A visit to Kodagu a few months back was an amazing experience. Mornings were all about the sweet smell of the berries, cherries, or the acidic aroma of the coffee, and this was good enough to charge batteries for the whole day!
Yes, Kodagu is the place and the presence of numerous coffee plantations attracts my kind of visitors. While these coffee plantations look superbly pleasing to the eyes from a distance, getting to walk on them is an experience every traveler would like to add to their lives. One of the best things about the plantation walk for me was I learnt a great deal about coffee, which was very interesting and made me embrace the coffee that I already love!
Of the over a hundred coffee species, and the two main ones that are widely produced and sold, Coffea Arabica and Coffea Robusta, I particularly got intrigued with the latter and actually fell in love with it.
Though the plantations look identical, the berries, cherries, and beans all look similar to our inexperienced eyes, you will know the difference in the aromas only after grinding the coffee and once you begin the brewing process. This is where I got the hang of being able to detect acidic, nutty, floral, or fruity fragrances. With my experience of tasting malts and the greediness to slurp, I actually have trained my tongue to relish every aspect and nuance of the taste. And with this, I could detect hints of tobacco or orange in the Robusta, that I fell in love with. Though it is less expensive compared to the Arabica, I prefer it as it is bold, robust, and has a full body. The finish too is crispy and like the Kenyan or Turkish Kahwah, this Robusta is smooth and gives that acidic kick that we coffee lovers look for!!
So, you there, end this year on a high, with a kick (be it just coffee too), and don’t fret, sweat, or curse the year that’s gone by, the year was meant to be!!
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