Those opening their mail in India will soon have the scent of coffee to look forward to, but without having to pour a cup themselves.
The Coffee Board and India Post launched a coffee-scented stamp in Bengaluru on Sunday. The Rs100 ($1.55) stamps, featuring beans, a cup of the brew and the word COFFEE, is on sale via the India Post's website, plus 84 "philatelic bureaus" across the country. Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Telecom Minister Manoj Sinha launched the stamps at the General Post Office.
An ad for the launch posted on Twitter by the Coffee Board states: "Sent the aroma of coffee to your loved ones. Who would you gift these scented coffee stamp?" and the board claimed in a tweet that people were already queuing to buy the stamps.
It isn't the first time India has introduced stamps that smell. According to The Hindu website, a sandalwood-scented stamp was launched in 2006, with rose-fragranced varieties following in 2007.
India's coffee is exported worldwide, with Italy being the number one destination, taking 25 percent of exports in 2015-16, according to the India Coffee website. Nearly nine percent goes to Russia, in second place, while only 1.8 percent goes to the U.S.
Starbucks and Costa both have stores in India as well as Café Coffee Day, which also has a range of upscale holiday resorts in the country. But tea is still hugely popular in the country, with Indians each drinking 176.6 cups per year in 2015, compared to only 16.6 cups of coffee, according to Euromonitor figures.
This year has seen a global shortage in the supply of coffee, for the third year in a row, according to the International Coffee Organization.