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Bold Blends

Whistling Schoolboy

Whistling Schoolboy

510.00 INR
510.00 INR
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Grind Size Chart

Recommended Brewing Method for Whistling Schoolboy
coldbrew
frenchpress
channi
chemex
aeropress
pourover
homeespresso
indianfilter
drip
mokapot
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Know Your Coffee

COFFEE Arabica and Robusta beans with 20% Chicory

This is our take on traditional South Indian filter kaapi! A blend of Arabica and Robusta beans with 20% chicory, offering a well-rounded flavour with just a hint of chicory, perfect when brewed as filter coffee with a dash of milk and jaggery or palm sugar. Please note that the Chicory is the only non-organic component of this coffee.

FLAVOUR NOTES Milk Chocolate, Roast Almonds, Hazelnut

BREW Currently enjoying Whistling Schoolboy in an Indian Filter

RECIPE Brew 15g of medium-fine ground coffee in a South Indian filter, filling the upper chamber with hot water and allowing it to drip slowly. Optional: Serve the extracted decoction with steamed milk and jaggery to taste.

NOTE The 'best brewed with' list suggests methods for the best cup, but isn’t restrictive—this coffee can be ground and brewed however you prefer.

  • BR Hills, Karnataka + Wayanad, Kerala + Jamnagar, Gujarat

  • Moist Deciduous, Wet Evergreen & Unforested

  • 1200MSL, 700 MSL & 17MSL

  • Washed & Naturals

  • SLN9 & Kent

  • Medium Dark
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Transparently Traded

ORIGIN BR Hills, Karnataka, Wayanad, Kerala & Jamnagar, Gujarat

GROWER Sannarangegowda

ABOUT The components of this coffee have travelled far and wide across the country! Sannarangegowda, one of the key producers behind this coffee, has been a core member of the Black Baza team from the start. His coffee, much like his personality, is full of panache, and we honestly don't know what we'd do without him.

PRICE PAID IN 2025

Rs 900/kg ~ $10.5/kg for equivalent green coffee

2.3x the Fair Trade minimum price

Our price isn’t driven by speculative markets but reflects quality and the growers' commitment to biodiversity-friendly farming. Our higher price floor ensures a more sustainable income for farmers.

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The namesake

NAME Malabar Whistling Thrush

BINOMIAL NAME Myophonus horsfieldii

CONSERVATION STATUS Least Concern (IUCN)

WHY WHISTLING SCHOOLBOY The Malabar Whistling Thrush has blue-black iridescent plumage that shimmers in the sun. It is found in the forests and hill streams of the Western Ghats. It is affectionately known as Whistling Schoolboy (a nickname coined by Dr Salim Ali!) because the whistling calls these birds make sound surprisingly human-like. The bird may sing long, elaborate songs at dawn and dusk, but during the rest of the day, it utters sharp single or two-note whistles. The Malabar Whistling Thrush is most often seen near water, where it feeds on insects, small amphibians, and fruits. As both a predator and seed disperser, it plays a role in maintaining forest health.

Photographs: Shantanu Kuveskar (CC-BY-SA-4.0) | Radha Rangarajan

FAQs

Have questions? We’ve got answers! Here are some of the questions people have had about Whistling Schoolboy. If you have more, check out our FAQs page or feel free to contact us!

How does Whistling Schoolboy taste different from your other coffees? -

This is our version of South Indian filter coffee. With 20% chicory, this is a rich, aromatic brew known for its bold, full-bodied flavour and velvety texture. The blend of dark roasted coffee and roasted chicory root, adds a slightly nutty, earthy depth and a hint of bitterness. This combination is similar to New Orleans-style chicory coffee, where chicory is added to mellow the coffee’s acidity and enhance its body.

Are all your coffees organic? -

While not all our coffees are certified organic, every kilo we source and roast is grown without chemical pesticides, fertilisers, weedicides, or fungicides. Organic certification can be prohibitively expensive for the smallholder producers we work with, but we ensure our practices align with organic principles. You can view a lab report here.

What is the best way to store this coffee? -

The best way to store your coffee is in an airtight, opaque container kept in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight and moisture. For optimal freshness, we recommend transferring the coffee from its biodegradable bag into an airtight canister. We suggest that you avoid storing coffee in a fridge or freezer. Moving beans in and out of the freezer every time you make coffee can introduce moisture to the beans, resulting in potential mold growth and degradation of the coffee.

Do you have light, medium and dark roast options? -

We offer a variety of roast levels, including dark, medium, and light, each highlighting unique flavour profiles. Dark roasts are rich and robust with deep, chocolatey notes, medium roasts balance natural flavours with a smooth body, and light roasts are bright and aromatic, preserving the beans' natural acidity. Whether you prefer bold, balanced or delicate flavours, we've got you covered!

Why are there white flakes when I grind my coffee? -

The light tan flakes you see are coffee chaff, a natural by-product of the roasting process. Chaff is a parchment-like layer from the centre of the coffee bean and is more noticeable in lighter roasts, as darker roasts burn off most of it. When ground, chaff appears as lighter specks mixed with coffee grounds—it’s perfectly safe to brew and won’t affect your coffee or grinder.

Our coffee is in collaboration with people and nature

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