India's second-largest coffee district after Kodagu, and traditionally where coffee growing in the country began.
Chikmagalur (officially Chikkamagaluru) is a 7,201 km2 district in Karnataka, and is the district traditionally credited as the birthplace of coffee growing in India through the Baba Budan legend. It is India's second-largest coffee-producing district after Kodagu and leads in arabica cultivation. Coffee Board research has a long base here, at the Central Coffee Research Institute near Balehonnur. Chikmagalur Arabica Coffee is a registered GI (2018-19). ICB lists typical Chikmagalur coffee at roughly 700-1,200 m, mostly S.795, Selection 9 and Cauvery.
Field notes
- i
Chikmagalur contains Mullayanagiri (1,926 m), the highest point in Karnataka.
- ii
Rainfall varies sharply across the district, from around 5,000 mm a year in the west to under 1,000 mm in the east.
- iii
The Central Coffee Research Institute near Balehonnur grew out of the Mysore Coffee Experimental Station set up in 1925, which the Coffee Board took over in 1946 and renamed.
- iv
The town's official spelling became Chikkamagaluru in November 2014, one of 12 Karnataka place names changed together.
- v
The Coffee Board counted 97,582 ha of coffee in Chikkamagaluru in 2022-23, about 57% of it arabica, and its 55,225 ha of arabica was the largest of any zone in the Board's table.
In the cup, according to guides
- ChocolateOften notedDark chocolate and caramel lead the cup notes most often reported for Chikmagalur lots.
Within Chikmagalur
Sources · 11 Every sentence here was checked against a source we read. Taste notes are what guides describe, not promises about your bag. Last revised 2026-11-10.
- Chikmagalur district · Wikimedia Foundation
- Names of twelve Karnataka cities changed · Deccan Chronicle
- Bangalore is officially Bengaluru from today · The News Minute
- Coffee production in India · Wikimedia Foundation
- Coffee Regions of India: A Complete Guide · Indian Coffee Beans (roaster/retailer)
- Geographical indications in India · Wikimedia Foundation
- Indian Coffee Regions · Coffee Geography Magazine
- Database on Coffee, July 2023 · Coffee Board of India, Market Intelligence Unit
- Coffee Board of India: coffee regions and grades · Coffee Board of India
- Research | Coffee Board of India · Coffee Board of India
- Winners list, Flavour of India Fine Cup Award 2014 · Coffee Board of India