Complicated from the outside, sweet on the inside
Rarely have I been tempted to order a coffee as soon as I see or hear about it. Honestly, that’s happened only once before, and then now. I saw a post about ‘Pinanas’ on the Savorworks Instagram page. Here, take a look at the post:
The coffee has been produced at the Riverdale Estate, known for producing innovative and experimental coffee lots that are renowned the world over. The coffee has been roasted by Savorworks, the renowned specialty coffee roasters based in Delhi. It is a collaboration between Savorworks and Aneesh Bhasin, the founder of ‘Svami’. Svami offers India’s first craft tonics as well as the most relevant range of non-alcoholic drinks. Aneesh is an avid lover (and promoter) of pineapples (and coffee, of course!), and together with the coffee-producing estate and the roasters, is born this delicious coffee – Pinanas.
What’s special about Riverdale Estate?
Located in the Shevaroy Hills, Yercaud in the state of Tamil Nadu in southern India, the Riverdale Estate has been a family-owned business since 1920. Three generations of their family have put in all their love and sweat to improve the coffee and grow the crop as sustainably as possible. The estate has a natural water stream that flows throughout the year making it a very interesting place to cultivate coffee plants as well as other inter-crops like the silver oak, jack fruit orange, avocado, and pepper. The estate plantations are located at an altitude of about 1450 MASL, where the Selection 9 and the S5b varieties of Arabica coffee are shade-grown in the shadow of tall trees. This helps preserve moisture levels and biodiversity within the plantation. The estate strongly believes in sustainable farming and is constantly working to improve soil quality sustainably. The estate is widely known for experimental coffees and innovative coffee processing techniques.
And what about Savorworks?
Savorworks is a renowned artisanal specialty coffee roaster brand based out of Delhi. They are dedicated to delivering excellent quality products that not just taste good but also speak about themselves in the coffee cups of their consumers. They go into the depths of the farming, harvesting, and processing of every coffee lot they engage with, and ensure that the best flavors and characteristics of the coffee are brought out in the final cup. They focus a lot on making coffee transparent and traceable. In recent times, from what I have seen their limited lots – Heisenberg and Professor have been incredibly popular among coffee lovers. Some of their other popular coffees include Boss’ Wife, Fruits Bomb, Honey I’m Nuts, and Glass House. They have an incredible team that helps you with any questions you may have and ensure you have a great experience with their coffees. They are always open to feedback and reach out to you personally to understand your experience with the coffee you purchased from them.
So, why is the Pinanas so unique?
‘Pina’ in Spanish and ‘Ananas’ in India mean ‘Pineapple’. (As I write this, I badly miss the cinnamon grilled pineapple I had in Kovalam, but about that, some other day, let’s talk coffee now!). The name of this coffee – Pinanas – is derived from this delicious fruit (which Zomato kindly reminds me from time-to-time has nothing to do with pine trees, despite the name).
The coffee derives its name from pineapple because this is a pineapple fermented coffee. This coffee is an experimental lot from the Riverdale Estate. The ripest coffee cherries are picked and then triple-washed in flotation tanks to get rid of grit and leaves from the coffee cherries. The defective cherries float on the top and are separated from the healthy ripe coffee cherries. Once this process is completed, the cherries are fermented for 72 hours. During the fermentation process, pineapple, actual pineapple fruit (pulp and juice and all) is added. After the 72 hour fermentation, the coffee cherries are transferred to raised beds where they are dried. Because of this unique pineapple process, the resultant coffee is insanely fruity, sweet, and juicy.
Pinanas Coffee by Savorworks x Aneesh Bhasin
Roast: Light roast
Tasting Notes: Tropical jam, chocolate, chickoo, and toasted coconut
Acidity: Citric
Body: Juicy
Aftertaste: Very long
The recommended recipe for brewing Pinanas Coffee
Pour Over method
This is the recipe is mentioned on the recipe card I received with the coffee from the roasters:
- Take 19g medium-fine ground coffee and 250 ml water at 93 degrees Celsius
- Follow the 3:15 brewing time
- Pour 50 ml water slowly and wet the coffee for about 10 seconds
- Allow blooming for 30 seconds
- Pour the next 100 ml water in 10 seconds
- Wait for 30 seconds
- Pour next 100 ml water evenly
- Swirl for a few seconds
- Wait for the brew to finish
If the time does not match, then you need to adjust the grind size.
French Press method
I have a Timemore Small U French Press, and I use that to brew my coffee. So, I reached out to the roasters and they helped me with the recipe I could follow to brew the Pinanas coffee using my French Press. Here’s the recipe they suggested:
- Take 20g of coarse ground coffee and 220 ml water at 93 degree Celsius
- Pour 50 ml water slowly and wet the coffee
- Allow the coffee to bloom
- Then slowly add the remaining water
- Allow brewing for 8 minutes
- Pour out your brewed coffee
My experience:
The moment I opened the package, I got hit by the strong aroma of the coffee. It has a great aroma and I was able to catch some great notes in the coffee as I was taking some out to weight it.
The coffee tastes exactly as promised, fruity, sweet, and delicious. I could definitely catch the roaster’s tasting notes, especially the fruity jam, chocolate, and toasted coconut, it is almost an explosion of fruity-ness. The coffee has a distinct citric touch that will surely stand out. And the taste lingers in the mouth, long, really long after I finished my cup. And then for the rest of the day, I kept thinking when can I have the next cup, so pardon my bias there.
All in all, I enjoyed this experimental fruity a lot. I would recommend this to anyone interested in trying something fun and new when it comes to their coffee. It is not your usual stiff, strong, heavy coffee. This is not a coffee I want to have to wake me up when neither my brain nor most of my senses are fully awake. This is something I would want to sit back and have, relishing every sip, taking it in ever so slowly, so I can truly enjoy the cup.
You can order the coffee here:
https://www.savorworksroasters.com/product-page/pinanas-pineapple-fermentation
The coffee costs Rs. 600 for 250g. And the last I had heard, Savorworks had been roasting the last batch of this coffee, so there is where limited quantity available now. So, what are you waiting for? Go, order yours right away!
Banjaran Foodie 