The Lounger

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.

The washed process, also known as the wet process, is a method where the coffee cherries are pulped to remove the outer fruit layer before the beans are fermented in water to break down any remaining mucilage. After fermentation, the beans are thoroughly washed and then dried. This method highlights the coffee's intrinsic flavors, producing a cleaner, brighter cup with pronounced acidity and clarity. The washed process is favored for its ability to showcase the unique characteristics of a coffee's origin, making it popular among specialty coffee producers and enthusiasts alike.

As you smell the darker roast, you instantly get reminded of a rich dark chocolate. As you indulge in your first sip, the added a layer of roasted nuts gives a wholesome and comforting experience. Its medium acidity brings brightness to the cup, while a heavy, silky body creates a luxurious mouthfeel. The long, lingering aftertaste leaves a lasting impression, inviting you back for more with every sip. Perfectly balanced and rich, this coffee is a treat for both casual drinkers and connoisseurs alike.

During the sample roasts, we tasted 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 highlight this further, we chose to do a longer maillard phase and roast it darker than our medium roast, which resulted in overall higher sweetness and complexity in the coffee, with some dark chocolate notes.

DTR - 23%

Total time - 13 min 00 seconds