Ratnagiri Estate - White Flowers
Description
MEET THE PRODUCER | We are thrilled to welcome our very first offering from India to the menu! We owe our thanks to members throughout the coffee community (Ocito, Verve, and Counter Culture) for making us aware of the incredible work being done at Ratnagiri Estate and helping to get this coffee in our hands.
Ratnagiri Estate was founded by the Patre family in 1927, and its current owner - Ashok Patre - took the reins in 1989. In the 35 years that have followed, Ashok has made it his mission to revolutionize the way coffee is produced at Ratnagiri and throughout India, having transitioned the estate toward specialty coffee production and utilizing processing techniques (like this one!) which were previously uncommon or even unheard of in India before his tenure began. Today, Ratnagiri Estate is made up of about 60% specialty coffee production consisting of four different varieties, and over 15 different processes are being utilized on the farm. These are the kind of developments that make us not just optimistic, but outright excited, about the future of specialty coffee production in novel places all over the world.
TRUST THE PROCESS | You've seen a lot of co-fermented coffees come across our menu in recent years, but this one (like the origin of the coffee itself!) is a first. After being hand picked at peak ripeness, the coffee cherries are floated to remove any lower-density beans. Next, they get loaded into stainless steel tanks along with lactic acid bacteria and actual flowers (fresh rose, jasmine, and lavender) and left to ferment in a CO2-rich environment for 72 hours. After fermentation, the coffee is spread out on raised beds for slow-drying, which takes about 29 days.
TAKE A SIP | Having been co-fermented with actual flowers, it is unsurprising to note here that this coffee is heavily floral, almost perfume-like, in nature. White flowers are obvious, but more nuanced flowers, like chamomile, are also present. The subtle citrus reminds us of oranges, and there's a praline-like sweetness reminiscent of almond toffee. The whole experience is fun, vibrant, and interesting, and it all makes for an excellent "first sip" if you've never had the pleasure of sipping anything other than tea from its origin.
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Origin | Chikmagalur District, Karnataka, India
Producer | Ashok & Divya Patre
Farm | Ratnagiri Estate
Process | Co-ferment
Variety | Catuai
Elevation | 1335 masl
