Coffee Ideas!

Friday 20 June 2008

GENESIS OF INDIAN COFFEE

It all began in 1600, when Saint Baba Budan, an Arab Mystic, returned from Mecca with seven seeds of the wonder bean, Coffee. He planted them in the Chandragiri Hills of Karnataka, whose conducive climate and altitude proved ideal for coffee cultivation.
Perfected into plantation crop

The East India Company with its relentless spirit of exploration for harnessing commercial avenues in India, discovered a gold mine in coffee cultivation and developed it into a viable plantation crop.

By the end of 19th century, the green hills of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala were covered with thriving coffee plantations. However, Karnataka State, the home of Indian Coffee remains the largest producer of finest varieties of coffee even today.

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Welcome to Coffee Ideas!

The Spirit

Coffee Ideas! is located in Auroville, an international community nested in South India which main objective is to research new forms of living and being. Based on Sri Aurobindo vision of a new society that embraces human unity to prepare mankind to the next evolutionary step.
www.auroville.org

Why Coffee Ideas! ?

Because there is an inner need of expression that goes beyond making a profit, to embody our spirit into matter.

We have chosen coffee as the excuse for our exploration of the world from an integral perspective.

Our purpose is reflected through three main Areas of Action, each one closely involved in sharing the experience of coffee all-over, all-around.

1 - Marc's Coffee: our coffee brand.

It was in August 2008 that our brand Marc's coffee was born out of a dream. To bring to your table a genuine quality coffee roasted with no hurry in small batches.

There is a coffee for every moment, crafted for each palate. The best coffee in the world is the one YOU like the most. We extent our talents and dedication to find your ideal coffee.

The flavor of our coffees are directly connected with the natural environment where they grow, to start with we have selected Indian Fine Coffees from the following Estates : Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andra Pradesh.
We believe that through our branded coffee we can communicate and share our concerns and passions.

What better service than to offer fine coffees to people that connect with the same Spirit!

The creativity of roasting.

One day I will roast coffee!! I said to myself after having an strong intuition more than 15 years ago. This idea make me study coffee more in detail, from the seed to the cup in a holistic approach.

Roasting is a creative moment, I stand next to my Probat and feel the pulse of the drum, the music of the beans rolling, the aromas of baked bread and caramel, the first crack, the second crack and the moment of truth, when I open the door to the cooling plate. Then a silence comes and the creation is made - Marc’s Coffee.

The transformation of coffee in the roasting process.

It is fundamental to understand what happens to the coffee while being roasted, this is a brief of what happens to the bean. We are aware that the techniques to roast are equally important to the the intention we put while roasting.

Step 1 – Water evaporates

The transformation initial stage is green coffee. It contains around 12% moisture and has a mild herbal fragrance. The craft of the roaster is to bring forward the best aromatic compounds through the roasting process, Each coffee needs its own rhythm and we respect that. We are not in a hurry...

Step 2 – Expansion

Coffee after being in the drum for the first 5 min at a temperature of 200 C, in this phase the coffee beans absorb the heat ( endothermic ), water evaporates and due the pressure the cells start to expand. The blueish hues of the coffee are turning into pale yellow.

Step 3 – Character building

10 minutes in the drum, 225 C temperature. Coffee is expanding and loosing weight, carbohydrates are turning into sugars. During this phase the beans puff up, doubling in size due to internal pressure exerted by carbon dioxide. At that stage we reach a critical moment the Maillard reaction, where more than 700 new compounds are created, including key volatile aroma compounds responsible for the characteristic coffee flavor. At this point it has a baked bread aroma.

Step 4 - Caramelization

15 min in the drum, we reach the cinnamon roast, caramel notes are arising the temperature is at 240 C .At this stage each minute counts and will affect directly the final taste.

Step 5 - Creation

20 minutes in the drum, is time to go for cooling. The smell of coffee is all around, the creation is made.

Our selection of coffees 2010

BUMA DEVI BLEND

Dedicated to the Indian Goddess of the Earth. The Greeks called it Gaia, the South americans Pachamama. We call it respectfully, Mother Earth.

Buma Devi combines the richness and strength of cherry Robusta and fragrant Arabica, making this blend a unique experience for the Indian continental palate.

The coffee is shade-grown in the forests of Coorg, Karnataka. The ripe cherries are handpicked and sun-dried, then winnowed and hulled to separate the bean from the dried skin. No water is used in the whole process.
Selected by colour, size and density, we select peaberry beans which are round in shape and have a distinctive fruity taste. The blend is medium- dark roasted with some dark roast to give it a hint of a smoky fragrance.
There is a coffee for every moment and each palate. Buma Devi is best enjoyed in the morning with milk, as a wake-up call.

KAVERI BLEND

This blend is dedicated to the Goddess Kaveri, who manifests in the form of the eponymous sacred river. Rising in Coorg, the Kaveri flows some 765 kilometres southeast to enter the Bay of Bengal.

Coorg is the coffee bowl of India, with more than 200 years of coffee tradition. The best grades are exported around the world, except a few – like the one you are holding now.

This blend is composed of Arabica and Robusta beans – both washed and cherry – from the best grades. It has a balanced cup, velvety body and fruity notes. It is roasted at medium-dark to enhance the fragrance and aroma for espresso drinks.

Kavery blend can be enjoyed either black or with milk. It is best suited for lattes and cappuccinos brewed in an espresso machine.

JULIEN PEAK
ARABICA PLANTATION - A WASHED. UTZ CERTIFIED

Tucked in the Shevarois hills of Tamil Nadu, Yercaud is as yet a lesser-known coffee region. The farm is UTZ certified and through its sustainable methods, the owner is proud to keep the forest mainly populated by local species. Inspired by the beauty of its landscape, we decided to start roasting and distributing this Single State Arabica “Selection 9” coffee. This is an attempt to bring this gift of Nature to our customers. Julien Peak has a very delicate aroma, mild body and fine acidity. It is roasted at medium to enhance the fragrance and subtle notes of a high-grown coffee. Especially crafted for coffee connoisseurs, it’s best enjoyed after lunch along with some good chocolate!

DECCAN BOLD AA.
ORGANIC ARABICA CERTIFIED.
Following the coffee Spirit, the idea behind Deccan Bold was to discover Andhra Pradesh: its tribal people and culture. Coffee cultivation in Andhra was recently introduced.
Spread in an area of around 36 square kilometres, and located at altitudes ranging between 600 and 900 meters above sea level, Araku valley is ideal for coffee cultivation.
Encouraged by the good demand for the coffee, tribals of the valley started organically cultivating coffee without fertilizers, chemicals or pesticides.
Deccan Bold is a 100 % arabica washed coffee, selected for its colour, size and density. It has a clean and sharp distinctive taste and aroma, ideal for any time of the day.

It is roasted at medium dark to create a fragrant edge.

JAIVIK GREENS. SINGLE ESTATE.
ORGANIC ARABICA WASHED CERTIFIED

Jaivik Greens Coffee Estate is located in North Coorg, near Sudicopa village. Karnataka, South India. It was acquired and developed by the present owner ancestors. It has approximately 50 acres of land at 1000 mts A.S.L. It produces arabica coffee (Cauvery variety), pepper, vanilla, rice, betel nut, coconuts, jack fruit and soon oranges.

There is a cottage in the farm with attached kitchen. We visit Jaivik Greens often with our customers, so they have the opportunity to see how organic coffee is grown and by whom.

Jaivik Greens coffee is a 100 % pure arabica washed. In the cup preforms with a sweet and intense aroma, rounded mellow body, well balanced with a subtle hint of spices and cocoa.
Roasted specially for dark coffee lovers.
There is a coffee for every moment. Introducing a range of fine Indian coffees crafted for each time of the day and those special occasions. Buy online all of them at www.auroville.com

2- Tuition and Consultancy

Our expertise goes beyond working within the envelope of our own brand.
Years of experience allow us to share this unique knowledge with our clients.
Connecting with organizations aligned to our values , allows us to develop trend setting creating positive impacts in our society.

Heritage Cafes

As part of our exploration into Indian history, we found ourselves enchanted with the beauty and the charm of heritage buildings. Becoming aware of the state of despair of many old buildings and the real estate machine demolishing them to built concrete and glass towers, we joined the heritage movement by working in the following projects.

Amethyst – Chennai

Our first heritage cafe – project arrived in 1999 when Sundar Mahal the erstwhile Jeypore Palace in Chennai was being renovated by Kiran Rao. The amount of work done was phenomenal and a shop called Amethyst opened its doors. The idea to promote Indian designers in renounce to “ global brands” was bold and took some time to catch until a cafe was opened in the verandah...
more info in our blog HYPERLINK "http://www.marcoffeeideas.blogspot.com/"www.marcoffeeideas.blogspot.com

Le Café – Pondicherry

Le Café at the beach on the Goubert Salai is one of the oldest buildings of Pondicherry. It is now about 200 years old.
Offers a unique Pondicherry experience. Coffee and Culture have being always played and important role in our society. The Pondicherry Tourism Development Council ( PTDC) in collaboration with Coffee Ideas! and INTACH, have been working with the renovation and re-organization and opened it doors on the 28th of November 2008.

Le Café new spirit aims at preserving the Heritage of the building, offering tourist tours, information about Cultural activities and serving a wide range of international and local beverages and food, being the coffee the core product.
more info in our blog "http://www.marcoffeeideas.blogspot.com/"www.marcoffeeideas.blogspot.com

Craft Cafe – Tranquebar

The former Danish colony south Pondicherry is being renovated at a fast pace after the Tsunami. Best Seller Foundation is one of the major funding agencies. Upasana Design Studio in Auroville is managing the craft sector . INTACH renovated an old Danish building in Goldsmith street to host a permanent Resource Craft Center, where a cafe is being set up by us and run by Upasana.
more info in our blog HYPERLINK "http://www.marcoffeeideas.blogspot.com/"www.marcoffeeideas.blogspot.com
www.upasana.in

Neemrana Hotels – New Delhi

Hotel de L'Orient in Pondicherry spearhead the Heritage- hotel movement in the late nineties.
We have been consulting and training the personnel in almost all the properties.
Lately we started suppling all the hotels with two exclusive blends in their our private label.

We visit and stay in Neemrana hotels regularly during our Coffee Pathways trips.
www.neemranahotels.com

CGH Hotels – Kerala

Our relationship with the group goes more than a decade. Our latest projects with the CGH group is Meson Perumal , an elegant house with fine combinations of French and Tamil architecture in Pondicherry
www.cghearth.com

Gastronomy

The efforts of the Chef to create a great meal can be totaly wiped out if ended with a mediocre coffee, unfortunately this is what happens most of the times.

As the painter chooses his colours and the canvas to express his insights, we do the same with the food and its final presentation.
Cooking as an art is directly connected with coffee. If we could compare a meal with a theater play, coffee will be the last act.

Cooking for us is a way to keep our senses alive, it is relaxing and creative too. Our innate nature of sharing our knowledge and passions for cooking connects us with our environment, customers in the journey of designing the menu card, cooking together and finally presenting what we consider culinary art. A memorable gastronomic experience, right from the appetizers to the coffee. Everything should be planned properly, the ingredients, combinations, cooking methods to make possible the miracle of the creation leading the the final act.. coffee moment.

3- Coffee Pathways - travels & culture

The idea of Coffee Pathways was born out of the need to share our coffee story. Although coffee is the main theme of this trip, Ecology and Spirituality are two closely interwoven aspects. Visits to wilderness spots and sacred places offers to the traveller an opportunity to connect at deeper levels.

Coffee sustain our lives and of many coffee farmers, coffee vendors,etc. From the seed to the cup we follow the coffee spirit and offer a genuine product. Along the way to our coffee destinations we come across many interesting sites and spots to explore.

Connecting producers and consumers is a great experience that transports you beyond barriers and space, through Coffee pathways we have the opportunity to travel together
and experience first hand the world of coffee and Indian Culture.

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