COFFEE BREAK
Coorg
THIS MISTY SOUTH INDIAN HILL station is a paradise for bean lovers. Beautifully manicured coffee gardens await you here. There’s a local saying in Coorg that a planter not only puts a lot of hard work into growing coffee, but also dedicates his entire lifetime to it, as the beverage needs to be taken care of like a child. Drop by any of the plantations here to get a peek into the stages of coffee production—pruning, picking, drying, and so on. Coorg is home to the world’s best mild java and is the leading producer of mainly two types—Arabica and Robusta. You can stock up on both these varieties at any shop in the town. February marks the beginning of the coffee season here, and by November, the white blossoms turn into ripe red coffee cherries. At just ₹ 500/US$7, you can enjoy a tour of a plantation. At Ama Plantations Trail (amaplantationtrails.com), sip on a cup of hot coffee while the guide takes you around the beautiful estate, which has well-appointed heritage bungalows, some over a hundred years old.