Kaapi Royale Natural Fine Robusta Screen 15

Sethuraman Estate is a 400 acres farm famous worldwide for producing Robustas that taste like Arabica. The owner and manager of the estate, Nishant Ramesh Gurjer, challenges roasters to cup his coffees blind against Arabica lots to evaluate the quality. He promises you will be surprised. Nishant's confidence is not misplaced. His coffees have received the R certificate from the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) 15 times. In fact, he was the first producer to ever receive the distinction - which determines a coffee to be a fine Robusta - in 2015. The CQI has only distinguished 30 coffees with the R certificate up to now and Nishant produced half of them.

Nishant's background is in engineering but he is also a 6th generation coffee producer. In 1995, he decided to take over the family farm, which is over 200 years old (Nishant himself can't pinpoint a specific year for the foundation of the farm). An entrepreneur with an eye for business, he started by running a SWOT analysis of the farm. The objective of the study was to understand his strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats so he could create a strategy for the farm. Given his climatic conditions and altitude, "I could be an average Arabica producer or I could become an outstanding Robusta producer," he recalls. Nishant chose the latter and made a name for himself. Today, his coffees are referred to as some of the best Robustas in the world!

The Sethuraman Estate and located on the banks of the River Bhadra & close to Kudremukha range of mountains. The farming is organic: "I have not used any chemical intervention for pest & disease management in more than 5 years," says Nishant. He is particularly careful about glyphosate (also known as Roundup) and runs tests on a regular basis to prove his coffees are free of toxic herbicide. "I follow the concept of nutrition farming. The plant is given exactly what the plant needs to grow by checking the leaf and soil parameters along with the BRIX reading of the plant sap. All nutrients are buffered using a combination of Humic Acid, Fulvic Acid and Seaweed Extract. Bio-Fertilizers & Vermi Compost are used significantly."

What makes this Robusta so good is the precise management of the farm and the simple fact that the trees are very, very healthy. Every 15 days, Nishant's team goes around the farm crushing the leaves of the coffee trees and analyses the sugar content on the BRIX reader. If the content is low, the plant needs a boost. If the content is high, the plant is healthy. He compares his approach to a blood test. On top of that, picking is done manually 3 to 4 times per crop because the maturation of Robusta tends to be less even than that of Arabica. Nishant also runs a strict quality control protocol with hand sorting of defects and foreign matter to produce clean and consistent coffees.

Proof of Nishant's commitment to the environment is the fact all his coffees are grown under the shade of native trees. Unlike Arabica, which thrives under shade, Robusta trees tend to tolerate the sun a lot better. This can lead to better yields and higher production. However, Nishant believes that keeping native trees benefits the local ecosystem, protects the wildlife and has a less obvious but highly beneficial positive effect on his coffee plantation. The organic matter generated by the trees enrich the soil and protect it from erosion, further contributing to the health of the plants and to the quality of Nishant's fine Robustas.