Coromandel Coast blog

We have been roasting Indian-origin coffee since 2017. Over that time we havewatched policy shape markets, seen small farmers navigate seismic change, and learned that where coffee comes from, right down to the specific hillside, matters enormously. The EU Deforestation Regulation is the next big moment in that story. Here is what it is, what it means for Indian coffee, and how we at Coromandel Coast are thinking about it across our six stores. Why a new EU law matters to your morning cup The EU Deforestation Regulation, officially Regulation (EU) 2023/1115 and almost universally shortened to EUDR, is one of the most significant pieces...

When I was last at the farms in February, everyone was talking about the rain that hadn’t come. The air was dusty, the leaves were tired, and irrigation lines wound like veins through the red soil. Komal and Akshay at Mooleh Manay and Pavan at Papakuchi (Venkids Valley) were preparing for another dry year digging pits, mulching, and trying to coax their young coffee trees into flower.Now, the same hills are drenched. It hasn’t stopped raining for weeks. In some areas, like the Sirangalli community, rainfall has crossed 250 inches. Streams that once whispered now roar. The soil squelches underfoot,...

For decades, Arabica has been coffee’s golden child. It dominates speciality menus, makes up around 60% of global production, and carries the prestige of complexity and heritage. Yet Arabica is also fragile. A landmark study predicted that by 2050, suitable Arabica-growing land could shrink by half under climate change. The question is: what comes next? The answer may lie in the rediscovery of Excelsa, a rare coffee once overlooked, now confirmed to be its own species. With fresh scientific recognition, remarkable resilience, and a flavour profile unlike anything else in the cup, Excelsa may well be the coffee we’re all...

When most people think of speciality coffee, they think of Arabica, the delicate, floral, high-altitude bean. But there’s another side to coffee that’s been long overlooked, and it’s quietly staging a comeback: Robusta. And nowhere is this more exciting or more refined than in India.   First, a Quick Primer: Arabica vs Robusta Coffee comes primarily from two species: Coffea arabica: Known for its acidity, complexity, and sweetness. Grown at higher altitudes, it’s the darling of the speciality world. Coffea canephora, commonly known as robusta: Hardier, more caffeinated, more bitter, and historically treated as a lower-grade commodity bean. But in...