Anniversary Special Edition pt. 4 - India Ratnagiri Estate lot RM-43

As part of our 10th Anniversary coffee selection, we've transported you to Guatemala, Kenya and Brazil through the tasting notes that each of these beans possesses. For the fourth coffee in the series, we're taking you to India - specifically the Indian Ratnagiri estate. 

The origins of coffee are a combination of hard fact, myth and lore dating all the way back to the 15th century. Most agree however, that coffee originated in Africa  before making its way to the Arabian peninsula. As time and trade progressed, coffee beans eventually made their way to India, sparking the country's love affair with the bean. 

It took British colonial rule in the 18th century to turn coffee into a serious business. Commercial plantations were established to export beans, cementing India's contribution to the coffee industry. Two hundred years later, India has become one of the world's largest coffee exporters.  

Very early on, South India became known as the foremost region where superior coffee was grown. The climate is perfect for the industry, which is another reason as to why the crop that is grown in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu is preferred over other regions. 

It is in this region that the Ratnagiri Estate is located, specifically within the Western Ghats. Directly translated to "Pearl Mountain," Ratnagiri benefits from a landscape of dense silver oaks that provide shade to the coffee estate, which turns out a consistent specialty grade coffee, year on year. The estate was set up in 1927 and has since been owned and managed by multiple generations of the Patre family, who have painstakingly perfected their coffee crop for all to enjoy. 

Words from our head roaster, Gideon Canido -

For lot RM-43, it was processed as Carbonic Maceration Intenso Natural, which goes as follows: 

This is a 98-hour extended yeast fermented natural processed coffee. It is from the Catuai varietal grown on the farm at 4400 feet from the block called Silvermara Patte. The Brix of the coffee cherries was 23.6 when harvested and they were put in the stainless-steel fermenters after floater removal. A particular strain of yeast called Intenso from Lalcafe was added to the coffee in the fermenters and allowed to ferment for 98 hours in a carbon dioxide rich environment, also known as carbonic maceration. After removing the coffee, they were directly put on raised beds for slow drying. The coffee was then dried slowly with constant stirring over the next 26 days.