Our trip to South India did not end in Trivandrum or Kanyakumari but continued further, into the most exotic land of coffee ... yes, Coorg (or Kodagu), in southern Karnataka. This is a part of the country I have always wanted to visit, and I have always been intrigued by how our morning cup of coffee is grown.
We travelled by road from Trivandrum, driving up northwards through the length of Kerala and into Karnataka, and after a twelve-hour journey with two brief stops, reached our destination after sunset. I hate reaching any new place after dark … this keeps me guessing how the place really looks … Our destination? My brother’s newly acquired coffee plantation.
My bearings all came into place the next morning. The Hide and Seek sunrise from behind the forest thickets on the hill behind our little cottage made my day.
After breakfast we took a walk through the plantation. The first thing that caught my eye was this white blanket (like snow) on these little bushes. This was coffee in bloom.
On closer inspection these flowers looked like little fluffs of cotton wool / powder puffs. These flowers had a strong scent, close to that of jasmine flowers, which filled the air around.
We learnt that these blooms wither away in less than a week’s time, then take about nine months to turn into berries ready to be picked. Unfortunately we could not actually see how coffee was processed from beginning to end.
But here is a shot of some sun-dried beans after ‘pulping’ (removal of the outer raw fruit or cherry). The roasting and the final coffee blends depend on whether the variety is arabica or robusta, some blends also containing some chicory.
The canopy of shade under which the coffee bushes thrive are provided by a variety of tall hardwood and fruit trees. Most of these are embraced by creepers of pepper, another cash crop growing along-side coffee.
On the other side of this plantation were thin slender palms of areca-nut or supari.
The view from the top of the hill (part of the property) was breath-taking.
The drive around the country-side was beautiful. The paddy fields and of course the many tributaries of the Cauvery river which flow through them added to the beauty.
Though we avoided the ‘touristy’ scenic spots and the temples, we missed the nearby National Park and Tibetan monastery (not enough time). However we did get to see Raja’s Seat (with a great view of the valley below), fit in a good meal at the Orange County resort, and spent a very relaxing last evening at one of the Golf Clubs, watching the sun go down on the turf and the hills beyond.
No comments:
Post a Comment