Baba Budangiri: where Indian coffee began
4 min read
Baba Budangiri is a range of high hills in Chikmagalur district where, according to legend, the Sufi saint Baba Budan planted seven coffee seeds smuggled from Yemen around 1670. It is one of India's highest coffee areas and grows arabica with bright acidity and clear fruit. Bababudangiris Arabica received a GI tag in 2019.
The story goes that Baba Budan, returning from pilgrimage, carried seven coffee beans out of Yemen, where exporting fertile seeds was forbidden. Seven was a holy number, and he planted the seeds, sapta beeja, near his hermitage in these hills. Whatever the exact details, Indian coffee has grown here ever since.
The hills are steep and green, with some of Karnataka's highest peaks nearby. Estates sit high up, among the highest in India, in cool, misty conditions. The result is slow-ripening arabica with more acidity and lift than many lower Indian coffees: think citrus, stone fruit and clean chocolate.
Tip: Baba Budangiri lots shine as light or light-medium roasts brewed on a pour-over. Give them water just off the boil to open up the fruit.
From Baba Budangiri
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Baba Budangiri on the origins map →
Questions
Is Baba Budangiri part of Chikmagalur?
Yes. The range lies in Chikmagalur district, but it is often listed as its own origin because of its history and height.
Is the Baba Budan story true?
It is a well-loved legend that dates coffee's arrival to around 1670. The details are folklore, but coffee has grown in these hills for centuries.
What does Baba Budangiri coffee taste like?
Bright and clean, with citrus or stone fruit over chocolate, especially in washed lots.
Read next
Chikmagalur coffee: India's arabica heartland
The district where Indian coffee began is still its most famous arabica origin. Terrain, estates and cup.
A short history of Indian coffee
From seven smuggled seeds to a wave of specialty roasters: the milestones that shaped coffee in India.
Which Indian coffees have GI tags?
Geographical indications protect the names of seven Indian coffees. What they are and what a GI does and doesn't mean.
Does altitude change how coffee tastes?
Why high-grown coffee tastes brighter, what altitude means in Indian hills, and why shade matters just as much.