Anita Rao KashiTake a four-hour slow train through the Eastern Ghats to discover how a remote hill station is changing the global coffee game.
Even in December, early mornings are rarely pleasant on much of India’s Andhra Pradesh coast. The air is already muggy by 06:30 as a crowd mills restlessly on platform five at Visakhapatnam (Vizag) railway station. However, these would-be passengers are no ordinary commuters, but travellers gathered for an experience. When the Visakhapatnam Kirandul Passenger Special rolls onto the platform, the crowd’s relief is palpable; the two vistadome coaches at the back of the train that they’ve been anxiously waiting to board are air-conditioned.
Indians have only a nodding acquaintance with the concept of…
