India's Unique Coffee: The Story of Indian Monsoon Malabar Coffee_Indian Coffee Beans Price

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The Origin Story of Monsooned Coffee

The story dates back over a hundred years to the 19th century, when India was still a British colony. Coffee produced in India was shipped to England. Before the Suez Canal opened, the journey from India to England required circumnavigating the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, crossing the Indian Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, enduring a长达6-month maritime voyage. Due to prolonged exposure to sea winds and the moist maritime air, coffee beans had turned from green to yellowish-white by the time they reached England, with their volume expanded, completely different from the original fresh green beans. However, people surprisingly discovered that these "spoiled" coffee beans developed more unique flavors after roasting—higher body, reduced acidity, and distinctive flavors that proved more intriguing than the originally ordinary Indian coffee.

The Legacy of Monsooned Coffee

Of course, a century later in our modern world, the Suez Canal has long been open, maritime routes have been significantly shortened, more advanced and rapid ships have been developed, and packaging technology has improved. Incidents of coffee beans getting damp and spoiled during shipping are now rare. However, that classic "monsooned coffee" flavor remains cherished by many coffee enthusiasts.

The Birth of Indian Monsoon Coffee

Thus, a new processing method emerged—Indian Monsoon Coffee. More precisely, Indian Malabar Monsoon Coffee.

This unique processing method originated in the Malabar region along the Indian Ocean coast of western India. The Indian subcontinent's tropical monsoon climate brings southwest monsoon winds from the sea during the rainy season from June to September each year. Coffee beans produced locally are deliberately placed in specially designed warehouses with open sides on all four sides, allowing them to fully receive the blowing of warm, moist sea breezes. During this process, the coffee beans must be constantly stirred to ensure even exposure to the sea wind and moisture. The entire processing process spans almost the entire rainy season, lasting 3 to 4 months. Finally, the coffee beans turn from green to yellowish-white, appearing like "aged beans" that have been rained on or stored for extended periods. Due to prolonged exposure to moisture, their volume also expands more. Finally, after manually sorting out any improperly processed beans, they are re-bagged, completing the entire processing operation.

Unique Flavor Characteristics

After undergoing this processing method, the coffee beans are essentially "marinated" by sea winds and rainy season moist air. The original acidity decreases while body increases, and special earthy notes and dried fruit flavors emerge. Sometimes unique spice flavors also develop, which are rarely found in coffee from any other origin.

Historical Parallels

Legend has it that when Britain transported tea, the leaves also became damp and fermented during the long maritime journey, creating black tea. This influenced the British preference for black tea and established the later-renowned British black tea culture. The formation of monsoon coffee shares remarkable similarities with black tea. However, in terms of processing method, monsoon coffee is actually more similar to our Pu'er tea, having undergone artificial "aging" that reduces the greenness and acidity of coffee beans, achieving a different kind of mellow flavor.

Recommended Indian Coffee Bean Brands

Hehe, after all this discussion, wouldn't you like to try this monsoon Malabar coffee!

Indian coffee beans roasted by FrontStreet Coffee—including Wind-Aged Malabar Coffee—offer full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they provide extremely high cost performance. A half-pound (227 grams) package costs only around 80 yuan. Calculating based on 15 grams of coffee powder per pour-over cup, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each single-origin cup costing only about 5 yuan. Compared to café prices that often reach dozens of yuan per cup, this represents exceptional value.

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