The smell of coffee can wake your senses, change your mood, and charge you to perform. Most of us cannot get on with our day and even some nights without drinking that cup of coffee, which is the most widely accepted addiction. Coffee plantations and coffee, in general, had always intrigued me and what better place to indulge in coffee debauchery than Coorg, which is invariably the coffee capital of India? We took the 2022 Porsche Macan and dashed from Bangalore airport to Coorg, which is a good 265 km drive.
The drive is a mixed reaction, smooth tarmac, a few broken patches and just before you enter Coorg, the last 40 km or so is a scenic drive to the heavens. The Porsche Macan handles everything confidently and is seriously a machine that can make you forget your destination. All the 260 Horsepower, which comes mated with 500 NM of torque, all-wheel drive, and agility coupled with Porsche luxury, was another form of pure indulgence driving us to Evolve Back.
We did encounter a few broken patches, but the Porsche, with its 175 mm of ground clearance, just neglected everything and kept its composure for the entire drive. Since most stretches have no speed camera, it is primarily self-imposed control on your right foot to go soft on the acceleration pedal. For most, you could take the redline into three digits without even realizing it.
The rear seats, though, do not have acres of legroom, but for the entire drive, the folks sitting behind did not whine, and I could see them smiling. The smile widened when we hit those straight roads laced with 100% oxygen and greenery. The sun rays seeping through the leaves and smashing onto the face was surreal. We switched off the Aircon and took a halt mid-way to take some photos since the traffic was much less and people were adjusting to our Instagram needs.
This was going to be my second visit to Evolve Back Resort after Hampi, and I knew about its luxurious settings and great hospitality. We headed straight for the Coffee Museum while Roshan had put the Hyundai Kona on charge.
We also got an EV out of guilt since it was world sustainability day and knowing that “Evolve Back” had an AC charging on 11kw, which would juice it up entirely before it was time again to head back. Macan needed a good wash, and we needed more coffee!
The coffee museum had a curated masterclass with six types of coffee, starting with a coffee history of Chikmagalure, which produces the best quality Arabica and Coorg, which makes the best quality Robusta. The coffee beans are responsible for all types of coffee. Simply put, Arabica has 50 % less caffeine than Robusta. More aromatic, flavourful and milder coffee. From the plant to the cup, there are a lot of differences between Robusta and Arabica.
Around 70 % of the world’s production is Arabica. All the following coffees that we tasted have a blend of 80% arabica and 20 % robusta. Starting with our favorite Espresso, Italian origin means pressed out. High-pressure water passes through finely ground coffee. It always leaves an aftertaste and is the purest form of coffee without milk and sugar.
The evergreen Cappuccino has one shot of espresso as the base and frothed or aerated milk, preferably cold. We were already high on coffee, but the next one, called Nous Nous - a Moroccan Coffee true to its Arabic meaning of half and half. This combination of half coffee and half milk made us a bit coffee tipsy. All this was followed by another cup of French press, a lighter black coffee where the ratio of coffee powder to water is 1: 15 or 1: 20. One last drink, as they say, and now we were served the traditional south Indian coffee - Filter coffee. It is also called Kaappi, and finally, one for the road was the Vietnamese Iced Coffee in which the main ingredient is condensed milk- crushed ice cubes. We were high, seriously coffee high.
The property had its coffee plantation based on 330 acres of the land parcel. There are only villas with temperature-controlled pools and jacuzzies in every villa—luxury at its best. The next day we went on 4X4 to the coffee plantation, planted a coffee robusta tree, and signed off that I had planted a good deed, which, even after 150 years, will be fighting global warming!
It was time to see some more of Coorg, and the Macan had been rinsed to all its glory. The boot of Macan could absorb three suitcases and a few handbags in its 565 liters of boot capacity, carry four adults and keep its nose up in every corner and speed breaker. Its build quality and suspension set up in a way which could swallow considerable speed breakers and axle breakers alike!
There are plenty of adventurous things to do in Coorg in the right season, but we drove with the Macan for river rafting and, seeing the waters and tide, realized that driving Macan was more fun.Oct-Dec is perhaps the best time to come to Coorg.
We then drove to the oldest Buddhist temple and the Buddhist town and soaked in all the tranquility of coffee, luxury, Porsche and the great hospitality of Evolve Back.
Coorg as a destination is a must-visit whether you’re a coffee connoisseur or not, and if you want a completely luxurious experience, Evolve Back should be on the top of your list.
