Indian Coffee Plantations are Diverse Nature Preserves

As the second highest traded commodity on the planet, coffee forms a complex and interconnected web that envelopes the globe. Whether we're connoisseurs, roasters, casual sippers, baristas, equipment designers or growers, we're all part of a wonderfully intricate chain that allows us to impact each other and the world around us. It's one of the things we love most about coffee, actually -- we dig being a tiny part of an enormous and diverse portrait. While coffee cultivation in India has been around for a few hundred years, the infamous coffee rust blight that hit the region in the mid 1800's definitely took a toll on the cultivation of coffee plants -- the British colonialists eventually switched to cultivating tea instead, making that drink nearly synonymous with the UK. But coffee cultivation in specific regions of India has made a comeback, and this fabulous article talks about its history in the region and the present day practices of highly-integrated, forested coffee plantations that accentuate coffee's relationship to the natural world. From serving as the protected home to hundreds of different species of wildlife -- birds, cats, lizards, monkeys -- to growing coffee next to fragrant crops such as pepper or cardamom, these plantations take their committment to preserving the ecosystem that supports the production of specialty-grade coffee very seriously and it's is more than just laudable, it's worthy of your support. After all, the cause of the aforementioned coffee rust fungus was eventually sourced to the imbalance caused by excessive razing of the land in order to support more coffee tree planting. So why not take the time to explore specialty coffee from India? Sipping your delicious cup just may be contributing to the future sustainability of balanced agriculture.