Flavor of India Fine Cup Awards

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By Dan Bolton

The Flavor of India Fine Cup Awards, hosted annually since 2002 by the Coffee Board of India, draws attention to the finest of India’s coffees.

Indian coffees are earning good prices as growers begin selling arabica microlots and estate-branded specialty coffees internationally, reports Coffee Board finance director Aarti Gupta. Cuppings of various brands of Indian coffee were well received at the Dublin edition of the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE) in June. Attendees met growers behind the branded beans and “applauded the changes that are taking place in the Indian coffee industry, with the quality of Indian coffee rising rapidly,” she said.

“The aim of the Board is to make the growers more conscious about quality, so that they go that extra mile to produce one of the best coffees. It has been observed that the winning coffees are earning very high premiums in the international market,” she said.

Winners of this year’s competition include:

Best Arabica - K.A. Ganapathy of Devon Plantations & Industries Badnekhan Estates, Chikmagalur District (Karnataka)

Best Specialty Arabica - Abraham Jacob, director Seethargund Estates, Nelliyampatti Palakkad (Kerala)

Best Robusta - MSP Mohan Rajes, MSP Coffee Ltd., Moganad Estate, Semmanttham Post, Yercaud, Salem District (Tamil Nadu)

Best Specialty Robusta - D.M. Purnesh, Harley Estate, Sakleshpur Taluk, Hassan District (Karnataka)

This spring a national jury evaluated 111 coffee samples from 232 entries. Pre-jury cuppings were carried out in March. Judges then narrowed the field to 39 samples including 18 arabica coffees. In addition 6 specialty arabica and 6 specialty robusta coffees advanced to the finals.

The national jury’s selections were then sent to an international jury of cuppers that met June 20 at Bewleys Tea and Coffee, in Dublin. The head juror was SCAE co-founder Alf Kramer. The coffee was roasted by Filip Bartelak. Jury members represented cuppers from Ireland, the US, Finland, Poland, Sweden, Norway, Greece, Belarus, and Dubai.

In addition to Kramer, the judges for the final cupping included:  Marja Touri, Vitalik Filmanovich, Paul O’Toole, Filip Bartelak, Kersti Rahamagi, Yannis Taloumis, Nena Dimitriou, and Dr. K. Basavaraj (Convener of FOIFCACC- 2016)

Winners were named at the Coffee Board pavilion June 23.

Indian coffee growers are striving hard not only to improve the taste and quality of their product, but to offer a sustainable product  that meets requirements of each and every coffee buyer and coffee consumer from different parts of the globe, said Gupta.