Anyone who has travelled the Madikeri-Bhagamandala route would not have missed this place. The Talacauvery Eco Coffee Works and Coffee Pub, as they call it, is a small place spread over a cent of land at Kargunda. Perched atop a small hillock on the road to Talacauvery, the holiest place of Kodavas, this place exudes absolute warmth.

The Coffee Pub comes as a welcome break for travellers and drivers who are at their wits’ end manoeuvring the many curves and bad patches of road. What makes people stop by at this place is the idea of a small dose of fresh coffee.

Even as people climb up the kuccha steps towards the place, a group of smiling ladies usher them in and make them feel comfortable on the plastic chairs and tables around. Pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome accorded to them, travellers go easy on their conviction to move after a cuppa.

Just as the smell of lightly spiced masala vadas and bajjis wafts through the air, the decision to start the journey takes another beating. The taste of hot coffee and crunchy snacks is just unmatchable, when coupled with rain and hunger. The place, which opened its doors to travellers just a few weeks ago, is already a major hit with travellers, what with its good eats, clean toilets and superb hospitality.

The beginning

The Coffee Pub, run by six women, is under the auspices of Rajarajeshwari Women’s Self Help Group. Started by about 20 members, the Self Help Group (SHG) was the result of relentless pursuit of six women - Girija Charmana (President), Gowramma (Secretary), M K Leena (Cashier), M K Saroja (Vice President), K K Kumari and K K Zarina (Marketing Directors) - all from affluent family backgrounds, with each of them owning an estate.

They had earlier settled into a cozy life, spending time with family, making numerous trips to Madikeri and Mysore, attending family weddings, waiting for husbands to come back and looking forward to the little time they could spend with their children when they came home for their holidays. “We started this SHG to keep ourselves occupied and do something useful. All of us were looking for something to drive us towards making better use of our time,” says Girija Charmana, tracing the genesis of her SHG in 2002.

According to her, though the Coffee Board officials did sound them out to the idea, they were not too sure if women would do something about it. Kumari, among the early members, decided to take this one step further and worked on the project proposal with Dr Srinivas who was working as a joint liaison officer at Coffee Board in Napoklu.

The meeting was held in a member’s house. The project was submitted and it was approved by the Coffee Board only in 2003. The Board agreed to support them with three machines related to coffee roasting, grinding, blending, mixing and packaging. Each member invested Rs 10,000 from her savings. They raised a loan and bought the machines that cost another Rs 75,000.

“At this juncture, our husbands supported us with all their might. They helped us get the loan, submit the bill and get the re-imbursement. They transported the machines, installed them and tested them for proper functioning. Coffee beans came from our own estates and we started our operation,” says Kumari.

Though initially the SHG focused on ‘promoting Kodagu coffee in the global market’ - the line that seems like a straight lift from the ‘mission and vision’ of some corporate company - they realised that was not all. They started conducting seminars and sessions in various parts of the State and taught people the fine art of making coffee.
“It may sound strange, but not many hotels in this belt of the State serve good coffee. We realised this and ventured out on sharing this art. We met with a very good response,” says Girija.

For the women who did not even venture out of their houses on their own, setting up a business venture, running it efficiently without meeting losses, managing bank transactions and extending business operations has been one huge learning experience. The members are particular about calling general body meetings every month, calculating their profit which revolves around Rs 10,000 per month, compiling annual report and getting their accounts audited. Apart from this, they also take part in charity works such as “Swaccha Grama”, donate a share of the profit to the nearby government school and promote organic products.

“We make non-alcoholic wine from both traditional and unconventional sources. Women like it a lot. Besides, there is hogplum pickle, mango pickle, green pepper pickle and fruit squashes and juices. Our coffee recipe is the most sought after,” says Girija.

Honey, that’s really sweet!

Situated about 4,000–4,500 feet above sea level, nestled snugly among the verdant rainwashed Western Ghats, Bhagamandala is one of the 'must see' places in the State. And all visitors to Bhagamandala do visit Talacauvery, the birthplace of River Cauvery.

Apart from being blessed with nature's bounty, the 30-40 km stretch between Madikeri and Bhagamandala is quite a sight. It is adventurous and breathtakingly beautiful, to say the least. Pretty picture is not all that Bhagamandala is. It also has a central apiary, performing demonstration and research training in modern methods of bee keeping and honey extraction.

Dotted along the road are about 30-40 honey shops, set against the backdrop of tall mountains and lush greenery. In fact, these shops look almost suspended in the air at the end of the road, supported by some poles from beneath. Most of them claim to sell unprocessed honey, handpicked and neatly packed in glass bottles resembling old time whisky bottles. Locals say only some are true to their claims.

The honey here is priced anywhere between Rs 120 and Rs 175 for 750 gm of honey. If you are lucky and can decipher good quality honey from the wild variety, you will never want to go back to the supermarket to pick up branded honey. Your taste buds will never forgive you, if you do. Such is the taste of this dense sweet liquid.

These shops attract one and all, for they are a feast to watch, what with bottles of golden coloured heavenly liquid painstakingly arranged on wooden or iron racks.  They also sell spices like white and black pepper, cardamom, home medicines, pickles, fruit squashes, home made wines and chocolates.

The art of good coffee

Secret recipe to preparing excellent coffee has two secret ingredients. One is filter coffee powder of the combination you prefer, coupled with loads of patience to make a thick decoction. Pour 150 ml boiling water over 100 gm coffee powder in the filter.

Let the decoction stand for a while and percolate. Mix the coffee decoction with fresh milk that is not pre-boiled. Once the solution attains golden colour, stop! Add sugar according to taste and serve in tall glass cups.