London Grade Coffee

Leaving the heat and mosquitoes of the Tamil plains behind it, the road to Kodaikanal climbs 7000 feet through thick forests of eucalyptus, cypress and acacia. Alongside the large trees are stands of pear, interspersed with rhododendron and magnolia. The air is heavy with the scent of wild flower and spice. Below Kodaikanal, on the slopes of the Palani Hills, bounded by the Western Ghats and the Nilgiri Hills, a wooden sign nailed to an oak tree tells you that you have arrived at the organic Nadanvan Estate.

It covers 30 acres of hillside, home to elephant, Indian bison and black squirrels. Here three generations of the Mariwala family have grown coffee, on hillsides in the lee of the Western Ghats, where the cool temperatures and light monsoon help give the coffee sweetness and depth of flavour. Elephants roam the unfenced estate, regularly eating the bamboo rooves of the drying huts. The estate replaces the roof, as the wildlife make the land, and the land makes our coffee. The coffee cherries grow alongside cardamom, chilli and lemon trees, and those notes appear in our coffee.