Balele sits in Kodagu, directly bordering the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, a location that places coffee cultivation immediately adjacent to protected forest rather than at a remove from it. At 800 metres elevation, this Excelsa grows under conditions cooler than the lowland Southeast Asian regions, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, where most of the world’s Excelsa is currently produced.

Excelsa occupies an unusual position in coffee botany, historically classified as its own species before later being grouped under Coffea liberica. The trees grow noticeably taller than standard Arabica or Robusta plants, giving rise to the local name Mara Kaapi, tree coffee. This height makes harvesting more labour-intensive, one reason Excelsa remains a minor crop globally despite growing interest in it as a climate-resilient species, since the trees show resistance to several common coffee afflictions that affect Arabica.

Natural, sun-dried processing, used for this lot, involves drying the whole cherry in the sun rather than pulping it first. Sugars and compounds from the fruit ferment into the bean as it dries, building the tropical fruit character, jackfruit and mango in particular, that natural process Excelsa from this region is known for, while the species’ own moderate acidity, between Arabica’s brightness and Robusta’s flatness, gives the cup a distinct structure regardless of process.

The estate’s agroforestry system, intercropping coffee with pepper, cocoa, and native fruit trees, keeps the land functioning as an extension of the neighbouring tiger reserve.

Agronomy and growing conditions:

• Estate: VPG, Balele, Kodagu
• Elevation: 800 MASL
• Species: Excelsa (Coffea liberica)
• Process: Natural, sun-dried
• Intercropping: pepper, cocoa, and native fruit trees
• Local name: Mara Kaapi (tree coffee)