Travel + Leisure

TRAVEL + LEISURE / MARCH 2016

Travel Tips for Coorg

▪ WHILE OTHER countries use machinery
to pick their coffee, in Coorg all the
coffee is picked by hand.
▪ WHILE THE idea of strolling through
the plantations for a brisk walk
sounds appealing, it can be
dangerous as you might chance
upon an elephant lumbering about.
You are advised to wander with
a guide.
▪ HARVESTED COFFEE needs to be dried so
that there is barely any moisture in
it. Once again no machines are used;
instead the beans are sun-dried.
▪ THERE ARE two varieties of coffee
grown, Robusta and Arabica. The
harvest months for Arabica are from
April to November and Robusta are
from December to March.
▪ THE EASIEST way to get to Coorg is to
drive from Bangalore which takes

approx 4-5 hours.

▪ INTERESTINGLY THE coffee plant flowers

when it matures and the blossoms

look just like jasmine.

▪ THERE IS NOTHING more exciting than

picking fresh peppercorns from

the estate which you can take back

home and use in your cooking or

even pickle.

▪ INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, after crude

oil, coffee is the most sought-after

commodity in the world. It’s worth

over US$100 billion worldwide—

more than even gold.

▪ WHILE MOST people think the tall

trees in Coorg are for coffee, the

actual coffee plant is much smaller

and resembles a big bush. The trees

grow pepper which give ample

shade to the coffee plant which is

vital for their growth.

CLOCKWISE: Picking

beans at TATA coffee

plantation in Coorg;

an elephant in the

woods; a meal under

the sun; the guide

will take you on a

tour to explain how

coffee is grown;

fresh peppercorns.

OPPOSITE: Exploring

teakwood forests in

Coorg; colonial-style

bungalow at the

plantation.