India Ratnagiri Estate Catuai - Jeri Carbonic Maceration Natural

Apple, red wine, toffee
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Lot Number P8002159-7
Warehouse Liverpool, UK
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    About This Coffee

    The Hindi word 'Ratnagiri' translates literally to 'Pearl Mountain', a reference to the dense silver oak canopy which crowns this farm. Ratnagiri was established in 1920 and is owned and operated by Ashok Patre, having been passed down from Grandfather, to father to son. Ashok describes the process for this lot as follows:

    "This is a 96-hour extended carbonic maceration natural processed coffee. It is from the Catuai varietal grown on our farm at 4500 feet from the block called Jeri Patte. The Brix of the coffee cherries was 25.4 when harvested and they were put in the stainless-steel fermenters after floater removal. The tanks were then purged with carbon dioxide gas and the coffee was fermented for 96 hours. 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 27 days."

    We have partnered with Ratnagiri Estate for 6 straight seasons and there are no prizes for guessing why: this farm is consistently producing the best Indian coffees on our cupping table, season after season.

    Origin India
    Subregion Bababudangiri, Western Ghats
    Producer Type Single Estate
    Farm Name Ratnagiri Estate
    Processing Natural/Dry Processed
    Growing Altitude 1800m - 2000m
    Plant Species Arabica
    Variety Catuai
    Screen Size 15 Up
    Bag Types Grain Pro / Ecotact

    The Producer

    Ashok Patre is a progressive. Well-travelled and bursting with initiative, he has drawn inspiration from elsewhere to step beyond the boundaries of traditional Indian coffee cultivation and processing. Brix levels are tested before harvesting. Processing includes natural, honey and fermentation experiments alongside the traditional washed.

    For all intents and purposes Ratnagiri Estate is an organic/biodynamic farm and also maintains official Rainforest Alliance Certification. Quarterly soil tests and organic corrections to soil are applied. Ionic seawater and sea weed extract are applied to improve plant immunity and sugar levels of the fruit. 

    The estate is a lush shaded environment with 3 stories of shade. It is home to over 48 recorded bird populations, monkeys, leopards, wild boar, tigers, mongoose and - on occasion - elephants. The rich biodiversity demands that Ashok and his family have an approach to farming which places ecology and harmony with the environment at the forefront. This is a world class farm, truly one of the leading in India and a great example of Olam and the farmer working together to engineer excellence.

    History of Coffee in India 

    If coffee was born in Ethiopia and grew up in Yemen, then it left home to make its own way in the world through India in the 17th Century, when Baba Budan, returning from a pilgrimage to Mecca, smuggled seven beans and planted them in hills of the Chikkamagaluru district, a hill region now known as Baba Budan Giri. Green coffee cultivation grew slowly in India and the first formal plantations were established by the British in 1840 in the same region where the first coffee was planted. 

    Over the years, repeated battles with leaf rust and an emphasis on yield caused India to increase planting Robusta and prioritize shade growing conditions. Today, India grows more than twice as much Robusta as Arabica and nearly all coffee is grown under shade, much of it in forest conditions. Over 21% of India’s coffee is exported to Italy, where Robusta has long been a part of traditional espresso blends. In recent years, Olam has been finding coffee for the specialty market. India is poised to attract increasing attention from specialty markets, and not only because quality is quickly improving. Coffee plantations in India are home to abundant wildlife, including tigers and elephants, because of the forest-like conditions. Compared to shade grown coffee in other parts of the world, coffee in India is grown in dense shade conditions, and almost intercropped with peppercorn, cardamom, areca nut, oranges, bananas, and other crops.

    • Subregion Bababudangiri, Western Ghats
    • Farm Name Ratnagiri Estate
    • Producer Type Single Estate
    • Processing Natural/Dry Processed
    • Bag Types Grain Pro / Ecotact
    • Plant Species Arabica
    • Variety Catuai
    • Min Growing Altitude 1800m
    • Max Growing Altitude 2000m
    • Screen Size 15 Up
    • On Sale No
    • Top Lot No
    • CTRM Contract Number P8002159-7
    • Origin India
    • Warehouse Covoya Nano