all coffee grown in india are grown in shade and commonly with two tiers of shade. often inter-cropped with spices such as cardamom, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg, the coffees gain aromatics from the inter-cropping, storage, and handling functions. growing altitudes range between to above sea level for "arabica" (premier coffee), and to for "robusta" (though of lower quality, it is robust to environment conditions). ideally, both "arabica" and "robusta" are planted in well-drained soil conditions that favour rich organic matter that is slightly acidic (ph 6.0–6.5). however, india's coffees tend to be moderately acidic which can lead to either a balanced and sweet taste, or a listless and inert one. slopes of "arabica" tend to be gentle to moderate, while "robusta" slopes are gentle to fairly level.