Touchy Coffee: India Kerehaklu

Though it’s our third year featuring coffee from India, this is only the second producer we’ve yet to showcase, so smitten were we with our first love from Chikmagalur — the Ratnagiri Estate. Though new to us, it would be misleading to imply that Kerehaklu is “up and coming” — by pretty much any measure, they’ve arrived. Currently helmed by father and son Ajoy and Pranoy Thipaiah, Kerehaklu (“the shelter by the lake”) has been in operation since 1953, and today is a sprawling 250 acres with far more than just coffee. Avocados, peppercorns, jackfruit, figs, ginger, and myriad other flora maintain a lush forest helping to moderate a climate that — when viewed on a map — would seem too low in elevation and too hot for coffee. All that plus an eco retreat, and you have a sophisticated, diversified business with coffee as just one of the critical elements.