1. Introduction

Coffee is one of the world's most popular drinks. Among Plantation crops, Coffee has made significant contribution to Indian economy during the last 50 years. Although India contributes only around 4% of this world production, Indian Coffee has created a niche for itself in the international market; particularly Indian Robusta which is highly preferred for its good blend up quality. Arabica Coffee too is well received in the international market.  Coffee beans are not beans at all in a botanical sense. They are the twin seeds of a red (sometimes yellow) fruit that grows to about the size of the tip of our little finger. Growers call these coffee fruit coffee cherries. Before the coffee can be shipped and roasted, the bean or seed must be separated from the fruit.

2. Coffee – A World View

Coffee is mainly produced in Brazil, Columbia, Mexico in African Countries like Ethiopia, Uganda, Honduras, Castalia, Peru etc. and also in Vietnam, Indonesia and India. In world production Brazil is on top and India stands at 7th /8th position. More specifically, in producing coffee India ranks 2nd in Asia and 8th in the world. Coffee is consumed as a refreshing drink world over in various forms. European, African and South East Asian countries are the major consuming countries.

Brazil, Vietnam and Columbia are the major supplier in the Global market, hence command the world market. Any change in production pattern of Coffee in these countries, influence the international prices. The detail of production, consumption and Import-Export pattern of past five years of major Coffee producing countries mentioned in Annexure I.

It may be seen from the Annexure -I that excepting Columbia, productions in these Countries have almost stagnated barring stray incidence of variance in some of the countries. Columbia and Indonesia despite being major producers and leading exporting countries; have been regular importers also. Incase of India’s position, a significant trend of fall in exports and increase in domestic demand has been emerging while production is almost stagnant during the last five years.

2.1 Internationally well known grades of Coffee :
There are about 25 major species within Coffea, but the typical coffee drinker is likely to be familiar with two: Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora (robusta). Arabica accounts for 75% of the worlds coffee production with the top 5% qualifying as Specialty Coffee. Robusta accounts for 25% of the coffee production.

Coffea Arabica:  Brazil and Colombia, the largest growers of Arabica coffees. Arabian coffees are grown mainly in the tropical highlands of the Western Hemisphere. Arabica coffees are described either as "Brazils" (because they come from Brazil) or as "Other Milds" which come from elsewhere. Typica and Bourbon are the two best known varieties of C. Arabica, but many strains have been developed, including Caturra (from Brazil and Colombia), Mundo Novo (Brazil), Tico (Central America), San Ramon and Jamaican Blue Mountain.

The Arabica plant is typically a large bush with dark green, oval-shaped leaves that can reach a height of 14 to 20 feet fully grown. Its fruits are oval and usually contain two flat seeds. After planting, Arabica trees mature in 3 to 4 years, when they produce their first crop. The Arabica plant can continue to produce fruits for 20 to 30 years. Arabica trees prefer a seasonal climate of 59-75 degrees Fahrenheit and an annual rainfall of 60 inches.

A hybrid of Arabica, Maragogype -- called the elephant bean because of its large size -- originated from the Maragogype County in the Bahia state of Brazil. Today it is grown in Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Brazil and Zaire.

Coffea canephora (Robusta): Robusta, which can grow up to 32 feet in height as a shrub or tree, has a shallow root system. The fruits are round and take nearly a year to mature. The seeds are oval and smaller than the Arabica beans. Robusta coffee is grown in West and Central Africa, throughout Southeast Asia, and parts of South America including Brazil, where it is known as Conilon.

Robusta trees produce their first crop 3 to 4 years after planting and they remain fruitful for 20 to 30 years. The trees prefer equatorial conditions with temperatures between 75 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit and an annual rainfall of 60 inches. Flavors of Robusta are less mild than the Arabica coffees.

Regarding Quality: Prior to liberalisation, the scope for achieving significant quality price differentials for growers was lost under the Coffee Board's pooling system, in which different growers' coffees were bulked. This reduced the incentives for farmers to improve coffee quality beyond the minimum requirements.
Since liberalisation, the quality of some plantation production has improved significantly as differentials have emerged. However, positive quality differentials have been slower to emerge with smaller growers. While Indian arabica is of a good overall quality, international buyers can easily substitute with other coffees, especially in times of a good Brazilian harvest. However, India produces some of the world's best robustas, particularly the washed. India has the possibility to market many of its coffees as speciality, shade grown, gourmet and perhaps explore organically grown production.

2.2 Harvesting period & Varieties grown on top 10 Coffee Producing countries

Brazile :- March-October is the harvesting time of Coffee there. Notable Coffee Beans are Bahia, Bourbon Santos.

Vietnam :-Notable Beans: Vietnam specializes in Robusta production.

Colombia :- October-February and April-June is the harvesting time of Coffee there. Notable Beans: Medellin, Supremo, and Bogota.

Indonesia :- Notable Beans: Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi (Celebes).

Mexico :- In High Altitudes the coffee harvesting time is November-January and in the Low altitudes it is during August-November. Notable Beans: Altura, Liquidambar MS, Pluma Coixtepec.

India :- In India coffee harvesting time is November and February. Notable Beans: Mysore, Monsooned Malabar.

Guatemala :- Here the harvesting period of coffee is during October-January. Notable Beans: Atitlan, Huehuetenango.

Ethiopia :-In this country the harvesting period is during August-January. Notable Beans: Harrar, Sidamo, and Yirgacheffe.

Uganda :-September-December is the harvesting period here. Notable Bean: Bugisu

Honduras :- during October-March coffee harvesting takes place here.

Important Coffee producing country’s share in global production

3. Coffee in India

3.1 Growing Area :-

Most Indian coffee is grown in the southern states of Karanataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. India's coffee growing regions have diverse climatic conditions, which suit for cultivation of different varieties of coffee. Some regions with high elevations are ideally suited for growing arabicas of mild quality while those with warm humid conditions are best suited for robustas. Again, the vast spectrum of varieties of arabica and robusta available in India, express distinct quality features in the cup when grown under different agro-climatic conditions. In India production of Robusta is more i.e. around 62-65%, where as production of Arabica is considered around 35-38%. In some regions, marginal and tribal farmers grow coffees without any external inputs in an organic way. All these conditions make India as a supermarket for a wide variety of coffees to offer to the diverse needs of the specialty coffee market. Karnataka accounts for 53 percent of the planted area (59 percent planted to Arabica, 41 percent to Robusta). Robusta is dominant in Kerala and Arabica in Tamil Nadu. 

Coffee is a major export driven commodity in the country with nearly 70% of the total production being exported. Until recently, the promotional efforts for Indian coffee in the export market were of generic in nature, with few Specialty types like Monsooned coffee, Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold and Robusta Kaapi Royale. The generic promotion has no doubt yielded positive results with assured market for Indian coffee in the Europe, USA and Japan. But the returns are greatly influenced by boom and bust cycles in prices, witnessed in the global market owing to shortages and surpluses.

3.2 Harvesting :-

In India Coffee harvesting time is November and February.
Coffee is processed in two ways:
(a)wet processing by which plantation or parchment coffee is prepared, and
(b)the dry method by which cherry coffee is prepared. 

For the preparation of both parchment and cherry types of coffee, picking of the right types of fruit forms an essential part of processing. Coffee is picked when the fruits are just ripe. Under and over-ripe fruits cause deterioration in quality, the former gives "immature beans" and the latter "foxy" coffee. They may be dried separately for making cherry coffee. The bags used are frequently washed and dried.

3.3 Coffee varieties in India :-

High quality coffee is termed as specialty coffee that differs from normal coffee with relevance to visual quality or cup or both. Specialty Coffees are getting increasingly popular in the world coffee market. Today, consumers around the world demand the best coffee. Planters in producing countries are now developing finer strains of coffee to the customer requirement of the gourmet coffee drinker.

India offers several varieties of specialty coffees that are popular in the West. Continuous research by Indian scientists has helped identity better strains that will make finer coffees with added flavour profiles, in both Arabica and Robusta varieties.

Monsooned coffee
Monsooned coffee has a story to tell. This coffee is one of the most famous from Southern India. Traditionally it would take months for this coffee to travel from India to Europe, during which time it was exposed to heavy humidity and sea winds. It was the effects of this journey that 'aged' the coffee and changed the colour of the green bean to a pale yellow. It also gave the coffee its rich, smooth-bodied and spicy flavour and intense aroma.A new kind of coffee was born - Monsooned Coffee.

Even today, India offers the same golden quality Monsooned Coffee. This ageing process has been replicated at the coffee's origin. During the south west monsoon season (June - August) the coffee is left in an open warehouse for several days to take in dampness, and regularly raked for even exposure. After this the coffee is put in sacks and left for several weeks, still in the open warehouse, with the monsoon winds blowing through. The coffee is dried fully after the monsoon (September - October) and shipments start in November. This is a unique way of processing coffee.

The Monsooned Coffee still has the monsooned flavour, mellow taste and golden look. Consumers in Scandinavian countries love it for its special colour and flavour.
Monsooned Malabar is a dry-processed coffee that has been exposed to wet monsoon winds (not rain) in open-sided pavilion warehouses before shipping.

Following are the main grades monsooned coffee:

Monsooned Malabar AA
Monsooned Basanally
Monsooned Robusta AA

Most Malabar-variety coffee is grown in the southern parts of India. The higher grades of this bean are “monsooned”, a process mean to replicate the long period of humid aging the green beans underwent as were exported by ship. Nowadays, the beans are spread in open sided aging sheds after harvest and held for 7-8 weeks through the early summer monsoon season. Its aroma and color increases.
This Monsooned Malabar coffee is the Top Grade in the line of Monsooned Arabicas.

Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold
This coffee is a premium coffee that represents the best quality coffee from India. The beans are very large, uniform blush green in color with a clean polished appearance. In cup, the coffee exhibits full aroma, medium to good body, good acidity and fine flavor.

Arabica Plantation Coffee (Washed coffee) grown in the Mysore, Coorg, Biligiris and Shevaroys regions.

Robusta Kaapi Royale
This coffee is prepared from Robusta Parchment AB from the regions of Mysore, Coorg, Wynad, Shevaroys, Pulneys and Barbabudans.
The beans appear to be bold, round with pointed ends and gray to bluish gray in colour. This cup ensures full body, soft, smooth and mellow flavour.

3.4 Production, Consumption and Exports :-

India's Coffee production, consumption & exports (1985-2001)

source: http://www.indiaonestop.com/ Updated on November 17, 2003

Overall pattern of consumption, exports and surplus remains 30%, 60% and 10% respectively, which further varies depending upon international market demand and seasonal cycle.

4. Coffee Grading

Arabica and Robusta are primarily classified as washed (also known as parchment or plantation) and unwashed (natural) reflecting the processing method. They are further classified into 25 grades based on the size of beans and the number of imperfections. The superior grades are Arabica Plantation A, Arabica Cherry AB, Robusta Parchment AB and Robusta Cherry AB. There are also three special preparations of coffee to serve the gourmet market, namely Mysore Nuggets EB, Robusta Kapi Royale and Indian Monsooned coffee.

Grade 1: Specialty Grade: no primary defects, 0-3 full defects, sorted with a maximum of 5% above and 5% below specified screen size or range of screen size, and exhibiting a distinct attribute in one or more of the following areas: taste, acidity, body, or aroma. Also must be free of cup faults and taints. Zero quakers allowed.
Moisture content between 9-13%.

Grade 2: Premium Grade: Same as Grade 1 except maximum of 3 quakers. 0-8 full defects.

Grade 3: Exchange Grade: 50% above screen 15 and less than 5% below screen 15. Max of 5 quakers. Must be free from faults. 9-23 full defects.

Grade 4: Standard Grade: 24-86 full defects.

Grade 5: Off Grade: More than 86 full defects.

[Source: http://www.coffeeresearch.org/coffee/grade.htm
Green Coffee Classification System Poster from the Specialty Coffee Association of America.] 

Bean Type                             Grade
Arabica                              Cherry PB, A, B, C. AB. Bulk
Plantation                           PB, A, B, C, Bulk
Robusta Parchment              Parchment PB, A, B, C, Bulk
Robusta cherry                    PB, A, B, C, Bulk, A, AA
Monsooned                         Malabar, Basanally, Arabica Triage
 
[Source: Hindustan Leaver Ltd.- Export Division]

4.1 SPECIFICATIONS OF MAJOR GRADES OF INDIAN COFFEE :-