Coffee Museum - Chikmagalur

By Indian Columbus - July 01, 2017

If you are from India, especially South India, you would love coffee. Once you wake up and smell the coffee, it's hard to go back to sleep, right? A Turkish proverb states, "Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death and sweet as love."

Chikmagalur, one of the loveliest places in India, is the true land of coffee. There is a unique Coffee Museum located in Chikmagalur.

Coffee Museum is an initiative by the Coffee Board of India. This museum offers many interesting aspects of coffee in terms of its history and tradition.

A fascinating documentary directed by the Cine director Rajeev Menon is on display. The documentary talks about the origin and growth of coffee in India.

The museum is co-located with the training center in a lush, greenery place. The vibrant and colorful posters depict various information about Coffee. One particular poster depicts the Cofee map of India, which gives us an insight into the traditional areas where coffee is grown.

In the evaluation center, the staff explains the process of evaluating the coffee beans and how the final product is produced.

We get to see varieties of coffee seeds based on their regions, qualities and other classifications. The sample machines used in the coffee industry are also on display.

The highlights of Coffee history as displayed in the museum.

Coffee berry was accidentally discovered in Ethiopian highlands in 850 BCE.
In 1000 CE, the Arabian traders brought coffee to their land.
In 1475 CE, Kiva Han, the world's first coffee shop, was opened in Turkey.
Turkish law allowed women to divorce their husbands if they failed to provide them with coffee.
In the 1600s, coffee houses became intellectual forums. They were called Penny Universities.
In 1675 CE, the Sufi saint Baba Budan planted seven seeds of Mocha in the Chandragiri hills of Chikmagalur. The saga of Indian Coffee began with this incident.
In 1690 CE, the Dutch smuggled coffee plants and cultivated them commercially in Ceylon and Java.
In 1773 CE, the British brought coffee to the USA.
In 1820 CE, the British set up commercial plantations in India.
In 1882 CE, the prototype of the first espresso machine was made in France.
In 1906 CE, the first mass-produced instant coffee was created by George Constant Washington, an English Chemist. This brand was called Read E Coffee.
L.C. Coleman could be considered the Father of organized coffee research in India. He established the Mysore Coffee Experimental Station in Chikmagalur in 1925 CE.
In 1938 CE, Nescafe instant coffee was invented.
In 1942 CE, the Coffee Board was established.