Coffee is everywhere at the Tamara, the coffee estate-turned-posh resort in a remote corner of Coorg. It grows around the rooms — strong Robusta nestling alongside the exclusive, hard-to-grow but flavourful Arabica. It’s in my cup, my own blend of plantation beans that I roasted and ground at the old coffee workers’ barrack that has been turned into a miniature coffee factory, coffee paraphernalia boutique and espresso bar, all in one. For the love of coffee, I’m in heaven.
The location is completely otherworldly: The approach begins with a rough drive on meandering Karnataka roads, through lushly forested valleys dotted with paddy fields and plantations, followed by the final, twisting, steep climb up the mountain. The hot season is in full swing elsewhere but here the valley below is swirling with mysterious mist and, later in the day, there’s a short but refreshing thunderstorm. Other than that, it’s quiet. Because of the precarious height of 3,560 feet, children under thirteen are not allowed. So all you get is birdsong in the daytime, insects and frogs doing a choral performance at night.
After a bit of freshening up in my gorgeous pinewood cabin facing a dramatic view down the wooded hillside (all rooms have views but I’m told 112 has the greatest), I head uphill for lunch in the majestically situated, über-stylish The Falls (bar attached). The restaurant overlooks a hypnotic blur of gently swaying treetops and has a glass dance floor. A lavish repast of photogenic food awaits me: top-class tamarind rasam, fish skewers and superb prawn bisque followed by Coorg-style seer fish served with paputtu, an utterly delicious rice and coconut cake to mop up the curry with, alongside a lovely local lime pickle, sweet and tangy. This is followed by, honestly, the best cuppa filter coffee I have ever tasted — home-grown Robusta without chicory, I am told.
While on the subject of food: the restaurant is all-round and the chef knows his cuisines. So say if you’re from Andhra Pradesh and must have chilli chicken with sufficient spice levels, he’ll oblige, while a Mangalorean, I’m assured, will not have to go without his kori gassi. For the adventurous, there are international cuisines such as Thai and Mexican, and I really loved the delicately spiced, cheesy quesadillas with a stuffing of zucchini, which were served with homemade salsa.
But it’s really the nature experience that rules. The resort is spread over a vast 170-acre coffee and spice plantation with waterfalls, picnic spots, dammed ponds and gardens of organic vegetables. The overall layout makes the best use of the natural features. All the new buildings, I am told, are made of sturdy Canadian pinewood and, despite their cosmopolitan provenance, blend in well with the trees and the older plantation buildings. The ancient estate bungalow is in the process of being turned into a spa with sauna, there’s an outdoor yoga space and an in-house yoga teacher from Kerala, and the coffee-drying terraces serve as tennis and basketball courts. If you’re more into adventure, a trekking guide will help you scale the next-door peak of Manje Motte — the Yellow Hill — that stands at 5,400 feet. If you’d like a gentler adventure, book a pre-breakfast birdwatching session with the in-house naturalist. With his assistance, I spotted dozens of species, including parakeets, bulbuls, warblers, flycatchers and even a brahminy kite.
Alongside, the area has interesting sights — history buffs can go to the Nalaknad Palace where the last raja of Coorg made his final stand against the British; wildlife enthusiasts can make daytrips to Nagarhole NP or the Dubare Elephant Camp; the hill station of Madikeri, with its fort and quaint bazaars (shop for coffee, honey, pepper, cardamom and homemade wines in strange flavours) is an hour’s drive off. For a spiritual experience, the source of the Cauvery river is near Bagamandala, or you can drive to Bylakuppe’s Tibetan settlement to view the Golden Buddha and eat momos.
Or just stay put and stroll among the coffee bushes with the affable planter Arun Poovaiah. Mr Poovaiah told me everything I wanted to know about plantations, showed me the raw coffee berries and explained the difference between various qualities. I can’t say that I graduated with a plantation-management degree, but it was the most fascinating afternoon in my coffee-addicted life. After hanging around the espresso machine, churning out my own fresh-roasted, hand-ground espressos with Mr Poovaiah and the resort’s brewmaster, Mr Muthanna, discussing subjects like how much it would cost me to buy my own plantation and what would be the ideal size (five acres, they agreed), I like to think of myself as a caffeine aficionado rather than an addict.
That is the most fascinating thing about Tamara — it is both a slice-of-paradise resort and a Garden of Eden-style working farm. They even have their own milk cows. And did I mention the rooms? The all-pinewood cabins are laid out in pairs along a private serpentine road and seem to float in thin air above the treetops; the view is like a 3D panoramic painting in hues of green. At an altitude of 3,700 feet, there are thirty open-plan Luxury Cottages on stilts (essentially studio apartments of 660 sq ft each), equipped with French coffee presses, writing desks and wi-fi on the house, coffee table with embedded chess board and everything else that you’d expect (such as HD-LCD). In addition, there are six Suite Cottages that are bigger (992 sq ft) and higher at 3,800 ft. The three ultra-luxury Eden Lotus Suites under construction will be vast two-bedroom, 1,839 sq ft villas with sitting rooms and outdoor jacuzzis.
The room rate may appear steep, but then it includes the aforementioned lavish repasts and it’s almost worth it for the coffee alone. Okay, so I’m possibly biased because the setting obviously adds flavour to the coffee, but honestly, how much would you shell out for the perfect cuppa?
The information
Where: Kabbinakad Estate, Napoklu Nad, Yavakapadi Village, Madikeri Taluk, Kodagu; about 100km from nearest railway station, Mysore.
Accommodation: 30 Luxury Cottages, 6 Suite Cottages, 3 Eden Lotus Cottages (under construction); additional rooms are being built and the resort is expected to comprise some 56 rooms in all.
Tariff: Rs 18,000 (Luxury Cottage), Rs 20,000 (Suite Cottage), including taxes and meals.
Contact: 8884000040, thetamara.com