Indian coffee is an infinite landscape that we are perpetually exploring only to find new gems that reveal themselves to us season after season. One such gem we encountered this year was Zoya Estate in the Baba Budan Giri region. The family of Ishrath Ali that runs the estate boast experience of almost three centuries of producing coffee in the region. This year, they produced an amazing lot of AAA Naturals comprised of the Selection 795, Chandragiri and Selection 5B varietals. A carefully tailored omni roast profile from our end empowers this coffee with the special ability to taste oustanding across espresso and filter brewing. The cup is characterized by a pleasant cane sugar sweetness, is full-bodied and with taunting hints of peach and lychee.
Berries are handpicked which have achieve ripeness in the range of 90% – 110%. The fermentation done was a mix of 6-hour Aerobic Fermentation followed by 16-hour anaerobic fermentation. The drying time was for a period of 16 days during which the coffee was closely monitored to ensure no undesirable effects were caused by climactic conditions. The beans were rested for a period of 3 – 4 months under cool conditions. Dry milling was done with the help of Mr. Ashok Patre of Ratnagiri Estate. The beans were finally screened and sorted to separate AAA beans the yield a high quality lot with complex characteristics.
Below are a few important notes from the planter,
We grow our coffee in thick and heavy shade. The main reason for the fruitiness and better bean taste in our coffee is the first layer of native fruit trees. These add to the humic acid content of the soil and nourishment.
Our region is at a particular point in the Chandra Drona hill range that, it is relatively dry in the summers and wet for 6-7 months, without any sunlight at all. This double whammy of climate is another reason for the regions superior bean quality, nothing less than an SCA score of 84. The bean maturity is very slow and we traditionally used to start picking on December 25th.
We do not use any herbicide whatsoever, and no use of any harmful chemicals.
The plant varieties grown are Selection 795, Chandragiri and SL 5B, along with a few Catuai, Catimor and Bourbon.
5B is the most dominant variety, which has adapted to the climatic conditions very well and with superior bean characteristics, Brix level around 24-27.
We try to incorporate spiritual practices into our estate growing and how we do business. With the implementation of spirituality into everyday life, we feel effects of every single living organism connected to us and an increase in quality of life and happiness.
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