A short history of Indian coffee
5 min read
Coffee came to India, by legend, around 1670 when Baba Budan planted seeds in the Chikmagalur hills. British planters built commercial estates from the 1840s, the Coffee Board of India was formed in 1942, and the market was liberalised in the 1990s when the pooling system ended. GI tags followed in 2008 and 2019, and a wave of Indian specialty roasters grew from the 2010s.
The milestones
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| c. 1670 | Baba Budan plants seven coffee seeds from Yemen in the Chikmagalur hills, by legend |
| 1840s onward | British planters open commercial coffee estates across the southern hills |
| Late 1800s | Coffee leaf rust devastates many arabica estates; some planters switch to tea or robusta |
| 1940s | Research at Balehonnur produces S795, India's most widely planted arabica |
| 1942 | The Coffee Board of India is formed; growers pool their crop for sale through the Board |
| 1990s | The pooling system ends and growers can sell freely, at home and abroad |
| 2008 | Monsooned Malabar Arabica and Robusta receive GI tags |
| 2010s | A new wave of Indian specialty roasters and cafes takes off |
| 2019 | Five regional coffees receive GI tags |
Why the pooling era matters
For about half a century, most growers delivered their coffee to a central pool and were paid an averaged price. It brought stability, but it gave little reward for quality. Once the market opened, estates could sell their best lots directly and build their own names. That shift laid the ground for today's single-estate coffees.
The specialty wave
From the 2010s, small roasters in Indian cities began buying directly from estates, roasting lighter and printing roast dates and estate names on bags. Estates responded with better sorting, careful drying and experimental processing. Indian coffee drinkers, long raised on filter kaapi and instant, suddenly had a lot more to choose from.
- Filter kaapi culture in the south kept coffee at the heart of daily life for generations.
- Coffee houses run by worker cooperatives became institutions in many cities.
- Today, specialty sits alongside those traditions rather than replacing them.
Tip: For a taste of history, brew a Baba Budangiri arabica and a classic filter blend side by side.
A taste of the origin story
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Read the Baba Budangiri guide →
Questions
When did coffee come to India?
By legend, around 1670, when Baba Budan planted seeds in the hills of Chikmagalur.
What is the Coffee Board of India?
A government body formed in 1942 that supports research, promotion and development of Indian coffee.
What was the pooling system?
For decades, growers sold their crop through a central pool at an averaged price. It ended in the 1990s when the market was liberalised.
Read next
Baba Budangiri: where Indian coffee began
The hills where, legend says, the first coffee seeds in India were planted. What grows there now.
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.
India's specialty coffee cities
Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad and more: where India's roasters and cafes are clustered.
Indian coffee by the numbers
The big national facts about Indian coffee, alongside live numbers from our catalog.