Our first-ever offering from India comes from Ratnagiri Estate, owned and operated by third-generation coffee producers Ashok and Divya Patre. Single-variety lots can be rare in India, making this 100% Catuai especially distinctive.

Hydro Honey is a newer hybrid process that combines elements of natural, washed, and post-collection honey processing. After the coffee is harvested, the intact cherries are put out to partially dry on shaded raised beds and then placed in tanks with water for a re-hydration stage before being de-pulped, and similar to a honey process, the wet parchment is then dried with most of its mucilage still attached, on raised beds for 33 days.

Ratnagiri Estate is nestled in the Western Ghats of South India, a region known for its extraordinary biodiversity. Located within a tiger reserve, the estate shares this landscape with an abundance of wildlife, making conservation and environmental stewardship an essential part of life and coffee production there.

Ratnagiri is also part of Kaad Kaapi, a small collective of producers in the Chikmagalur and Coorg districts of Karnataka united by a commitment to protecting their natural environment. Its members come from different backgrounds, generations, and faiths, but share the belief that preserving the region’s forests, flora, and wildlife requires a collective effort.

That commitment extends to the way coffee is produced. Ashok employs a small team of microbiologists at the estate to carefully study and monitor fermentation, combining scientific precision with generations of agricultural experience. The result is exceptionally clean, expressive coffee that demonstrates how specialty coffee can support community, conservation, and remarkable quality at the same time.

In the cup, we taste honeydew melon, berries, and grapes coming together with a fruit-punch-like sweetness, all grounded by a smooth milk chocolate base.