Coffee production in India is dominated in the hill tracts of South Indian states, with production of 8,200 tonnes per year. The state of Karnataka accounts for 71%, followed by Kerala (21%) and Tamil Nadu (5%). Indian coffee is said to be the finest coffee grown in the shade rather than direct sunlight anywhere in the world.
Size: 3.287 million km²
Capital City: New Delhi
Population: 1.324 billion
Languages: Hindi, English
Average farm size: 10 aces or smaller
Annual production: 5.4 million bags
Bags exported annually: 5.8 millions bags
Annual domestic consumption: 400,000 bags
Growing regions and sizes: Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu
Varieties: Kent, Cauvery, Catimor and Catura. 30% arabica, 70% robusta.
Processing Methods: Washed, dry processing and wet processing
Bag Size: 60 kg
Harvest Period: January to February
Shipment Period: March to June
Kents: Kents is the earliest variety of Arabica, selected by an English planter of the same name during the 1920s. This variety remained popular with the planting community till the 1940s, because it was less susceptible to rust. Today, it is grown in a few areas but it is still known for its exceptional cup quality.
Cauvery: Popularly known as Catimor, Cauvery is a descendant of a cross between ‘Caturra’ and ‘Hybrido-de-Timor’. Caturra is a natural mutant of the famous Bourbon variety. Thus, Cauvery inherited the high yielding and superior quality attributes of Caturra and the resistance of ‘Hybrido-de-Timor’.