PM Modi's association with tea is well-known. But in his 127th Mann Ki Baat on Sunday he mentioned the Indian coffee.

“You all know about my association with tea, but today I thought, why not discuss coffee in Mann Ki Baat?”

Modi, who often references his early years as a chaiwala serving tea at a railway station, is now championing coffee.

Modi singled out Odisha’s Koraput district for special praise, calling Koraput coffee “truly delectable” and “a pride of Odisha.”

The region, nestled in the Eastern Ghats, has emerged as an unlikely but inspiring hub for coffee cultivation. “Many people from Odisha shared their feelings with me regarding Koraput coffee,” Modi said, adding, “I have been told that Koraput coffee tastes amazing, and not only that; besides the taste, coffee cultivation is also benefiting people.”

According to Modi, the story of Koraput coffee is not just about flavour. “There are people in Koraput who are cultivating coffee through their sheer passion. They were doing handsome jobs in the corporate world, but they liked coffee so much that they entered this field and are now successfully working in it,” he noted.

The prime minister also highlighted the social impact of coffee cultivation in the region, saying that many women’s lives have been “pleasantly transformed” through coffee farming. “They have gained both respect and prosperity through coffee,” he added.

The mention of Koraput wasn’t Modi’s first reference to India’s lesser-known coffee regions.

“You may recall, last year we talked about Araku coffee in Mann Ki Baat,” he reminded listeners. Like Araku in Andhra Pradesh, Koraput has built its reputation on sustainable, shade-grown Arabica cultivated by tribal farmers. These coffees, often marketed as organic and single-origin, are now finding markets across Europe and Asia.

“It has been rightly said: Koraput coffee is truly delectable! This indeed is a pride of Odisha,” Modi reiterated.

While India has long been known as a tea-loving nation, its coffee story is equally rich and deeply regional.

“Be it Chikmagalur, Coorg and Hassan in Karnataka; the areas of Pulney, Shevaroy, Nilgiri and Annamalai in Tamil Nadu; the Biligiri region on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border; or the areas of Wayanad, Travancore and Malabar in Kerala — the diversity of Indian coffee is truly remarkable,” he said.

Karnataka remains the heart of India’s coffee belt, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the country’s production. But new frontiers are emerging. “I have been told that our North-East is also progressing in coffee cultivation,” Modi added.

“Indian coffee is becoming very popular all over the world,” the prime minister observed. “That’s why coffee lovers say: India’s coffee is coffee at its finest. It is brewed in India and loved by the world.”