India Gundikhan Natural

About This Coffee

For our third year roasting coffees from India, we're all-in with Gundikhan! Saif Ulla's natural was the coffee that really convinced us to leap into Indian coffees a few years back, but this year, we're excited to also showcase his washed process for a lovely bit of compare and contrast. In the case of the natural, this is likely the best of the three years we've roasted! Coffees from India are still a relative rarity on US specialty roasters' menus, but coffee in India has a storied history, tracing back further than any country besides Ethiopia and Yemen. Indian coffee dates to the late 1600s when, according to legend, a Sufi pilgrim named Baba Budan smuggled coffee seeds from the Arabian Peninsula, planting them in the Western Ghat mountain range. Despite the long history, we haven't always associated Indian coffees with the qualities we seek out at Huck, and had always steered clear of coffees from mainland Asia. But producers in India, China, and Myanmar, to name a few countries, have raised the bar on the continent, and thanks to some lovely coffees and persistent ear-bending by our friend David at Osito Coffee, we've had to reconsider those preconceived notions. Insert trite reference...traveling to the far east...opening one's mind...in this case about coffee. Saif Ulla's farm, Gundikhan Estate, sits in the same mountains where Baba Budan planted India's first coffee seeds centuries ago, and he's equally passionate about preserving the area's biodiversity as he is its coffee heritage. Saif is a founding member of KaadKaapi Collective, a group of environmentally-conscious farmers aiming to preserve habitats and migration corridors for native animal species. Extremely dense shade cover and the occasional downed tree - courtesy roaming elephants and Gaur (Indian Bison) - make for significantly lower productivity and higher costs, offset by pursuing quality and earning higher prices. This is our third year in a row roasting Saif's natural, and this season is particularly delicious. All three years have had a pleasant natural wine-like acidity and subtle warming spice, but this year, the sweetness and the fruit are a touch cleaner. Add chocolate-covered strawberry and pastry to the mix! And for the first time at Huck, try brewing it alongside Gundikhan Washed for an exercise in contrast! This coffee was subject to a tariff upon import. The higher pricing on this product reflects added tariff costs for both the unroasted coffee and our packaging, while striving to maintain profit margins for wholesale partners who match our retail prices, in their businesses.