Indian Monsooned Malabar Coffee

This coffee is dried by the monsoon winds in open-walled sheds after picking and depulping. This results in a coffee that possesses a slightly spicy, winey taste and is very popular amongst our customers.

The origins of Monsooned Malabar date back to the times of the British Raj, when it was noticed that beans, transported by sea from India to Europe were ripened by the humidity and the sea-winds, changing the colour of the fresh green beans to a pale yellow colour. On extremely long journeys (up to 6 months to sail around the Cape of Good Hope) the beans changed completely in size, texture and appearance, both visually and when brewed. Transport today is much quicker and the beans are stored much more protectively and are therefore sheltered from these elements and as a result the Monsooning process has to be carried out on the estates. However there are only certain areas where this process can be replicated, fully authentically. These areas are coastal, indeed running along the Malabar Coast, hence the name Monsooned Malabar.

We buy AA Grade (the top grade available) which comprises Cauvery and Kent S795 varietals. At the estates the picked, sun-dried beans are sorted into AA and A Grades, after which they are stored in warehouses until the onset of the monsoon. From June to September the beans are exposed to the Monsoon winds in open walled sheds (a process that takes 12-16 weeks). During this time, the beans have to be carefully spread, raked and turned over at regular intervals, this causes them to absorb moisture and increase in size until they become a pale golden colour. The coffee is then sorted by hand in order to separate the fully Monsooned beans. This produces a smooth slightly spicy coffee with a fruity flavour and a chocolate aroma.

We offer two roasts of this wonderful coffee, Monsooned Malabar and Monsooned Malabar Dark Roast. It is also an ingredient in our hugely popular Indian Tiger Stripe Espresso Blend and Indian Summer House Blend.