Thumbnail Filmstrip of India Ratnagiri Estate Anaerobic Natural Images

About India Ratnagiri Estate Anaerobic Natural

Arrived February 2025, new crop, in grainpro.

This is the first coffee from India that we have offered in quite a few years. It comes from Ratnagiri Estate, Ratnagiri being a Hindi word that translates in English to Pearl Mountain. Thus the coffee is often referred to as Pearl Mountain Estate. The term in Hindi refers to the silvery canopy of oak trees that hover over and provide shade to coffee growing there.

The farm was established over 100 years ago, in 1920, and today is owned by Ashok Patre, grandson of the founder. Modern and sophisticated, Ratnagiri has made big advances in cultivation and processing. In order to harvest only fully ripe coffee, cherries are Brix tested. This coffee is an Anaerobic Natural. Ratnagiri produces a range of preparations from fully washed to experimental naturals and everything in between.

Anaerobic Natural coffees typically put freshly harvested, fully ripened coffee cherries into a sealed, airtight environment. This can be something as simple as grainpro bag or as complex as a custom built steel chamber. Once in that environment, cherries spend several days to a week fermenting and macerating. At the conclusion of this period, cherries are removed and spread on drying tables. Drying usually takes several weeks to dry, requiring that they be turned over multiple times per day for uniform drying and avoidance of mold.

Divya and Ashok Patre, principals of Ratnagiri Estate

The farm is Rainforest Alliance certified, meaning they are good and conscientious environmental stewards of the land. There are three layers of shade cover, which not only makes for slower growing, more flavorful coffee, but also makes it a haven for birds and other animals. Almost 50 bird populations are recorded there and the property hosts many wild animal species including monkeys, wild boar, tigers, leopards and from time to time, elephants. This is one of the leading coffee farms in India.

Country: India
Region: Western Ghats of South India
Subregion: Bababudangiri
Producers: Ratnagiri Coffee Estate
Altitude: 1200 - 1500 meters
Varietal: Catuai
Processing: Natural, with Anaerobic Fermentation
Drying: Raised beds

The Western Ghats are on the southwest coast of India, roughly between 12 to 17 degrees north latitude. The area is a Unesco World Heritage site, a treasured area known for its biodiversity. The city of Chikmagalur, where Ratnagiri coffee is grown, is known as the birthplace of coffee in India and home to much coffee lore. The Bababudangiri region is a mountainous range as well as a pilgrimage site in the Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka, India. It is named after the Sufi saint Baba Budan, who is believed to have introduced coffee to India, part of local and historical coffee lore.

Cup Characteristics: Aromas of roasted peanuts and nutmeg opening to floral perfume and mild patchouli. Fruit flavors of ripe papaya, dried date, green grape and lemongrass. An exotic, fruity mixture.

Roasting notes: Anaerobic processed coffees have more fruit intensity and light treatment will preserve fruity flavors so we recommend pulling the roast before second crack. If your roaster has the ability, extend the development time for about 1 1/2 minutes but pull before second crack should you hear the first sound. Natural coffees proceed through the roasting cycle more quickly. They also have more chaff.