India – Coffee with Monsoon Winds

The story of Indian coffee begins not with trade or colonization, but with a single man on a pilgrimage. In the 17th century, a Sufi saint named Baba Budan traveled to Yemen, where he encountered coffee for the first time. At the time, Arabia controlled coffee with an iron grip, allowing it to leave only in roasted or boiled form so no one else could cultivate it. But Baba Budan, entranced by the drink’s invigorating qualities, secretly tucked seven raw beans into his robes and returned to his home in Chikmagalur, Karnataka. There, he planted them in the fertile slopes of the Western Ghats.

From those seven beans sprouted not just plants, but an entire culture. Today, the Baba Budangiri hills are celebrated as the birthplace of Indian coffee, a landscape where legend and agriculture intertwine. What started as a quiet act of devotion has grown into a legacy that stretches across centuries and continents.

Growing Regions & Altitude

India’s coffee thrives in the southern states of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, with newer plantations emerging in Andhra Pradesh and the North Eastern states like Assam and Nagaland. The Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage site, provide the perfect environment: rich, loamy soil, tropical rains, and elevations between 800 and 1,800 meters.

Unlike many countries where coffee grows in open sun, Indian coffee is always shade-grown. Towering silver oaks, jackfruit trees, and wild fig create a natural canopy, under which coffee plants flourish. Often, vines of black pepper snake up the trunks, and the air is scented with cardamom and cinnamon from intercropping. This biodiversity doesn’t just protect the soil and support wildlife—it subtly infuses Indian coffee with earthy, spice-tinged undertones that make it stand apart on the global stage.

Taste Profiles & Varieties

India cultivates both Arabica and Robusta, each with its own charm. Arabica, grown at higher altitudes, develops more slowly, producing beans with delicate floral notes, gentle acidity, and layered sweetness. Robusta, meanwhile, thrives at lower elevations, offering a heavier body, bold intensity, and chocolatey, nutty tones that have made it a cornerstone of espresso blends worldwide.

But perhaps the most remarkable expression of Indian coffee is the legendary Monsooned Malabar. This unique process harkens back to the days of the British Raj, when ships carrying Indian beans to Europe spent months at sea. Exposed to ocean air and humidity, the beans swelled in size, lost their acidity, and developed a mellow, earthy character. European consumers grew to love this “monsooned” flavor so much that even when faster steamships shortened the journey, producers along the Malabar Coast recreated the process on land. To this day, beans are spread in open warehouses, exposed to the moisture-laden monsoon winds, and carefully raked until they achieve that distinctive spicy, earthy, and smooth profile found nowhere else in the world.

Coffee Culture in India

Though India became a major producer under colonial rule, domestically tea overshadowed coffee for much of the last two centuries. Yet in the south, coffee quietly wove itself into the fabric of daily life. In Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala, households begin their mornings with filter kaapi—a strong, dark brew made from roasted beans mixed with chicory, dripped through a metal filter, and frothed with hot milk in a traditional dabara-tumbler set. The ritual of pouring coffee back and forth between two vessels until it foams is not just about taste—it’s about rhythm, comfort, and culture.

Today, as India undergoes a specialty coffee renaissance, young roasters, cafés, and consumers are rediscovering the treasures within their own soil. Pour-overs, AeroPress brews, cold brews, and single-origin espressos are becoming as familiar as the humble tumbler of filter coffee. Urban coffee culture in cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, and Delhi is rapidly evolving, bridging the gap between tradition and innovation.

Why Indian Coffee is Special

Indian coffee stands apart for many reasons. It is among the world’s only coffees grown entirely under natural shade, a practice that preserves ecosystems and supports migratory birds. Its intercropping with spices imparts a subtle, almost subconscious complexity that seasoned palates often detect. Its low acidity and full body make it immensely versatile—suitable both for traditional brewing at home and for refined specialty methods. And above all, the Monsooned Malabar—that wind-swept, sea-mimicking process—is India’s signature gift to the global coffee world, unmatched and unforgettable.

Indian coffee is not just a product of soil and climate—it is a story of devotion, of winds that reshape flavor, of centuries-old rituals, and of a country finding its voice in the world’s most beloved beverage. Each cup carries whispers of spice-scented plantations, the rush of monsoon winds, and the memory of seven beans that once crossed the Arabian seas in secret.