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It was about a couple of decades ago, we had moved from Goa to Bengaluru. It was here we were treated to filter kaapi. Since then, our love for coffee just grew stronger. While my dad still loves the classic filter coffee, I’ve moved on to cold brews. If you follow me on Instagram, you know how much I relish cold brews. At most cafés, a cold brew is all that I need. Sometimes more than one.
So when I was visiting Chikmagalur, a coffee estate tour is what I wanted to experience. I wanted to learn more about Coffee, how it’s cultivated, the process, and finally the brews.
World of Coffee Estate Tour in Chikmagalur
It was during my last day in Chikmagalur that I learned about a coffee plantation tour. While I wanted to do one, I was a little late in my research due to which I couldn’t reach out to the right folks. I visited World Of Coffee, a renowned coffee brand and cafe in Chikmagalur. It was here that I came to know about the coffee estate tours that World Of Coffee conducts along with a coffee experience tour.
Their cafe has two different packages when it comes to coffee estate tours and coffee experiences.
Coffee Estate Tour
This package includes a visit to World Of Coffee’s estate to experience the coffee estate up close. This a guided tour available in Hindi English & Kannada. This tour will start at the World of Coffee cafe and will end here. Their coffee estate is about 20kms from the cafe, and you need to arrange your own vehicle or a way to commute.
The Coffee Estate Tour costs Rs 950 per head. It takes place every day except Thursday. One can even do a solo visit or a group visit. The total duration including the travel would be around 3-4 hours.
Coffee Tasting Experience
This package includes experiencing and understanding coffee. This takes place in the cafe itself. During this experience, you’ll learn about the various processes involved in brewing a good cup of coffee. Right from the roasting process to grinding and brewing, you’ll learn about the processes and even tools involved. From French press to Aero press, you’ll learn how each of these is different and how it affects the taste.
Apart from this, you’ll also get to taste a few different varieties of coffee. The Coffee Tasting Experience costs Rs 950 per head and happens every day. The duration for this is again a couple of hours.
So which package you must opt for? Well, it’s completely your choice. You can take either of them or both of them. The combined package costs Rs 2000 per head and requires half a day at least if not more. Since I was short on time and didn’t research well about this, I could only do one. Hence I opted for the coffee estate tour. However, if given an option, I’d like to do both of them and spend the day surrounded by coffee.
Also, note that coffee cultivation in the region happens during the months of November to February. Unless you take the coffee plantation tour during these months, you’ll not get to see the various stages bean to cup process. Again, I was here at the wrong time so couldn’t take complete benefit of this.
The best experience of visiting the coffee plantation in Chikmagalur along with experiencing Coffee would be to opt for both the packages and visit during the months of November to February.
My Coffee Plantation Visit Experience in Chikmagalur
I had booked the plantation tour a day in advance by paying the full amount. Since I was the only one on the tour that day, I was told that the person would call me the next day. At 8:45AM I got a call and was asked to meet at a spot in Chikmagalur and not the cafe.
From there, we drove towards the coffee plantation which was about a 30-45 mins drive from Chikmagalur town center. It was a good drive and I had already driven on this route while going to Kemmanagudi to watch the sunset in Chikmagalur. There’s a small detour with a narrow road that leads to the coffee estate. After driving some distance and crossing a few other estates, we reached the world of coffee estates.
We drove for another 10 mins off-roading before people reached a huge bungalow amidst the coffee plantation. I parked the car here and the guide took me for a walk around the estate. The estate was spread across a large area and walking steep climbs wasn’t easy. The estate is home to both Arabica and Robusta varieties of beans along with some fruits and spices.
He showed both the plants and explained how each of them are different from the other. How to distinguish them and a lot more other things. After exploring the estate we visited the processing area. Since I was visiting during the wrong season, there wasn’t much to see. The processing area is where the beans are separated from the fruit, washed, and cleaned. From here the beans were taken to their factory where it is roasted and ground. The guide did suggest visiting during the season so that I could experience the whole process.
Must Experience If You’re a Coffee Lover
Visiting Chikmagalur, Coorg, and Araku is a coffee lover’s dream. Each of these places has numerous different estates each of them having a unique coffee. Chikmagalur itself is home to more than 5 major estates with the one I visited being one of them. If you’re a coffee lover, then you must experience the coffee plantation tour and the coffee experience. Learn how coffee is cultivated and understand the process of how it reaches your kitchen. Then learn about the various brewing techniques, taste different brews, and choose the best one for you.
I highly recommend doing this tour either with World Of Coffee or another entity. But make sure that you’re here during the right season to take maximum benefit. That’s about it for this blog post, let me know your thoughts in the comments below, tweet to me at @Atulmaharaj, DM on Instagram, or Get In Touch.
