FIRST DAY - India

India, Bababudangiri, Western Ghats
Varietal: Hemavathi
Process: 96-hour yeast fermentation, Natural
Altitude: 1350masl

Ratnagiri Estate sits high in the Pearl Mountains of the South Indian Western Ghats near Bababudangiri, the very hills where coffee first took root in India and has been in the Patre family since the 1920s. Under Ashok Patre’s stewardship, the estate blends deep respect for its rich, biodiverse rainforest environment with modern specialty processing, earning Rainforest Alliance certification and pioneering experimental fermentations that highlight the unique character of Indian Arabica. This Hemavathi lot is a yeast-fermented natural that shines with ripe tropical sweetness and candy-like brightness, a testament to precision harvesting and careful extended fermentation. Beyond the cup, choosing this coffee supports a producer committed to sustainable farming, ecological harmony and lifting India’s specialty coffee presence on the world stage, helping secure fairer opportunities and long-term resilience for the farm’s workers and the surrounding community.