The aromas of coffee fill the damp Bengaluru air, bursting into your senses as you step into “Coffeelab”, to meet the 62 year old Sunalini Menon, Asia’s first woman coffee-taster. Coffee tasting or cupping as it’s called, is a relatively young phenomenon in India and has been around for just about forty five years. Menon began her career when the industry was at its nascent stage, grew along with it and is now a prominent leader with several awards and achievements to her credit.

In April 2010, she was awarded the ‘Leadership Medal of Merit’ by the Specialty Coffee Association of America and in April 2014, the “Alfred Peet Passionate Cup” award 2014 was presented at the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) conference for her outstanding achievements in the specialty coffee industry and unique contributions to the association.

In conversation with Sunalini Menon, Asia’s first coffee taster