Coffee cherry for this lot was harvested at 24.8 brix. The cherries were floated and then placed in a stainless steel fermentation tank which was purged of oxygen using carbon dioxide. The coffee was allowed to ferment in the tank for 72 hours before being moved to raised beds where it was dried for 28 days. During the drying the coffee was constantly stirred. During our importer Osito’s team's visit to India in February, they aimed to approach their trip with an open mind and few preconceived notions. Despite this, they were blown away by what they experienced, particularly at the Ratnagiri Estate in Chikmagalur, located in the Southwest Indian state of Karnataka. For nearly a century, the Patre family has been the steward of this land, producing specialty coffee and fine pepper. Ashok Patre, the third generation to work the land alongside his wife, Divya, is committed to ensuring the future of the farm by making it one of the most impressive operations we have seen in the coffee-producing world, not just in India. Mr. Patre's processing methods are intentional and impressive. He understands that Indian terroir and varieties can only produce specialty coffee of a particular character and quality. Consequently, he has developed processing methods that manipulate the flavors of the final product to create something unique and exceptional. This approach to coffee processing can sometimes lead to "over-processed" or unclean-tasting coffees, but many of Mr. Patre's coffees are remarkably clean, complex, and interesting, and we feel honored to share them with you.