Explore Indian Coffee Flavours With Taster Sunalini N Menon

Everybody loves a freshly brewed cup of coffee but only a few care about where the beans have come from. From plantation and fermentation to processing and brewing, soil, water, air, sunlight, temperature, tools, machines, and every smallest detail has a role in shaping the colour, texture, aroma, and size of beans.

“Do you know coffee is a fruit and we consume its seeds?” said Sunalini N. Menon, Asia’s first woman professional in the scope of coffee cupping or tasting. Brought up in Chennai (formerly called Madras), she remembers waking up to the aroma of coffee brewing in the house. “It was a ritual in my house. My grandmother used to enjoy her coffee in chombu (traditional pots in which South Indians drink beverages) while my sister and I would drink the milk. We used to request her for a sip, and she would ask us to behave nicely for consideration.”

Sunalini still remembers walking down a lane in Chennai every week with her grandmother to buy coffee. “Sometimes we used to get freshly pound coffee, other times she (grandmother) used to bring the beans home and grind them herself.” She said that it was a belief then and even now that the beverage is not good for a child, but “today I have enough evidence to prove that coffee is not harmful to health,” she added.

She completed her graduation in food technology and was all set to pursue a master's in the US when she came across an advertisement for a coffee cupper. “I passed the interview but they did not want to give me the job because I was a woman.” She retorted, then the chairman intervened, and finally, she got the job. 

Until 1995, Sunalini N. Menon was the director of quality control for the Coffee Board of India. Today, she runs her company, Coffeelab in Bengaluru. Often referred to as Asia’s first lady of coffee, she has travelled across the globe, Switzerland, Brazil, America, and Germany among several other countries to learn and understand coffee plantations, processing, beans, and quality of final produce.

Also Read: Coffee: Simple Tricks To Make The Best Brewed Cup At Home

Tale Of Coffee Farming, Processing, Brewing, And Tasting

“Coffee beans are like you and me, they absorb everything in the surroundings,” she added while explaining how coffee tasting includes visual and taste evaluation. “The visuals give a lot away about the coffee, farmers, varietal, and processing steps. I look at the coffee, and how it has been processed. I look at the size, shape, colour, and aroma of the beans.” she added.

Most people think that it’s the roasting and grinding when coffee gets its aroma. But it cannot be farther from the truth. Sunalini explained that when the coffee is in the green bean stage, it gives a lot of information, Whether it has been washed properly or it has absorbed the scent from the chimney. Similarly, defects also tell a different tale about the fruits of coffee that were picked by a farmer, how the seeds were washed, how they were dried, and more.

Since appearance can give away a lot, it can also create biases in the mind. Hence, Sunalini tastes the beverage first before visually analysing the beans. The seeds might tell a different story but after brewing. You might not like how they look but the taste can leave you astounded. She would roast the beans and brew the coffee to understand the scent and evaluate the product as per the protocols. These guidelines range from coffee-to-water ratio to boiling time, amount of oxygen in water, cooling time, and palatable temperature. 

“I have to taste it from hot to cold, and it tells me a beautiful journey. I will smell the powder, take a whiff of the aroma when it is boiling in water, pay attention to the mouthfeel, check the brightness, an array of flavours, and everything else,” Sunalini added.

Did you know that coffee can have flavours? It’s not just robust aroma and bitterness. The expert shared that the beverage can bear hints of lemon, orange, chocolate, toasted nuts, and caramel. “That’s the beauty of coffee. Many people would not believe me when I say that coffee has a sweet note - bitterness coated with sweetness,” she said.

Misinterpretation Of Indian Coffee

Sunalini N. Menon believes that Indian coffee varieties have evolved a lot, and many of them have a chance to compete on international platforms. In fact, many farmers have now been participating in competitions and showcasing to the world the uniqueness that Indian coffee varieties boast.

The expert said that the world is beginning to accept that Indian varieties are different from exotic ones grown in other Asian countries. “These varieties can sustain themselves and exude flavours that are different from the rest of the world. That’s the uniqueness that Indian coffee brings to the table.” Sunalini N. Menon added that home-grown beans were not appreciated in the past but it was also because farmers did not know how to present them. 

She also shared that one of the things that go unnoticed by many is how farmers in India cultivate under shade trees, otherwise, it is impossible to grow the fruits in the heat and humidity. These plantations not only grow coffee but also pepper, cardamom, oranges, and avocados. It helps them sustain through times when prices of beans go lower.

Indian Coffee Varieties And Their Growing Popularity

When you hear coffee, you don’t think about plantations in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam, Karnataka, and other Indian states. You believe that if the beans have been sourced from Brazil, Colombia, or other countries, their quality will be top-notch. It might have been the case when coffee plantations were new in India, but today, home-grown beans are of exceptional quality. 

Speaking about a few varieties, the expert brought the time-tested S 795 variety into the limelight. It is full-bodied Arabica coffee grown predominantly in Karnataka. Its first plantations were established somewhere in the 1940s. “It has chocolate and caramel notes,” added Sunalini.

Chandragiri is a semi-dwarf variety of coffee from Karnataka that connoisseurs should taste. “I’ll have plum, sweet lime, apricots, and lots of sweetness in it,’ she explained. Sunalini recommended trying Selection 9 which has an Ethiopian heritage. “It has different flavours boasting notes of an array of fruits. It is subtle on the palate in terms of mouthfeel.

She added that it’s not just the cultivation but Indian farmers are using techniques to infuse coffee with flavours to improve its mouthfeel. They are using advanced processing techniques, especially during fermentation.

But the story does not end here. Your brewing technique plays a crucial role in highlighting hidden attributes of a coffee variety. This process can change the aroma and introduce you to a few new notes.

Today, Indian cafes have different variants of the beverage. The powder is being used in desserts, to craft cocktails, and to infuse dishes with unique flavours. Connoisseurs use different brewing equipment that bring out different flavours of the beans.

Sunalini N. Menon’s journey through coffee plantations across has another stop at Coffee Island, Europe’s seventh largest coffee chain, which has recently opened an outlet in Gurugram, Haryana. “Making blends was a team effort. I helped create the base and recommended coffee varieties to be used. But the best part was that the company brought their roaster, cuppers, and quality control from Europe, and they spent a week or so with the Indian team finalising the roasts that would appeal to customers.” 

While Sunalini will continue to run quality checks at the Indian outlet, coffee connoisseurs must visit the cafe and enjoy freshly brewed cups with snacks on the side.