepared from one spoon of his new product. Shivanna has sent the sample to the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysuru, for analysis of carbohydrate, fibre, fat and calorie contents. “You can drink this product like you drink coffee by making its decoction,” he said.

‘Jaffe powder’

Maithraye Shenoy, a homemaker from Pandeshwara in Mangaluru, has also made a “health drink” from jackfruit seed. She has named it “jaffe powder”, which can be mixed with milk. “It was the result of a two-month research. I roast the jackfruit seed before making the product,” she said.

Meanwhile, Artocarpus Foods Pvt. Ltd., at Taliparamb, near Kannur, is already marketing jack seed powder. It can be used to make chapattis, dosas, cakes, and bread. It also makes a product from the seed as masala for chicken curry, said Shree Padre, executive editor, Adike Pathrike, a farm monthly and a crusader for jackfruit and its value-added products.

source: http://www.thehindu.com / The Hindu / Home> News> Cities> Mangaluru / Raviprasad Kamila / Mangaluru – July 04th, 2016

Indian Writer Gets Gourmand Award for World’s Best Book on Coffee

June 30, 2016Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Coffee News, Coffee, Kodagu (Coorg), Famous Personalities of Kodagu / Coorg, World Opinionadmin

City-based freelance journalist and author P T Bopanna’s book ‘The Romance of Indian Coffee’ has been chosen as the world’s best book on coffee at The Gourmand World Awards function at Yantai in China.

The book, earlier shortlisted for the finals of the ‘Best in the World’ books under the ‘coffee books’ category, was picked from the entries of 64 countries, according to Bopanna.

‘The Romance of Indian Coffee’ was published in 2011, and takes a 360-degree view of Indian coffee.

The final results were announced recently in which the book was ranked first, followed by entries from the United States and Brazil in the second and third places respectively, Bopanna said in a release here.

Spain headquartered The Gourmand International every year honours the best food and wine books, printed or digital, as well as food television with the awards open to publishers in all languages and countries.

The Gourmand Awards celebrate global cookbook and wine book publishing, and feature many world-renowned chefs each year.

Bopanna has authored five books and runs a few Kodagu-centric websites and recently produced a documentary film titled ‘Discover Coorg’.

source: http://www.outlookindia.com / Outlook / Home> The Newswire> Books & Culture / PTI / June 28th, 2016

Govt exploring coffee cultivation possibility, says Addl Chief Secy

June 30, 2016Coffee Newsadmin

Shimla :

Additional Chief Secretary Dr Shrikant Baldi said today that the state government was exploring the possibility of coffee cultivation as the Coffee Board of India had already surveyed prospective areas in Kangra, Mandi, Una and Bilaspur.

Eight market yards would be set up at Mendli, Fatehpur, Annu, Bhadshali, Jukhala, Totu, Tapri and Shilai to ensure remunerative prices to growers, he added.

Speaking on National Statistics Day after releasing a document, Agriculture and Farmer’s Welfare, brought out by the Department of Economics and Statistics today, Dr Baldi said: “Besides this, the state government is bringing 4,000 hectare area under off season vegetables cultivation. Under Rs 100-crore Dr YS Parmar Kisan Swarozgar Yojana, a target had been set for constructing 4,700 poly-houses covering 8.3 lakh square meter area for which farmers get 85 per cent subsidy”.

He said the government exempted levy of market fee on all vegetables and fruits and improved varieties and rootstocks of apple, pear, cherry, walnut and strawberry were being imported and distributed to farmers, who were given 80 per cent subsidies on anti-hail nets.

For the betterment of sheep breeders, procurement price of different varieties of wool had been increased and procedure for grant of grazing permits had been streamlined, he said.

He said the Shahnehar and Sidhata irrigation projects had been completed. Under the Vidhayak Nidhi, at least Rs 20 lakh would be spent on minor irrigation works and command area development.

Under the Rajiv Gandhi Micro Irrigation Scheme, about 8,500 hectare area would be brought under drip/ sprinkler irrigation system benefiting 14,000 farmers, he added.

He said under the Dr YS Parmar Kisan Swarozgar Yojana, 85 per cent subsidy was being provided to farmers to set up poly-houses, 50 per cent assistance for setting up vermi compost units and 60 per cent subsidy on setting up of milk processing and chilling facilities to the dairy co-operative societies.

He said the Rs 1,115 crore Himachal Pradesh Horticulture Development Project would provide new technologies to the horticulturists.

source: http://www.tribuneindia.com / The Tribune / Home> Himachal> Governance / by Tribune News Service / Shimla – June 29th, 2016

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