Gemstones taste like pineapple. Juicy sweet and pleasantly sparkling. They have lovely, light anise notes of liquorice and a creamy texture like a papaya. Gemstones are called “chames” in the English “chamois” and they are best roasted at 210°C for 12 minutes. Gems of Araku is the crowning glory of Indian coffee harvest. The competition curated by the Naandi NGO rewards both the best microlots from the Araku Valley and the producers behind the coffees. This year, over 1,800 microphones were evaluated by an international jury. We were a part of it and are very proud that we were in the subsequent auction the 4. First place could be achieved. Mathayaraju and Padma Jangidi produced this coffee. They come from the village of Geddavalasa and started their coffee trip in 2009. Their 1 hectare farm is carefully planned and maintained. Cabtches elevated perpendicular to the slope ensure that maternal earth and mulch are collected in the rain. The organic matter in these ditches can decompose, whereby the coffee regains its entire value. One of the main reasons for the farm's success is the adequate organic carbon in the soil of 1.4%. This indicates a healthy soil, nutrient availability and the presence of an active microbial community. The yield has doubled since then. This gives the family additional income. With these positive results, the duo plans to expand their coffee farm and make a generous contribution to the world of specialty coffee. Insights to the Gems of Araku competition Since 2009, the event has helped bring together over 40 coveted international jurors and Araku artisanal farming experts to perfect the quality of coffee. In the pursuit of excellence, the produtzents of Araku have continuously built on these findings and refined their individual coffee terroirs to improve the health of coffee bushes, build organic carbon in the soil and regenerate the Araku coffee landscape. As the soil is richer and the coffees become more complex, the best microlots of Gems of Araku have received up to 94 out of 100 possible SCA points. The event is currently taking place on the 15th anniversary of the event. The former chief judge of the Cup of Excellence and Araku mentor Sherri Johns is held and held by the former chief judge of the Cup of Excellence. Insights to the Araku Valley All coffees are grown in the ancestral terroirs of the Araku region, the Eastern Ghats, in southern India. This remote region is located at 900m-1400m above sea level in the Visakhapatnam district in Andhra Pradesh and has been the home of indigenous tribes for centuries. In the early 1920s, the British brought coffee to the region. A few decades ago, the area caused a loss of biodiversity. A formerly rich ecosystem became an ecologically fragile zone with abysmaller low literacy rates, high infant and maternal mortality, and unrest in the form of violent uprising movements against government agencies. In the early 2000s, the Naandi Foundation, one of India's largest non-profit organizations, invested. Naandi has been working with Araku's tribal farmers for two decades and now works with 300,000 farmers in 1460 villages. From the creation of biodivers farms to the fight against climate change to the creation of sustainable pathways for long-term profits, the Araku transformation journey is truly unique. Araku is home to one of the world's largest certified organic fairtrade coffee plants with 100% Arabica coffee. In addition to coffee, the farmers in Araku have planted over 33 million trees of 22 different species. What began as a practice on small plots has become widespread in the last 22 years. Year after year, the finest Arabicas are grown on small plots. The chemical-free, regenerative agriculture promotes these sorted coffee plantations. In harmony with nature and in-house experts, the producers have also worked hand in hand with global experts to build up their traditional knowledge and continuously improve the quality of the beans.