S&W Craft Roasting

India Kerehaklu Estate S9 Lime Cultured Washed

Kerehaklu Estate in Chikmagalur's Western Ghats grows the S9 varietal—a hybrid of Ethiopian Tafarikela and Timor at 1025–1175 m elevation. The beans undergo 36-hour submerged fermentation inoculated with locally isolated lime cultures, then are washed and dried on raised beds. The cup is remarkably clean and subtle, with notes of lychee, juniper, white tea, margarita jelly bean citrus, baker's chocolate, and hazelnut—described as cleaner than a typical washed Ethiopia. This is a roaster's experimental selection: limited quantity, small format (100g bags), and a chance to taste Pranoy Thipaiah's precision microbial work in post-harvest processing that balances tradition with biodiversity conservation.