The Origin Story of Indian Monsoon Coffee - Is Monsoon Coffee Good? Flavor Characteristics

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The Accidental Creation of Monsooned Coffee

Monsooned coffee was an unintentionally created new flavor. From the 17th to 18th centuries, India transported coffee beans to Europe via sailing ships, a journey that took six months. The green beans were stored in the bottom of the ship's hold, absorbing moisture and saltiness from the sea surface. By the time the green beans arrived in Europe, they had deteriorated, with their color transforming from deep green to the yellowish-brown of rice grains. The fruity acidity of the coffee had almost completely disappeared, yet it unexpectedly developed rich nutty and grainy flavors, creating a full-bodied口感 reminiscent of genmaicha (brown rice tea). Scandinavians particularly loved this golden, alternative Indian coffee.

In 1869, the Suez Canal opened, and steamships emerged, shortening the India-Europe voyage time. However, customers began complaining that Indian coffee had "lost its flavor," missing the charming golden color and nutty taste of the past. Orders decreased sharply, and Indian exporters began researching solutions. It turned out that the coffee shipped to Europe now took less than half the time, insufficient for proper aging and "transformation," thus losing its original flavor. Exporters then thought of using the salty, humid environment along India's southwestern Malabar coast from late May to September, created by the Indian Ocean monsoon. After several experiments, they successfully produced a golden, low-acidity coffee similar to the former variety, thus naming it "Monsoon Coffee," commonly known as monsooned coffee.

The Art of Monsooning Process

Monsooned coffee must be made from dry-processed beans. The monsooning facility faces west to welcome the salty, humid southwest monsoon winds. Coffee beans are spread evenly in the monsooning yard with all windows open. After monsooning to a certain degree, the beans are bagged, but the coffee bags cannot be filled too full, nor can they be stacked too densely to prevent poor ventilation and mold growth. Workers must also periodically pour out the coffee beans and replace the gunny sacks to prevent mold growth - a quite time-consuming and labor-intensive process.

The monsooning period lasts about twelve to sixteen weeks. After maturation, the beans must undergo smoke treatment to drive away weevils. Finally, manual sorting is required to remove any failed beans that haven't turned golden. After three to four months of monsooning, the volume of green coffee beans expands to one to two times their original size, while weight and density decrease. The moisture content reaches about 13%, with significant changes in both quality and quantity.

Characteristics of Indian Malabar Coffee

Indian Malabar coffee beans appear plump and eye-catching, but they are actually soft beans that are strong on the outside but weak within, related to several months of weathering. Long-term exposure to humid monsoon conditions for weeks not only turns the beans yellow and reduces acidity but also gives the coffee a mature, rich body characteristic of "aged Sumatra Mandheling." The mouthfeel is quite distinctive, and Indian Malabar coffee beans are also very suitable for blending into various coffee blends.

Tasting Notes of Monsooned Malabar Indian Coffee

Upon first sip, you can feel what's called a full-bodied sensation... but for me, it's too intense.

Brew it lighter and drink! It's actually quite appealing - nutty sweetness with cocoa and milky aromas, plus smoky notes. Because the aftertaste has popcorn fragrance, there's also some cigar-like character.

Simply put, its most distinctive feature is that its aftertaste is very similar to what you experience after eating milk candy + smoked cheese.

Such a distinctive product - I think many people will probably like this coffee bean, right?

FrontStreet Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee: A Guangzhou-based roastery with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online shop services: https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473