The top lot from the Araku Valley in the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh: whole arabica beans with notes of berry, caramel and vanilla.
What makes this the réserve
Araku's whole crop is specialty grade — above 90 on the 100-point scale, where specialty begins at 80, and the first Indian coffee to reach that level. Grande Réserve is the selection from within that, the lots with the most definition and the most to say.
What you get for it is expressiveness rather than strength. Where Signature is chocolate and spice and drinks easily every morning, Grande Réserve is berry, caramel and vanilla, with a clearer acidity and a longer finish. It is a coffee to drink black and pay attention to, and putting milk in it wastes most of what you paid for.
Where it comes from
The valley sits between 900 and 1,400 metres. At that altitude cold nights slow the ripening of the cherry, and slower ripening concentrates sugars and acids in the bean rather than bulking it out with starch — which is where the definition in the cup comes from.
It is grown by thousands of Adivasi smallholder families working with the Naandi Foundation since 1999, organically and biodynamically, with no middlemen between the grower and the roaster. The value stays in the valley.
Brewing it
A coffee like this rewards a method that shows clarity — a pour-over, a V60, a Chemex — more than one that emphasises body. Filter will show you the berry and the vanilla; a cafetière will give you a heavier, muddier version of the same thing, and espresso will concentrate it into something quite different.
Grind fresh, water at 92–96 °C, roughly 60 g per litre, and bloom for thirty seconds before the main pour.
Storage
Airtight, cool, dark, and not in the fridge. Buy what you will drink within a few weeks — with a coffee at this level, staleness costs you more than it would elsewhere.
Araku Coffee
Araku Coffee
Araku Coffee
Araku Coffee
