Coffee in the house

BANGALORE: For many across the globe coffee is an integral part of life. A cup of coffee in the morning brightens one’s day. Even Bangalore marks the coffee culture with many coffee houses in and around the city. But have we ever thought about the history of coffee, facts about coffee culture or the planters’ corner? Here is a book for those who for coffee lovers. The Romance of Indian Coffee, by P T Bopanna offers a 360 degree view of Indian coffee. The author of the book has not penned his viewpoint about the cultivation of the crop rather he said, “The cultivation portion is uncovered in the book, because coffee  has always been grown as a commercial crop in India for nearly two centuries. The planters are aware of the method of  cultivating the crop.”He explained that labour problem persisted for a very long time. There were not many books that updated coffee planters about the current developments in the market and solutions to tackle these issues. When asked about his intention of publishing a book, he said that there were plenty of coffee planters around the country but they are unaware of the facts regarding the history of the beverage. The author who has already published four books catered mainly to Coorg region. He opines coffee is the most common beverage all over the country. He added, “I wanted to empower local community and expand the knowledge of people about coffee, a brewed beverage. I also wanted to expand the canvas not just being Coorg centric.” In this book, Bopanna has highlighted the ‘pooling system’ which was introduced by Ivor Bull, a British planter from Kodagu during second world war to save coffee industry. He said, “Interplanting coffee with other crops benefits people  and helps them  earn more revenue when the demand for the coffee is low.”Having already published four books he opined that this book caters to all coffee lovers. He said that writing is a best way to express oneself. This book has also featured expert opinions by market experts and agricultural scientists like Harish Bijoor,  Dr Anand Titus Pereira and Geeta Nanaiah Pereira. The book also gives recipes for coffee.