Coromandel Coast blog

When we talk about Indian coffee, the conversation almost always starts — and ends — in Karnataka. Coorg, Chikmagalur, Bababudangiri. These are the names that appear on menus, in guides, in the minds of even dedicated specialty drinkers. And they deserve their reputation. But India is a vast country with extraordinary growing diversity, and Karnataka is only one corner of it. Odisha is another corner entirely. One of India's 16 recognised coffee-growing regions, sitting quietly on the eastern coast, facing the Bay of Bengal, almost invisible to the international specialty world. We went there because we believe the best Indian coffees are the ones nobody has found...

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...