5 Coffee Plantation Places in India Every Coffee Lover Must Visit

Just as Americans, South Indians are head over heels in love with their coffee. Coffee was introduced to India, particularly to the hills of Chikmagalur in Karnataka, back in 1670, thanks to an Indian Sufi saint Baba Budan, who carried the coffee beans along with him from Yemen. Since then coffee plantations have become established in the region, extending south to Coorg. Nature has blessed the four South Indian states with that perfect climate and soil that nurture the growth of the world’s favourite beans. Indian coffee, grown mostly in southern India under monsoon rainfall conditions, is also termed as ‘Indian monsooned coffee’. It’s said that the best Indian coffee reaches the flavour characteristics of Pacific coffees. The two well-known coffee species grown are - ‘Arabica’ and ‘Robusta’.

Coffee production in India is dominated in the hill tracts of South Indian states, with the state of Karnataka accounting 53% followed by Kerala 28% and Tamil Nadu 11% of the production of 8,200 tonnes. Almost 80% of the country’s coffee production is exported. Of that which is exported, 70% is bound for Germany, Russian Federation, Spain, Belgium, Slovenia, United States, Japan, Greece, Netherlands and France, and Italy account for 29% of the exports. Did you know, Indian coffee is said to be the finest coffee grown in the shade rather than direct sunlight anywhere in the world?!

The many unique accommodation facilities and luxury resorts that have come up in the region over the years have only added to the merriment of the brew. This International Coffee Day, let’s walk the ‘Kappi’ trail in India and find out some milestone gems that one encounters on the way. The highlights of each of these resorts are as irresistible as that cup of steaming hot and refreshing coffee itself.

1. Coorg, Karnataka

1.1 The Tamara

• Brew your own cuppa
• Pluck the berries in season, before pulping, blending and roasting the beans to make your own blend to take home
• Take the guided tour of the 180-acre coffee, pepper and cardamom estate
• Wind down with a coffee-bean spa therapy

1.2 Plantation Trails by Tata Coffee

• Tee off at a 9-hole golf course amid hills and coffee plantations
• Go birding in the plantations, where you can also pick coffee in the season (Apr-Nov- for Arabica; Dec-Mar for Robusta)

1.3 Vivanta by Taj – Madikeri

• Check-in for a strong, steaming cuppa over jungle views
• Follow your nose to the coffee-tasting experience
• Trek through surrounding coffee and spice plantations

1.4 Orange County

• Learning to tell Arabica apart from Robusta is a skill you could pick up on the plantation tour at Orange County
• Lose track of time at the coffee lounge overlooking paddy fields

1.5 Rainforest Retreat at Mojo Plantation

• Among Rainforest Retreat’s many charms is their own version of Kopi Luwak or Civet Coffee
• A tour of the coffee plantation is a great introduction to organic cultivation

1.6 Old Kent Estates

• Experience a day in the life of a coffee planter in one of the country’s earlier estates
• At 200-acre colonial-era property, coffee, cardamom and pepper plants grow in the shade of centuries-old rosewood and silver oak
• Finish your meals with estate’s speciality coffee, otherwise exported to an Italian roaster

2. Chikmagalur, Karnataka

2.1 The Serai

• It is the luxurious source of Café Coffee Day and is owned by this bean company
• Explore by bicycle or on a coffee plantation tour, and unwind with a coffee scrub and massage at the spa

2.2 Primrose Villas  

• Linger over coffee after dining under the stars or at an in-villa barbecue
• Indulge in coffee estate walks, treks through the hills, and a visit to Primrose Farm

2.3 Flameback Lodges

• Pet owners can get their caffeine kicks at this place, which welcomes animal guests and is home to friendly German shepherds
• Trek through the coffee estate, go birding or drive an ATV to the nearby hills and waterfalls

2.4 Halli Berri

• It’s Rainforest Alliance Certified for its sustainable farming
• An all women-owned concern, Halli Berri has been growing coffee in Karnataka’s Baba Budan range since 1948
• Go on a coffee estate walk, and keep an eye out for birds
• Passing through Chikmaglur? Make a pit stop here for brews with views at the charming Coffee Barn Café

3. Wayanad, Kerala

3.1 Pepper Trail

• Explore the 200-acre coffee, tea and spice plantation on a canoe, coracle, bicycle or jeep
• Choose to fall asleep in the restored 140-year-old colonial bungalow, or perched 40 ft. up in a treehouse, where you can awake to sweet birdcall and a strong cuppa

3.2 Grassroots

• Five Swiss luxury tents set in a three-acre coffee, areca nut and pepper plantation, overlook misty tea gardens are mountains.
• Take a four-wheel-drive through the rainforest, picnic on a hilltop, and visit the 300-year-old plantation home where Mahatma Gandhi also stopped by

3.3 Tranquil Resort

• Go on a guided tour of the 400-acre coffee and spice plantation
• Choose from cottages, rooms and treehouses to stay in and keep an eye out for the Malabar hornbill on the 13 walking trails that wind through the estate

4. Palani Hills, Tamil Nadu

4.1 Rajakkad Estate:

• Indulge in a dash of history with your morning cuppa
• Get a guided tour of the coffee and spice estate and farm, trek to nearby ridges, or doze over a book in a hammock.

5. Araku Valley, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh

5.1 Coffee Museum

• One of its kind coffee museum in India
• Manned by educated tribal staff, the museum showcases a series of pictures detailing the origin and history of coffee
• 60 varieties of coffees and an array of 600 coffee-chocolates are marketed here
• Satiate your hunger and appease your craving by indulging in chocolates, sandwiches, brownies, mousses, tarts, etc. and savour stimulating coffees

It’s high time we washed away all our blues with a kick of caffeine and that too, in the land where the brew grows. Whenever you plan your getaway, with so many options to choose from, you’ll surely be spoilt for choice. And on your coffee getaway find yourself fortunate and remember the golden words, ‘It’s amazing how the world begins to change through the eyes of a cup of coffee.’