Zoya Estate - N5 Microlot Naturals

Estate: Zoya Estate 
Region: Chikmagalur, Karnataka
Altitude: 1220 MASL
Varietal: Sl 5B, Chandragiri
Process: 76-hour Anaerobic fermented naturals 
Roast style: Contemporary, Light, Filter 

Tasting Notes – Pineapple, Muskmelon, Cocoa nibs, Floral hints

Thanks to the slew of new processing methods flooding the specialty coffee world, we end up tasting a lot of naturals and heavily processed coffees each harvest. However, only a few grab our interest on the cupping table. We are looking for coffees that take well to our transparent roasting style ( what we often label as “contemporary” in our listings)  and a lot of the boozy/funky coffees just don’t make the cut. To develop all the beautiful complex fruit flavours and syrupy structure while keeping the overt ferment flavours out is an incredibly difficult balance to strike. Lot N5 from Zoya Estate does just that.

Danish Ali, the guy running the show over at Zoya Estate, is doing some seriously impressive work. He took over his family’s 250-year-old farming legacy in the Kudremukh Bio-reserve and injected it with a massive dose of modern coffee science. His farm is a thriving biodiversity hotspot where the coffee grows under a thick, shaded canopy of native fruit trees, entirely chemical-free.

What truly makes this coffee special is the absolute mastery of coffee processing. Pushing an anaerobic fermentation for 76 hours is always a massive gamble. Usually, that’s the point where things get wild and the "funk" starts to overpower the bean. But Danish and his team managed to take this process right to the absolute edge. They coaxed out all those beautiful floral aromatics and intense fruity notes, and stopped the ferment just before any of that boozy, vinegary character could creep in.

The goal with this coffee was to develop the beans just enough so the body is syrupy, while letting the vivid, fruity acidity shine through cleanly. We are very happy with the result. Brew it up on a V60 to get all those jammy notes popping, or if you want to have some fun, dial it in as a modern espresso. It pulls a sweet, sticky, and wildly complex shot that we just can't get enough of.

NOTE: This is an extremely light roast. This type of roast takes about 3 to 4 weeks from roast date to reach its optimal flavour. Rest it well before brewing!