A harvest visit to the estates, from Coimbatore

From December to February, our roaster spends most weeks on the estates we buy from in the Nilgiris and Chikmagalur. Harvest is when we decide which lots to buy for the year, so it is the busiest and most important time.

On an estate, we walk the rows with the planter and look at the ripeness of the cherries. Coffee cherries turn from green to yellow to deep red, and good lots are picked only when red, often by going over the same bushes three or four times. Then we see how the coffee is processed. Washed coffee has the fruit removed and is fermented in tanks before drying; natural coffee is dried whole in the cherry on raised beds or patios. Back at the guesthouse, we cup samples from each lot, and only those scoring above 84 come back with us.

If you would like to see a harvest yourself, the Nilgiris are close. From Coimbatore, Coonoor is about 70 km and two and a half hours by road through Mettupalayam and the ghat road. Some estates around Coonoor and Kotagiri welcome visitors by appointment during harvest, and a few run homestays. Go on a weekday if you can, carry a light jacket for the 8 am chill and wear shoes with a good grip for slopes.

Every February, after the last lots are bought, we take a small group of subscribers to one estate for a day. Ask at the café to join the list.