Day 4. India - Melkodige Estate

Grown in Karnataka’s UNESCO-listed Western Ghats, this coffee comes from the Melkodige Estate, set on the sunlit, west-facing slopes of the Kudremukh range. Hot, bright days give way to cool, cloud-covered nights as moisture drifts in from the Arabian Sea, creating a distinctive microclimate that shapes a balanced and expressive cup.

India has a long and varied coffee history. Although tea dominates domestic consumption, coffee has been grown here since the late 1800s, primarily across the hills of South India. Karnataka alone produces nearly three-quarters of the country’s coffee, much of it grown by smallholder farmers working alongside larger, long-established estates. Traditionally, Indian coffee was known more for volume than refinement, but in recent years quality-focused producers have transformed that reputation. Improvements in farming practices, higher-quality varietals and careful processing have helped estates across the Western Ghats and beyond produce coffees of increasing clarity, sweetness and character.

The Western Ghats themselves are one of the world’s great biodiversity hotspots, a landscape of dense forests, wildlife-rich national parks and steep, fertile slopes. Melkodige Estate sits within this remarkable environment in the Chikkamagaluru district, where rich soils, abundant shade trees and shifting mountain weather create ideal growing conditions. The natural rhythm of warm days and cooler nights slows the development of the coffee cherries, deepening flavour and adding nuance to the final cup.