Ratnagiri Estate is often called Pearl Mountain Estate, a name linked to the silvery canopy of trees that shades the coffee below. Established in 1920, the estate is now run by Ashok Patre, grandson of the founder, and his wife, Divya.
Set near Chikmagalur in India’s Western Ghats mountain range, Ratnagiri is one of the country’s leading specialty coffee farms. Its three layers of shade cover slow the growth of the coffee and create habitat for birds and animals across the property.
This lot is dark-room washed, also called mosto-inoculated. It’s technically a washed coffee, but it takes a more unusual route. The cherries first ferment whole for 46 hours. Then the coffee is depulped and fermented again with mosto, a microbe-rich liquid that comes from soaked or fermenting coffee cherries. After that, the parchment is rinsed and dried slowly on raised beds for 21 days.
The process keeps the clean structure of a washed coffee, but adds more body, texture, and dark fruit. That’s where the cup gets its black cherry sweetness, chocolatey depth, and silky feel.
