Indian Monsoon Malabar Coffee Beans: Processing, Varieties & Brewing Guide for Monsooned Coffee

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The History of Coffee

Coffee only became the world's most popular beverage after 1600, so its documented history spans merely 400 years—about as long as Taiwan's history. Most people recognize Africa as coffee's birthplace, originating in Ethiopia and spreading worldwide through Yemen's Mocha port. However, to prevent coffee cultivation in other countries, Arabs ensured all exported coffee beans were dehulled first. But even the best-laid plans have loopholes: around 1600 (17th century), a pilgrim named Baba Budan, traveling to Mecca, smuggled seven germinable coffee beans in his belly back to his home in southwestern India, thus beginning coffee's global dissemination. This southwestern Indian region is what we now call Indian Malabar.

Monsooned Malabar Coffee

Indian Malabar coffee, also known as Monsooned Malabar Coffee, has long captivated Europeans. This monsooned coffee was unintentionally created as a new flavor profile. From the 17th to 18th centuries, India transported coffee beans to Europe via sailing ships, a journey taking six months. The raw beans, stored in ship holds' lower levels, absorbed sea moisture and saltiness. By the time they reached Europe, the beans had deteriorated, changing from deep green to rice-yellowish brown. The coffee's fruity acidity had nearly disappeared, yet it unexpectedly developed rich nutty and cereal flavors, with a full-bodied texture reminiscent of genmaicha (brown rice tea). Scandinavians particularly loved this golden alternative 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 its distinctive earthy-yellow color and nutty taste. Orders plummeted, forcing Indian exporters to research solutions. The coffee shipped to Europe now arrived in less than half the time, insufficient for proper maturation and "transformation," losing its original character. Exporters then recalled that India's southwestern Malabar coast experiences a salty, humid environment from the Indian Ocean monsoon between late May and September. After several experiments, they successfully reproduced the golden, low-acidity coffee of yesteryear, naming it "Monsoon Coffee," commonly known as Monsooned Coffee.

The Monsooning Process

Monsooned coffee must be made from sun-dried beans. The monsooning facilities face west to capture the southwestern salty, humid monsoon winds. Coffee beans are spread in monsooning fields with all windows open. After sufficient monsooning, they are bagged, but not too full, and the bags cannot be packed too densely to prevent mold growth from poor ventilation. Workers must regularly empty and transfer beans to new burlap sacks to prevent mold proliferation—a time-consuming, labor-intensive process. The monsooning period lasts approximately 12 to 16 weeks. After maturation, the beans undergo smoke treatment to repel weevils, followed by manual sorting to remove beans that haven't turned golden. After three to four months of monsooning, green coffee beans expand to one to two times their original size, with reduced weight and density, approximately 13% moisture content, undergoing significant qualitative and quantitative changes.

First Impressions of Monsooned Malabar

My first encounter with India's Monsooned Malabar—my initial impression was: wow, these beans are huge!

Legend has it that long ago, during the shipping of raw coffee beans from India to Europe, the beans were affected by the Indian Ocean's high temperatures and humidity, triggering changes—this is the origin of "monsooning." After monsooning, raw beans not only expand in size but also change from emerald green to golden color. The brewed coffee reportedly tastes mellow and smooth, with unique flavors becoming Malabar coffee's signature characteristic.

Later, "monsooning" became a special processing method for coffee beans.

Each year during May and June, India's southwestern region experiences monsoon phenomena. After harvesting, coffee beans are specially placed in the humid southwestern monsoon for "monsooning," utilizing Indian Ocean moisture and hot weather to process the beans. After 4-16 months of monsoon exposure, the coffee beans expand and grow larger, with colors transitioning from green to golden. Remarkably, the beans' acidity is also reduced—this is Monsooned Malabar, also called Monsoon Malabar.

Brewing Experience

After grinding Indian Monsooned Malabar with a grinder, it truly smells like genmaicha!

Next, I brewed it using the pour-over method.

My first sip of Indian Monsooned Malabar gave me some "bitterness," but fortunately, the bitterness faded quickly. (Laughter)

The coffee tastes very aromatic and rich, with abundant oiliness and full body—this was my strongest impression.

Then came the sweetness: after swallowing, the coffee leaves a sweet aftertaste with chocolate aromatics. Some describe it as brown sugar molasses, which is quite accurate.

With my limited tasting skills, these were all the flavors I could detect. As for the nutty and walnut wood notes within, I'll save those for gradual exploration next time! Hehe

This aromatic, full-bodied Indian Monsooned Malabar makes me reluctant to add milk, because drinking it pure offers truly excellent flavors.

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

Important Notice :

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FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473