Every coffee counter has that one bag that never quite runs out, because the moment it starts looking light, somebody in the house has already ordered the next one. In ours, that bag is Araku Selection.
Now, if you have read a little about me, you know I usually go chasing light, fruity, acidic coffees. This is not that. This is the most coffee-coffee you could imagine, and once you pull it as an espresso, it becomes very hard to stop reaching for it.
About the Roaster
Araku has been one of our go-to roasters for as long as I can remember. What keeps me coming back is freshness. Every single time we have ordered, the batch has been roasted barely a week or ten days earlier, which means the coffee arrives at our doorstep right at its peak instead of limping in past its prime.
Their outlet in Indiranagar, Bangalore, deserves its own mention. It is simply beautiful, and the experience there is sublime. Grab a seat at the bar counter and you get a front-row view of the barista at work, pulling shots from those sleek under-counter machines where only the elegant spouts rise above the surface. Oh, it just tickles my fancy.
Shopping on their website is refreshingly simple. You pick your roast preference, you pick your flavour profile, and you are done. No overwhelming wall of options, just a tight line-up where every coffee is done right. Well, almost everything is done right, but more on that in a moment.
This happens to be my sister’s favourite coffee and, by a distance, the most re-ordered coffee our household has ever had. We loved it so much that we signed up for the 15-day subscription on the Araku website. Shame, then, that despite paying for the subscription, a glitch on their end meant it never actually got going. After we mailed Araku about it, they shipped us one bag. So, Araku, the coffee is wonderful; the subscription system could do with a little love.
About the Beans
| Bean Characteristics | Description |
| Roast Level | Medium Dark Roast |
| Process | Natural, Honey & Washed |
| Origin | India – coffee plots closest to the Araku habitations, grown under silver oak shade entwined with pepper vines |
| Roaster’s Tasting Notes | Caramel, Honey, Dark Chocolate, Sugarcane |
| Bean Appearance |  |
| Roast Consistency | Even, matte medium dark brown across the batch with no oil on the surface; a little silverskin tucked into the creases of some beans. |
About the Brewed Coffee
| Characteristics vis-à-vis Brewing Methods | Espresso | V60 Switch & AeroPress |
| Recipe | 18g in – 36-40g out (1:2 – 1:2.2 ratio) | – |
| Taste & Texture | Thick, luscious body with a creamy crema and a silky, velvety mouthfeel. High sweetness, little acidity and a measured bitterness that suits the roast level. | Plenty of flavour, but plenty of bitterness too, with little to none of the silky texture this coffee is capable of. |
| Tasting Notes (in order of perception on the palate) | Chocolate, Caramel (on the tongue as much as in flavour), lingering sweetness, gentle roasty bitterness | Flavourful, but the bitterness dominates the cup |
| Visuals |    | – |
My Honest Review
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: this is the most coffee-coffee you could imagine. A thick, luscious body, crema that is creamy-creamy, little acidity, generous sweetness and a beautiful mouthfeel. Yes, there is a certain bitterness lurking in there, but at this roast level that is part of the deal, not a flaw. In fact, this is the perfect coffee for a Cortado or a Cappuccino.
I started by running it through my V60 Switch, and then through the AeroPress. Both times I walked away with the nagging feeling that this coffee had far more to give than I was getting out of it. Here is the thing: Selection has a lot of texture to offer, but also a lot of bitterness waiting in the wings, and balancing the two is how you win this coffee over. The V60 Switch and the AeroPress gave me plenty of flavour, but plenty of bitterness along with it, and little to none of that silky texture that makes this bag special.
Then I put it through the espresso machine at a good old traditional ratio of 1:2 to 1:2.2 (18g of coffee in, 36 to 40g of espresso out), and the coffee finally showed its true colours. The body turned velvety, the crema thick and glossy, and the shot coated the palate like warm, melted chocolate. It genuinely feels as though Araku built this coffee for exactly this purpose. No experimentation needed: go traditional and it rewards you.
On the palate it is unmistakably chocolatey and caramelly, and that caramel is not just a flavour; you can almost feel it as a texture on the tongue. The aroma alone engulfs my entire kitchen the moment the shot starts running. Being a darker roast, it is relatively easy to extract, but don’t get complacent. You still need to dial in your grind size to unlock the best of both taste and texture.
So, who is it for? If you own an espresso machine and want a dependable chocolate-and-caramel workhorse, or you make milk drinks like a Cortado or a Cappuccino, this is your bag (yes, you). Who should skip it? If you only brew filter and chase bright, fruity acidity, Selection will feel heavy and bitter through a V60 or AeroPress, and you will spend more time fighting it than enjoying it.
As for me, I absolutely love this coffee. Until I find a better replacement, Araku Selection remains a permanent fixture on my coffee counter.
Till then, Drink Up!
Gear used: Breville Barista Express, Baratza Encore ESP, Hario V60 Switch, AeroPress.
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