Washed was the most common process this fortnight — 15 of the 39 new lots, after two cycles that leaned experimental. Read on its own, that looks like an answer to the thread. It is not.

Cross the process against the roast level and the washed lots sit almost entirely at medium and darker: eight medium, five medium-dark or dark. Of the 15 new coffees roasted light or light-medium, two are washed — Fraction 9's whiskey-barrel-aged Kalathgiri, and El Bueno's Kerehaklu Culture Washed. The other 13 are naturals, co-ferments or experimentals.

One fortnight is not a trend, and five of the 39 arrived without a process recorded. But on this sample the complaint holds: if you want a washed coffee roasted light in India, the catalog is not offering you much.

6  El Bueno Coffee
4  Fraction 9 Coffee
3  Home Blend Coffee Roasters
3  Rossette Coffee
3  Broot Coffee
3  Roast Coffee

Boojee Cafe

Mumbai, Maharashtra

Boojee joined the directory on 2 August. They roast in small batches in Mumbai and run five cafés across Bandra, Fort, Worli and Mount Mary, with matcha, bakery and gift hampers alongside the coffee, plus custom roast profiles and white-label work for other businesses. Two coffees listed on ICB so far, so this is an early look rather than a full catalogue.

45 comments, and the most useful disagreement of the fortnight. The original poster called it a standout for filter and reordered. A second drinker ran the same sampler three times, got a flat cup with no discernible notes each time, and gave up on it. What separated them turned out to be equipment rather than taste: the flat brews were on a V60, while another commenter reported it working consistently on a Deep 27 at 90–92°C. One lot, two dial-ins, two conclusions.

A drinker with a new sampler asked about resting periods and grind size for Aeropress and moka. A commenter posted guidance they had received directly from Kapi Kottai: rest Mohanakalyani seven days, the other two fourteen, with the cup consistent from day eight but changing noticeably for the better from day fourteen. Attributed to the roaster rather than to the sub, which makes it one of the few resting numbers for Indian light roasts written down anywhere.

Someone moving off instant sachets asked how to reach unsweetened black without the harshness. The sub did not point them at filter. Across 28 comments the repeated answer was cold brew — coarse grind, or the single-serve sachets that work like tea bags — on the grounds that it is smoother and more forgiving while the palate adjusts. One commenter offered a pinch of salt to cut bitterness in a hot brew.

KNN India, reporting Coffee Board figures. The 2025–26 projection of 403,000 tonnes is a record, but the split is the more useful number for anyone reading this: roughly 118,000 tonnes arabica against more than 284,000 tonnes robusta. Exports rose 26.6% year on year to 1.74 lakh tonnes over January–April, led by robusta and instant, reaching more than 140 countries. The specialty arabica that fills this directory sits inside the smaller share.

If you drink your coffee black now, what got you there?

A tea drinker of ten years asked that question this fortnight and was pointed at cold brew rather than filter as the gentler way in. Hit reply and tell us whether that matches how it went for you, or what actually did it. If enough of you answer, the spread goes in the next issue.