Something Is Definitely Off With This Coffee…
Coffee: Ratnagiri Estate – Bababudangiri
Roaster: Quick Brown Fox Coffee Roasters
Variety: SLN 9
Process: Thermal Shock Natural + Bioreactor with Lab-Inoculated Microbes
Roast: Filter
Tasting notes: Raspberry • Apricot • Plum
I really wanted to like this one.
When I opened the bag, the aroma was actually fantastic. Very intense, fruity and almost perfumey. It smelled like it was going to be a really interesting cup.
But once I brewed it, something just felt off.
I’m getting the fruit, but to me it comes across as very synthetic rather than naturally fruity. Instead of fresh raspberry, apricot or plum, I’m getting something closer to artificial fruit flavouring. There’s also a slightly strange processed character that I can’t quite put my finger on.
And I don’t want to immediately blame the processing either. This is quite an experimental coffee — thermal shock + bioreactor fermentation with lab-inoculated microbes — so I expected it to be funky and unusual. But there’s a difference between funky and interesting and something that doesn’t quite sit right.
The roast also doesn’t feel completely dialled in to me. Maybe I’m wrong, but the cup doesn’t have the clarity and integration I’d expect from a filter roast.
The packaging didn’t help my impression either. The sticker is already peeling off, and I couldn’t find a roast date on the bag. For an experimental micro-lot like this, I’d really like to know when it was roasted and have a little more information about the lot.
To be clear, I’m not saying Ratnagiri Estate is bad, and I’m not saying Quick Brown Fox is bad. In fact, I’ve heard good things about both, and QBF has several other Ratnagiri coffees in its lineup.
It could simply be this particular lot, the roast, freshness, my brewing, or just my palate.
But after several cups, my conclusion is pretty simple:
Something is definitely off for me with this coffee.
Would I buy it again? No.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆ 6/10
I’m curious though — has anyone else tried this exact Ratnagiri SLN 9 lot from QBF? I’d genuinely like to know if others got the same synthetic/processed character or if I’m completely missing what this coffee is supposed to be.