It’s not often that we showcase coffees from India—which is why we’re particularly delighted to present the Riverdale Estate Champagne Natural. This expressive single origin is clean and fruit-forward, with juicy, complex layers and a silky, creamy mouthfeel. Now in its third year on our line-up, it’s a standout example of what makes Indian specialty coffee so exciting right now.
SUITABLE FOR:
Stovetop
Espresso
Plunger
Aeropress
Category: All Espresso, Coffee, Espresso Single Origin, Padre Coffee, Single Origin, Single Origins
Riverdale Estate is located in Yercaud, a hill station high in the Shevaroy Hills of South India. Sitting at 1,450 metres above sea level, the farm is surrounded by forest reserve and nourished by natural spring water. The region is rich in biodiversity, though it faces ecological challenges—namely the overuse of silver oak trees for shade, which can deplete the land. Riverdale takes a more sustainable approach, planting a variety of native shade trees like sandalwood, jackfruit, orange and peppercorn to help prevent soil erosion and support the surrounding ecosystem.
The estate has been in the Balaraman family for around a century, and today it’s run by Prakashan Balaraman, a young and innovative producer with a clear vision for the future of Indian specialty coffee. With a deep respect for nature and a commitment to progress, Prakashan focuses on plant nutrition, biodiversity, and modern farming techniques—while his brother Mohan manages sales and drives the estate’s ethos of quality, transparency and innovation. “We aspire to be a leader in the global coffee industry by creating an environment where innovation, quality and transparency all coexist,” says Mohan.
This microlot, the Champagne Natural, showcases Riverdale’s creative approach to processing. Cherries with a Brix level of 25 or higher are carefully handpicked, triple-washed, and then fermented with Italian champagne yeast for 80 hours. The coffee is then sun-dried on raised beds for up to 30 days before being stored in climate-controlled conditions to maintain quality.
The result is a clean, fruit-driven and creamy cup with notes of malt milkshake, peach, coconut and shortbread. It’s vibrant, textural, and a beautiful example of what’s possible from India’s emerging specialty scene.
India Riverdale Estate 100%
Champagne Natural – SL9 varietals grown and handpicked in the Shevaroy Hills, Tamil Nadu at 1,450 MASL.
MALT MILKSHAKE, PEACH, COCONUT AND SHORTBREAD
This recipe is for espresso and developed on a commercial coffee machine. Use as a guide to achieve your desired flavour preference. If you are unable to reproduce the exact result on your home machine, don’t panic, an alternative is to simply adjust your recipe using the ratio so it works best for your setup.
Espresso
1 – 2 cups daily
250g per week
2 – 4 cups daily
500g per week
6 – 8 cups daily
1kg per week
Note – These guidelines use an estimate of 16–21 grams of coffee to allow for difference in dose size.
If you need help with any of our coffees, please reach out through hello@padrecoffee.com.au and we’ll guide you along through the coffee journey.
Padre Coffee acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their continued connections to land, sea and community.
We pay our respect to Elders past, present and future, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
