Inside Coorg's Harvest: What Actually Happens November to February
Cherry picking at dawn, drying yards by noon, cuppings at dusk — a planter's-eye view of India's coffee season and how to experience it as a guest.
The season in three acts
Arabica ripens first, from late November. Estates wake before light: pickers move row to row taking only the deep-red cherries, because a single under-ripe cherry can flatten a whole lot's score. By January, robusta joins, and the drying yards become the heart of the farm — raked hourly, covered at dusk, uncovered at dawn.
What a guest actually does
Good estates let you work a real morning: pick alongside the crew, weigh your haul (humbling), then follow your cherries to the pulper. Afternoons are for cuppings — slurping tables of washed, natural and honey-processed lots until the differences stop being subtle.
How to plan it
Base yourself on a working estate near Madikeri or Virajpet for at least three nights. Mornings are cool enough for a plantation trail run; the Tadiandamol sunrise hike fits perfectly on a rest day. Our own Grounded Cup beans come from these hills — taste them before you go.
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