The Charmer

Chikmagalur, often called the "Coffee Land of India," is a beautiful region in Karnataka's Western Ghats, famous for its rich coffee-growing heritage. Coffee cultivation began here in the 17th century, when Baba Budan smuggled seven beans from Yemen, secretly planting them in the region. Today, Chikmagalur produces exceptional Arabica and Robusta beans, thanks to its ideal climate and fertile soils. Fun fact: Chikmagalur is home to India’s first-ever coffee plantation, established over 350 years ago on the slopes of the Baba Budan Giri hills, where coffee continues to thrive today.

With origins dating back to 1896, Baarbara Estate has been an integral part of India's coffee history for more than a century. The estate is currently led by the fourth generation, Sreeraksha, who puts innovation at the forefront of all his efforts with micro-lot coffees such as frozen cherry. Coffee at Baarbara is shade grown and has a rich and diverse flora-fauna making their farming practice environmentally sustainable. The farm hand-picks ripe cherries, Segregates, stores and processes all coffees in their in-house dry mill, ensuring quality control and consistency across all stages of harvesting and processing. This ensures that the customer enjoys a consistently rich cup of coffee every time.

The SL 795 coffee varietal is a well-regarded Arabica variety, originally developed in India by the Central Coffee Research Institute. Known for its high resistance to leaf rust and drought, it is widely grown in regions like Chikmagalur. SL 795 produces beans with a rich, full-bodied flavor and balanced acidity, often exhibiting hints of fruit and subtle sweetness. This varietal is prized for its adaptability to diverse growing conditions, making it a favorite among farmers. Coffee enthusiasts appreciate SL 795 for its distinctive cup profile and the complexity it adds to specialty coffee blends.

After over 20 samples roasts, we decided to go with a medium roast for this coffee. During the sample roasts, we tsted various combinations of light to dark and slow to fast roasts. Different combinations result in different attributes of the coffee to shine. What we noticed was that the AA washed coffee had a great body with comforting notes of chocolate and nuts. To make this an omni roast that works well in espresso and pour overs, we decided to do a medium roast with longer maillard that introduces sweetness and complexity but still retains the acidity.

DTR - 20%

Total time - 12 min 30 seconds