Coorg Arabica Natural, Herb Fermented
Sandalkad Estate
Coorg, Arabica, Natural Herb Fermented is an experimental natural process Arabica from Sandalkad Estate, developed through a proprietary herb fermentation and shade-drying method unique to this farm. Handpicked cherries ferment together with herbs sourced from the estate’s own land, a practice that builds aromatic complexity while protecting the coffee’s natural sweetness and clarity.
Grown on the estate’s higher, cooler blocks between 1,100 and 1,300 metres under native forest canopy intercropped with pepper and cardamom, this mixed Arabica cups at 86.5, offering a spice-forward, fruit-accented profile distinct from any standard washed Indian Arabica from the same region.
Origin
Ibinivalawadi, Kodagu, Karnataka
Process
Natural, Herb Fermented , Shade Dried
Variety
Arabica (Mixed)
Elevation
1,100 - 1,300 MASL
Cup Profile
Cardamom, Coconut, Passion Fruit, Lavender, Orange, Cinnamon
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Flavor Journey
Roast approach
This lot performs across a range of roast levels, from light to medium, each expressing a different facet of the fermentation’s complexity rather than one narrow profile.
Light roast preserves vibrant acidity and delicate sweetness. Coconut, orange, and lavender lead the cup, with the herbal fermentation character fully expressed. This is the profile best suited to roasters and cafés wanting to showcase this lot’s full aromatic complexity, particularly for pour-over or filter brewing.
Medium roast softens the acidity and shifts the profile toward cinnamon and cardamom spice, with coconut and citrus notes fading into the background. This is a different but equally valid expression of the same lot, suited to roasters wanting a rounder, more familiar cup while still retaining some of the fermentation’s spice-forward, aromatic character.
Why Roasters Choose This Coffee
Indian Arabica in the global specialty market is closely tied to washed processing, the clean, structured, chocolate and caramel profiles roasters typically expect from washed Sandalkad or other lots grown in Coorg. Coorg, Arabica, Natural Herb Fermented stands apart within that same origin, a mixed Arabica lot undergoing a herb-fermented natural process developed and refined by the estate itself, producing a cup shaped as much by the fermentation as by what grows alongside the coffee plant itself.
Roasters value this lot for the density and structure that comes from its growing conditions, paired with a processing method built specifically around preserving sweetness and aromatic clarity rather than chasing volume or speed. Handpicked cherries ferment together with herbs sourced from the estate’s own land, a controlled process that layers cardamom, cinnamon, and coconut character into the bean while slow, shade drying locks in the balance and elegance the fermentation builds. This lot performs across a range of roast levels, giving roasters flexibility to match the coffee to their own programme rather than being locked into a single narrow window.
Beyond its processing story, Coorg, Arabica, Natural Herb Fermented offers a cup profile that reads as genuinely distinctive within Indian Arabica. It cups at 86.5, giving buyers a clear quality benchmark to support the purchase decision, alongside a flavor story few other Coorg origins can offer.
In the cup, Coorg, Arabica, Natural Herb Fermented typically expresses:
- cardamom and cinnamon aromatics upfront
- creamy coconut milk character
- balanced acidity with a smooth, rounded body
- passion fruit brightness through the mid palate
- a long, warm spice-driven finish carrying orange and lavender
Why Roasters Love Coorg, Arabica, Natural Herb Fermented:
- Genuinely distinct within Indian Arabica, verifiably Coorg while standing apart from washed regional benchmarks
- Herb fermentation process developed and refined by the estate, giving the lot a clear sense of place
- High natural sweetness that defines the cup from first sip to finish
- Roast flexibility across light and medium profiles, suited to a range of roaster preferences
- Cups at 86.5, supporting specialty grade purchase decisions
- A limited, experimental lot suited to menus built around origin storytelling and seasonal rotation
Behind the Cup
Most processing innovation in Indian coffee has centered on Arabica washed lots, extended tank fermentation, controlled anaerobic methods. Sandalkad Estate took a different route. Herbs sourced directly from the estate’s own land ferment alongside the coffee cherry itself. Arabica grows on the estate’s higher, cooler blocks, a position that slows cherry ripening and builds the density this lot depends on, while Robusta is planted on the lower ground of the same hillside.
This fermentation takes place in a sealed, low-oxygen environment. Herb compounds transfer into the coffee through the cherry skin during the fermentation window, shaping the volatile aromatic development in the bean as it dries. After fermentation, the cherries dry under shade rather than direct sun, preserving the aromatic complexity the fermentation builds while full cherry contact through both stages gives the lot its dense sweetness and herbal aromatic character.
The estate has been farmed by the Bota family and the Siddiqua family of the Navayath community for six generations, more than 170 years, a heritage that shapes every decision made on this land, including the decision to experiment with a processing method no other Coorg estate of comparable scale has attempted at this level of precision.
India Coffee Company sources this coffee directly from Sandalkad Estate, making this proprietary Coorg lot available to North American specialty roasters.
Key facts:
- Estate: Sandalkad, Ibinivalawadi, Madikeri, Kodagu
- Growers: Bota family, Siddiqua family of the Navayath community
- Farming history: six generations, more than 170 years
- Cupping evaluation: 86.5
- Status: Experimental lot, limited volume
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About Coorg Arabica Natural, Herb FermentedCoffee Lot
Kodagu, known commonly as Coorg, sits within Karnataka’s share of the Western Ghats, a region whose elevation and rainfall have made it one of India’s most established coffee growing districts for well over a century. Elevations in this part of Coorg run from 1,100 to 1,300 metres, cool enough to slow cherry ripening and build the density and complexity that distinguish estate-grown Arabica from lower-altitude material.
Herb fermentation in coffee processing refers to fermentation carried out inside a controlled, low-oxygen environment, typically a sealed tank or bag. Sandalkad Estate encourages a distinct set of microbial activity compared with standard open-air fermentation, through herbs from the estate’s own land introduced alongside the coffee cherry. The fermentation window is held long enough to build meaningful aromatic complexity while keeping the cup clean, staying clear of the vinegar or alcohol-dominant notes that can appear when a ferment runs past its intended point.
The shade drying that follows this fermentation is a deliberate slowing of the drying process. Where fast drying under direct sun can accelerate aromatic compounds to flatten, shade drying allows the coffee to develop more gradually, preserving more of the complexity the fermentation stage builds.
This lot is classified as a natural process. Full cherry contact across both stages, through the entire fermentation and drying stage, produces the dense sweetness and mucilage character that distinguishes this coffee, distinct from standard naturals produced elsewhere in Coorg.
Agronomy and growing conditions:
- Shade canopy: native forest canopy, shade-dried post fermentation
- Intercropping: pepper, cardamom, and vanilla grown across the same estate as the coffee
- Elevation: 1,100 to 1,300 MASL, Western Ghats
- Harvest: selective handpicking at peak cherry ripeness
- Availability: this is an experimental lot, produced in limited volume”
This coffee is part of India Coffee Company's Coorg sourcing programme, which also includes:
Coorg Excelsa, Natural, VPG Estate
- Excelsa (Liberica)
- Natural, Sun-dried
- 700 - 900 MASL
- Kodagu (Coorg), Karnataka
- Jackfruit, Mango, Woody
Coorg Robusta, Washed Fermented, Sandalkad Estate
- CxR (Canephora x Congensis)
- Washed, Fermented
- 800 - 1,000 MASL
- Kodagu (Coorg), Karnataka
- Dark Chocolate, Warm Spice
Coorg Peridinia Robusta, Red Honey, Riverside Estate
- Old Peridinia (Robusta)
- Anaerobic Red Honey
- 800 - 1,000 MASL
- Kodagu (Coorg), Karnataka
- Stone Fruit, Peach, Dark Chocolate
Coorg Robusta, Washed AA, Pambukal Estate
- Robusta
- Washed
- 700 - 900 MASL
- Kodagu (Coorg), Karnataka
- Cola, Black Pepper, Walnut, Cedar
Coorg Peridinia Robusta, Natural, VPG Estate
- Old Peridinia (Robusta)
- Natural, Sun-dried
- 700 - 900 MASL
- Kodagu (Coorg), Karnataka
- Cocoa, Popcorn, Tobacco, Cedar
