We have two natural process coffees from Baganheddal Estate and as well as being big sweet chocolatey coffees they are also both fruity bangers, which makes them unusual and absolutely delicious! The Selection 795 varietal has a bonkers array of flavours, combining Champagne and brioche, sugared nuts and floral notes carried on layers of chocolate sweetness.

Bagneheddal estate is located in the Higher Baba Budan Giri region which is one of the best places in India to grow Specialty coffees. This region is inside the Shola forest which is known for high density forest trees and rich volcanic soil.sThe report from Olam Speciality who work with Baganheddal Estate and import the coffee, notes that “The farm has good relationships with the surrounding villages providing local kids with necessities. The farm also provides free medical services to the local villagers”

The estate is over 125 years old and this heritage is evident throughout the production philosophy. The naturally processed coffee was dried on raised beds under shade nets for 22 days.

Indian coffees continue to surprise us. The last three years we have been finding a whole range of fascinating flavours from estates from around Chikmagalur, the place where coffee was first introduced to the country.  

These are coffees grown in Biodiversity hotspots in the foothills of Baba Budan Giri, rich in wildlife with coffee varietals unique to India, that are shade grown under forest canopy, producing sweet full bodied coffees with a range of flavour notes from spices through to floral and fruity. It’s the latter flavour profiles that have surprised us. 

We are big fans of chocolatey comfort coffees here at H&G, and the coffees from Melkodige and Ratnagiri do these flavours so well. And then there are these natural process coffees from Bagneheddal Estate, which offer two different coffees: South Indian coffees with bags of fruity deliciousness! 

The Selection 795 Arabica varietal was developed by Indian coffee breeders in the 1940s, crossing the established Kent with Liberica hybrids, to develop resistance to coffee leaf rust, whilst maintaining good cup quality. L.R Kent was a planter in the Doddengudda Estate in Mysore in the early 1930’s. On the lookout for strong performing arabica plants, he noticed that one particular arabica plant was particularly resistant to leaf rust. He isolated it, took cuttings to grow, and soon this varietal was in widespread use across India, giving a good quality arabica coffee that had good resistance to disease. 

Meanwhile, naturally occurring hybrids of Coffea Liberica and Coffea Arabica were discovered on the Doobla Estate in India, showing good disease resistance, but a high amount of defective beans. When this variety (S288) was crossed with Kent, it produced good volume with much more consistent quality and was very hardy, and thus became popular with coffee farmers who replaced their Kent varieties with the S795. 

This coffee produced by Ravi Ramu shows what you can do with great skill, persistence and constant improvement whilst also investing sensibly and bravely in new types of coffee. This has given us a truly unique flavour profile to offer you, big body coffees with loads of sweetness, hints of spice and all sorts of fruity flavours.

India Bagneheddal Selection 795

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India Bagneheddal Selection 795

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