Coffee has become one of the most popular beverages in India and along with it the cafe culture. First cafes which became popular franchise were the Coffee Houses run by The Coffee Board of India.

Filter coffees have been most popular in south of India for a long time than rest of India and the main reason being Coffee plantations started in India in 17th century at Chikmagalur thanks to a Sufi saint Baba Budan who according to the legends smuggled 7 coffee seeds from Yemen and planted them in the hills of Chikmagalur.

I visited Chikmagalur and those hill ranges which are now called Baba Budan giri range in his honour. He is buried on one the peaks named after him.

Can you believe that the coffee tale in India started with seven seeds of Arabica which were smuggled from Yemen? Why smuggled? Apparently, coffee which seem to have originated in Ethiopia, thanks to accidental discovery by a shepherd or may be a saint, and came to Yemen was considered valuable commodity and they sold only roasted beans to keep the coveted coffee yield geographically restricted.

This story of coffee is very interesting and intriguing. No wonder the quaint town of Chikmagalur has an aroma of coffee. I have been to Sakleshpur and Coorg, but still this petit hill town won my heart.

If you ever wish to do coffee pilgrimage – start with Chikmagalur.

Here are a few clicks of my trip…I visited Mullayanagiri which is part of the same hill range.