India
In the history of India, it is believed that a Muslim named Baba Budan discovered coffee when he was in Mecca. He smuggled the beans of coffee to India. He settled himself in the Chandragiri Hills in Kadur district. The first coffee house in India was opened in Calcultta after the battle of Plassey in 1780. Later on, John Jackson and Cottrell Barrett launched the original Madras coffee house.
Today, coffee is a culture symbol of Tamil and Kannada. The Indian industry in coffee is different and energetic. India produces finest Robusta coffees which are high in quality and have nice taste. The aftertaste of the Indian Robusta coffee is totally different from other Robusta coffee. The elevation for Arabica coffee in India is 3,000 to 6,000 feet and it is 1,000 for Robusta coffee.
India comes in 6th position to produce coffee in the world. The major places of the India are Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, where the coffee is produced. About 65% of the coffee is produced by Karnataka, and the contribution of Tamil Nadu and Kerala are 15% and 20% respectively. The major places for Arabica coffee in India are Anamalais, Baba Budan, Biligiris, Coorg, Mysore, Nilgiris, Palanis, and Shevaroys. In the 2001-2002 seasons, about 300,000 metric tons of coffee is produced by India in which 120,000 tons were Arabica and 180,000 tons were Robusta. In this season, India exports 220,000 tons.
The government of India took steps to improve their coffee market in the world, and the producers are allowed to market their product anywhere in the world with offering good packages to them by the government. Many producers now make their coffees as estate-grown, which have brought a good improvement in the quality of coffee. The coffee board of India focuses on research to grade coffees and ensure good quality standard.
South Indian coffee is famous in the whole India due to its unique style. It is called Madras Filter Coffee. It is a sweet milky coffee, prepared from 70% to 80% coffee beans and 20% to 30% chicory. Special coffee houses are opened in the Madras to offer filter coffee. A lot of outsiders come here and enjoy the coffee. In India, Peaberry, Arabica, Malabar, and Robusta beans are grown in the mountains of Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The Indian board has started Awards for the exporter every year, which encourage the exporters, and this award is categorized into green coffee, specialty coffee and instant coffee. And some of the awards are launched for regional wise like USA, European Union, Russia, Far East Region and Middle East countries.
