Limited Ratnagiri Lab Spray India

Limited edition coffees are rare and high-quality small-batch coffees that come from all over the specialty coffee producing world.

This time we get to roast a rarity from one of India's oldest coffee farms, Ratnagiri Estate. Located in the state of Karnataka, the plantation has been owned by the same Patre family since 1927. The estate is currently run by the founder's grandson, Ashok Patre, who has purposefully taken Ratnagiri's processing methods towards more experimental forms.

Ratnagiri means pearl mountain, and the name refers to the silver oaks that shade the coffee trees on the plantations. The coffee grows at an altitude of 1340 meters and the farm grows several varieties, of which the Catuai Arabica variety used in this batch is a low-growing but high-yielding cross between the Mundo Novo and Caturra varieties.

The Ratnagiri farm has its own bioreactor, which can ferment coffee in more precise ways than regular water canisters. The reactor has also been used in this coffee: the coffee berries have been fermented for 36 hours in the reactor with carefully selected microbes, and then the coffee has been washed and dried on raised beds for 25 days before being dehulled and dry-milled.

However, the aromas are not quite as wild as the processing might suggest, but rather a high-quality and balanced specialty coffee. The coffee is juicy, with a fruity candy-like sweetness, a little peach and a hint of dried dates. The mouthfeel is full-bodied and quite pleasant.

Region of origin : India, Karnataka
Farm: Ratnagiri
Varieties: Catuai
Growth altitude: 1340 m
Processing: Bioreactor fermentation for 36 hours, followed by 25 days of drying on raised beds.
Roast level: 2/5