Hello friends! Welcome to visa2explore!
This is your host Harish Bali.
Right now, I am in Coorg, which was recently renamed to Kodagu.
I am exactly 13 kms from Madikeri, the district headquarters of Coorg.
I have with me these two gentlemen – Mr. Narendra and Mr. Ganesh.
I have sought their help to make an exclusive documentary on coffee and the title for that…
…would be “Coffee – From Farm to a Cup of Coffee!”
Host: “Before we know more about coffee, Sir, would you please introduce yourself and tell us…
….more about what you do professionaly?”
Mr. Ganesh: “My name is Ganesh. I have been managing a coffee estate for the past 15 years.”
Host: “Very nice. Sir..”
Mr. Narendra: “I am Narendra and I am into this coffee field since 1992. I am into roasting so I am…
going to give a small presentation into the varieties of coffee.”
We grow 2 varieties of coffee – one is Arabica and one is Robusta.
Arabica you can see the plant and you can see the spikes
which will open in another 3 or 4 days
It is…… a self-pollinated plant.
We have 2 types – washed and unwashed.
So, washed coffee is very popular in that it is exported
and rest of the major grades are used…
….in local blends where coffee is getting more popular in India.
This is Robusta, where it is grown on plains.
It is used in instant coffee and majorly, it goes for exports…
….especially the washed coffees. And unwashed coffees also go for exports.
Host: “Sir, what about the plant life? Are they similar lives?”
Mr. Narendra: “No, this plant is somewhat 30-40 years under present conditions, present scenario….
….& Robusta is something more than 100-150 years.”
So, you’ve already seen the flower.
So, now you can see after drying, may be after one week it will get dry,
so the dried flower will fall off, and it will get set because it happens through cross-pollination.
So, it will turn brownish in color,
the flower will fall, & again it will form into cherries.
May be after 3-4 months you can see it in the cherry form.
So, this is Civet coffee.
It is commonly found in Coorg, where we have 3 types of Civet.
Two are vegetarian and one is non-vegetarian.
Vegetarian Civet will commonly prefer fruits.
So commonly available fruit for almost 4-5 months is coffee.
So, it eats one of the best fruits and it will poop.
The planters collect the poop. Once we procure,
we wash it & we sun-dry it, we hand pound & roast it.
This is one of the world’s expensive coffees.
It is very famous in Indonesia.
But in Indonesia, they cage the cat and they forcibly feed the coffee.
But in India, like in Coorg especially, it migrates from the forest, it is a free range creature.
Right now, after watching coffee blossoms,
we are going to the coffee picking spot, 10 kms away.
There, we will see live how coffee is picked.
So now we are going to see the Robusta picking.
You can watch the Robusta picking.
It is shade-grown. We are protecting the environment too.
You can see fresh water is flowing here. It is all spring water.
Now you can see the coffee here, after blossoming,
we’ve explained about the process, how it happens.
It will become cherry-like, may be, after 4-5 months.
Then it will take another 2-3 months,
where you can see the fully ripened coffee & it is ready for picking.
Then it will go for further processing.
You can see the washed Arabica is here,
it has been washed like the bean will come out of the fruit & it… …will get dried.
And it will go for further processing, where it is known as washed Arabica.
And it is very popular in all our blends that we use.
And you can see on my back the Robusta,
unwashed, already it is there after the plucking.
The fruit is come to the drying rack,
where it will take about minimum 8-9 days to get it dried.
Then, it will go for the further processing for curing.
Host: “Sir the price of Arabica coffee is higher as compared to Robusta.
What is the reason for that?”
Mr. Narendra: “See, one is Arabica is grown in high altitude regions
And second thing is it requires…….high maintenance.
The third thing is that the life span of the plant is very less if you compare it to…
… Robustas.”
Host: “ Is the price difference phenomenon only in India or the world over?”
Mr. Narendra: “All over the world it is…”
Host: “Okay. So the difference is 30-40%?”
Mr. Narendra: “Yes, yes.”
I haven’t seen a pepper plant in my life.
The place where they are drying the coffee has pepper plants on the back, see these tall plants.
Mr. Ganesh explained to me that the pepper brunches in the tree are red, green as well as both.
If you dry the green bunch for 2-3 days, it turns black, making black pepper which we use at home.
The red bunch is the one that is ripe. It is simply washed and dried, leading to white pepper seeds.
This is how black and white pepper is made.
Host: “So, Sir this plantation happens throughout the year or…”
Mr. Ganesh: “Yearly once.”
Host: “So, if we harvest this plant once, so we have to wait for a year?”
Mr. Ganesh: “Yes, we have to wait the whole year to harvest again.”
Host: “Okay.”
Mr. Ganesh: “We harvest in March so the next harvest will be done in March next year.”
Host: “Very good. And this is the black pepper he has in his hands.”
Mr. Ganesh: “This is black pepper.”
Host: “Can I eat this?”
Host: “Coorg is also known for black pepper.”
After eating it I can really make out the difference of the strong black pepper.
Yeah, this is my retail store,
where people come for experience of different coffees, whatever we have...
…and whatever we serve.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Host: “I can see that you sell a lot more than just coffee here.”
Mr. Narendra: “We have honey, a special honey also.
We also have pickles, marmalades and jams.”
Host: “Honey, pickles, marmalades & jams.”
Mr. Narendra: “…and fruit concentrate like passion fruit and orange &
we have spices like black pepper…
…, white pepper and cardamom.”
Host: “How much is this?”
Mr. Narendra: “This is 500 gms for Rs. 375.”
Host: “500 gms for 375 rupees.”
Host: “Dalchini (cinnamon)…”
Mr. Narendra: “Yes. We have the curry masala, the bird eye chili and the local Coorg organic vinegar.”
Host: “What is this called?”
Mr. Narendra: “Kachampuli.”
Host: “Kachampuli. Nice!”
Host: “Sir, can I taste honey?”
Mr. Narendra: “yes, why not?”
Host: “This is my first experience of honey with honeycomb.”
Mr. Narendra: “Yes.”
Host: “Completely different!”
Mr. Narendra: “Completely different because it is honey taken out of a clay pot!”
Host: “Yes, in fact it is a different type of sweet!”
Host: “It is really delicious. In fact, trust me, I want to eat a couple of spoonful more of this honey.”
Host: “Can I have one more?”
Mr. Narendra: “Yeah why not!”
Host: “Mind blowing! Sir, I have not had such tasty honey ever in my life.”
Host: “What is the price of this packet?”
Mr. Narendra: “300 gms for the cost of Rs.345/-“
This is one of the specialty blends of our café, this is from Baba Budangiri, where initially the coffee…
….was found.
So, it is a high altitude coffee where it is having lot of density.
And this is Monsoon Malabar, where unwashed Arabica beans will undergo sort of a processing…
….near the seashore, where it absorbs the moisture from the seashore.
There it gets bloated and it is exported to all different parts of the world.
This is Plantation Berry, it is a single bean called Peaberry. It gives a buttery sort of taste.
his is Plantation Gold. It is 100% Arabica. It gives caramel sort of taste.
These two coffees are for the filter coffee and these are a blend of robusta and Arabica, both.
This gives a strong flavor and it is a blend of washed Arabica and unwashed Robusta & Arabica.
We call it Premium blend because it is rich in taste.
Here, we have organic Arabica and it is certified & this is something very special.
Host: “This filter coffee is without chicory. I got to know of chicory after visiting Chennai.”
Host: “I had coffee there at 2-3 places and I understood the taste of coffee with chicory.”
Host: “So, I realized, correct me if I am wrong, that chicory adds bitterness in the coffee. Right?”
Mr. Narendra nods.
Host: “So, with chicory, without chicory, it is more dependent on how you like it.”
Mr. Narendra: “Yes.”
Host: “But to the best of whatever I understand, people outside India prefer filter coffee without Chicory.
but people in India, they prefer filter coffee with chicory.”
Mr.  Narendra: “Yes. Especially South India.”
Host: “Especially South India. Because chicory will give you some kind of bitterness.”
Host: “Nice. So this is without chicory, so totally different to what I had in Chennai.”
Host: “If I need to define chicory, right or wrong, I don’t know how to define what chicory is in coffee.”
Host: “So, it won’t be wrong to say chicory is body of a coffee.”
Mr. Narendra: “Exactly.”
Host: “Oh God! I defined it correct in the first attempt!”
(Mr. Narendra nods)
Host: “Nevertheless Sir, I am enjoying this pure filter coffee also. My experience with coffee is…
…relatively new & you explained it so well. But more than 50% of this part bounced over my head…
…I will have to stay in Coorg for 3 or 4 months to get most out of it.”
Mr. Narendra: “Yes, yes!”
Host: “I think one day trip is insufficient to understand coffee in detail. Like you have spent 20 years of…
…your career in coffee.”
Mr. Narendra: “Yes!”
Sitting here with him, I have created a tour plan to understand the various stages to coffee production.
So, I am done with enjoying the coffee, we saw the coffee farm, so I would like to share my tour plan…
…what I am going to do in tomorrow’s factory visit.
I’ve created a complete chart for it.
In tomorrow’s factory visit, we will understand the rest of the flow in the coffee production.
If you can understand my handwriting, this complete process is divided into 8 steps & the last step is…
…. Packaging.
We learnt about picking today, understood the difference between the process of washed & unwashed.
So, this is step number 3, which includes grading, gravity, color, sorter, etc.
We are going to Uma Traders tomorrow,
where the owners will help us to understand coffee from this step to this step.
We saw the farm-level activity regarding coffee,
saw it being plucked and learnt a lot more.
Right now, we are at Uma Coffee Works in Kushalnagar Industrial Area, to check out the further …
…process of curing coffee beans.
I have with me Mr. Hari and Mrs. Uma,
this husband-wife duo run the whole show.
Host: “Sir, Can you tell us something about yourself?”
Mr. Hari: “We have this industry since 20 years and I & my wife manage this unit. Let us have a look at…
…our factory and our office.”
Host: “Yeah, I am keen to understand the complete process.”
Mrs. Uma: “Arabica & Robusta are the 2 commercial varieties in India.
What you are watching here is…
…the washed ones and this one is the dried coffee beans or unwashed ones.”
First, let us talk about the dried coffee beans.
At curing works level, it involves 4 steps of processing.
First step is Hulling:
where the outer skin of beans is removed. Now you are watching the husk removed.
This is the husk.
And this is coffee beans,
which is of different sizes, colour, weight & it also has some defective beans.
The next step is of Grading.
Grading is done using different sizes of sleeves &
coffee beans are divided depending upon the size.
Bolder the coffee, superior the variety.
The very next stage is Gravity,
where the coffee beans are divided depending upon its weight.
The final stage is the removal of defective and black beans using the SORTEX.
And now the green coffee bean is ready at the Curing Works level.
You are watching the Robusta variety on my left side
the right side is the Arabica.
Now let us look at the washed coffees.
In the washed coffees,
the skin is peeled and the coffee beans are polished whereas in case of…
…unwashed coffees, the skin is peeled and it is not polished.
Now we will practically explain what happens in our factory.
Already, my wife has shown you on table what is done here.
Now, this is the raw coffee godown and as coffee is a yearly crop,
we have to procure in more volume…
… for the entire period, entire year to use & we have 3 stages to clean the coffee.
One is Hulling and this is done here.
Bulk coffee is collected and it is passed through the sleeves so that it gets graded.
And these graded coffee beans are again passed through the gravity separator to separate by weight.
These weighed coffee beans are separated here and these weighed beans also contain some…
….1% or 2% of stones also.
So, those stones are removed by a destoner
and you can see this coffee is the good coffee with some…….2-3% of black is there.
So, this is removed in a colour sorter.
This is the color-sorting machine so you can see the blacks are removed.
So, you can see, these are blacks and this is good coffee.
Now, this coffee is ready for export and for local roasters.
And these are our all coffees kept for sale.
These are different varieties of coffee kept for sale.
The only difference between the process of washed coffee &
unwashed coffee is the washed coffee ..
…should have a peeler-polisher to polish the bulk beans.
Rest everything is same in the process. No difference in that at all.
Host: “Polishing doesn’t happen in case of cherry?”
Mr. Hari: “Yes, in cherry, it doesn’t happen.”
Then, the final product of the Curing Works is the raw material for this roasting unit.
And we bring the raw coffee (raw means green seeds) to this unit & it gets roasted.
There are many techniques in roasting like medium and dark roasting.
According to our requirements, we will roast it & grind the coffee, blend it with chicory, then pack it.
Host: “So, this blending with chicory is depending on client’s requirement?”
Mr. Hari: “Yes. It is all depending upon their requirements.”
Mr. Hari: “Pure coffee, 20% chicory & 40% chicory – it is ideal. Pure they call it as classic coffee & 20%...
…as premium & 40% as strong coffee.”
Host: “Here I came to know that the green coffee is the pre-roasting stage.”
Mr. Hari: “Yes, that is pre-roasting.”
Host: “In fact, I was never aware that it is pre-roasting.”
Host: “I’ve read at a couple of places that green coffee is good for weight reduction.”
Mr. Hari: “Yes. There is a perception that it reduces weight. Green coffee beans are crushed & mixed…
…with hot water. After 2 hours, they drink it.”
Host: “We should be drinking more of green coffee.”
(Everybody laughs)
Host: “Cool!”
Host: “As a consumer, if I go to buy a coffee,
most people are not very sure about what to buy. It is all…
…about how does it smell like. What’s a good coffee?”
Mr. Hari: “Any coffee, roasted and ground freshly is a good coffee.”
Host: “So, that is the thumb rule?”
Mr. Hari: “Yes!
Don’t mind about washed, unwashed, don’t confuse anything. Freshly roast & ground…
….is the best coffee.”
Host: “Okay. So we should now have freshly roasted coffee right here.”
Mr. Hari: “Yes, we can have!”
Host: “Sir, what are the growing trends now on coffee.?”
Mr. Hari: “Mainly there is huge demand for single estate coffee and black coffee.”
Host: “Would you like to add something as a closing note on coffee?”
Mrs. Uma: “The taste of the coffee also differs in the roasting techniques & the grinding size also matters.”
Host: “So true!”
Host: “I gained a lot of knowledge after coming here. For last 6 months, I wanted to do a video from…
… farm to a cup of coffee, and this month I got an opportunity and I really want to thank both of you &
…2 gentlemen who helped us in the field. Due to help of four of you, we were able to do this complete…
…episode.
Thank you so much Sir. Thank you Ma’am.”
Right now, I am in Mandya. I have with me Mr. Nitin.
His grandfather started the G K N Chicory Industries in Mandya, some 30 years back.
So, he will help us understand what is chicory, what are chicory roots and how they are used in coffee.
Mr. Nitin: “Yeah, please come, I will show you what kind of chicory roots are there.”
What you are seeing here are 3 types of chicory roots, all brought from Gujarat.
All 3 roots are thick ones and these lend strength to the chicory flavor.
f you use only this one, you get blacking color in coffee while roasting.
That smaller/thinner one, if you use, gives color to the coffee while roasting.
If you use both in synchronization, you get a good chicory powder that enhances the quality of coffee.
The chicory roots that you saw, the same are roasted and grinded, just like you do in coffee beans.
Host: “Nitin ji, generally it is said that chicory is bad for health, then there is a different set of people…
…who believe chicory is good for health. What is your take on that?”
Mr. Nitin: “I would say that chicory is very good for health. There are lot of medicinal values in it.
…We  supply chicory roots even to the CFTRI and poultry farms & In Europe, particularly in France, chicory is used.”
Host: “Thanks Nitin ji for your insights on chicory.”
