About This Coffee
Hoysala Plantation in located in Angadi village, where the Hoysala Dynasty was founded in the 10th century. Coffee was first planted in the region in the 1920s. The plantation has been owned by the current owners since 1950. Today, the third-generation of family owners focus on meticulous cultivation and processing.
Cultivation
The soil is rich in humus and organic matter that nurture growing coffee trees. Coffee is grown under shade on tiered slopes populated with native plant species, including fruit trees. Over 200 species of animals, birds, insects and reptiles make their home in the canopy. They also grown black pepper, areca (a nut), cardamom and fruit on the plantation.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Cherry is selectively handpicked by local laborers. Lots are kept separate by variety and day harvested. At the on-site mill, workers visually sort cherry by hand before floating all cherry twice to ensure no over or under ripe cherry remain.
Cherry is laid on breathable fiber mats on patios to sundry. Workers rake cherry constantly to ensure even drying. Drying cherry is covered during the hottest part of the day and overnight to protect it from condensation.
Once dry, coffee is placed in jute bags and rested in a well-ventilated store room for 30 to 45 days. Then, coffee is delivered to the dry mill to be hulled and prepared for export.
About Sarchimor
Sarchimor is a ‘family’ of varieties that are hybrids of a coffee leaf rust (CLR) resistant hybrid from Timor-Leste and Villa Sarchi (a natural Bourbon mutation, like Caturra and Pacas). Sarchimor is a good mix of the flavor profile from Bourbon (via Villa Sarchi, a close genetic relative to Bourbon) and the resilience of the disease-resistant hybrid from Timor-Leste. There are several well-known Sarchimor varieties, including Marsellesa and Parainema.
Coffee in India
Though India is typically perceived as a tea-growing and drinking country, coffee production in the country actually predates tea. Records indicate that coffee first arrived in India in the 1600s, whereas tea did not arrive until more than 200 years later, in 1839. What does unite the two drinks, however, is that the British thirst for cheaper, more plentiful tea and coffee were the major reason that they were both first widely cultivated on plantations across India.
Coffee farms are typically situated between 700 and 1,200 meters above sea level. Most coffee cultivation is ‘traditional’ and two-tier shade canopies are mixed with leguminous, nitrogen-fixing trees. In this method, it is very common for coffee trees to be intercropped with spices (like vanilla or pepper) and fruit trees.
After harvest, which is most often done by hand by family members or hired laborers, cherry is usually processed as Natural or Fully washed. Most farms dry coffee on patios or tables, though some of the larger estates also have mechanical dryers.
Today, approximately 30% of coffee production is consumed internally. The other 70% is prepared for export.