Introduction to Indian Monsooned Malabar Coffee Region - Indian Coffee Brewing Data - How is Indian Coffee

Introduction to Indian Coffee Growing Regions

Coffee was introduced to India by pilgrims as early as the 16th century, establishing the first coffee plantations. You might be surprised to learn that India produces much more coffee than Ethiopia and any Central American country combined. With 900,000 hectares of land dedicated to coffee cultivation, India has approximately 140,000 coffee plantations, over 90% of which are small-scale farms covering less than 10 acres each. These farms are distributed across the southern and eastern coastal mountain ranges at elevations of 900-1,200 meters. Coffee varieties are dominated by Arabica, accounting for two-thirds of the total, with Robusta making up the remainder. The total annual production is around 440,000-450,000 bags, making India the fifth-largest coffee producer globally.

Monsooned Coffee: An Accidental Creation

Monsooned coffee was an unintentionally created new flavor profile. From the 17th to 18th centuries, India transported coffee beans to Europe via sailing ships, a journey that took six months. The raw beans were stored in the ship's lower holds, absorbing moisture and saltiness from the sea air. By the time the green beans arrived in Europe, they had changed - their color transformed from deep green to a yellowish-brown like rice grains, and the coffee's fruity acidity had almost disappeared. However, this unexpectedly developed rich nutty and grainy flavors, creating a full-bodied texture reminiscent of genmaicha (brown rice tea). Northern Europeans particularly loved this golden-colored alternative coffee.

In 1869, the opening of the Suez Canal and the advent of steamships shortened the India-Europe voyage time, but customers began complaining that Indian coffee had "lost its flavor" - missing its former charming golden color and nutty taste. Orders dropped sharply, and Indian exporters began researching solutions.

It turned out that the shortened journey time meant Indian coffee beans bound for Europe had no time to mature and "transform," losing their original character. Exporters then recalled that the Malabar coast in southwestern India experiences a salty and humid environment from May to September due to the Indian Ocean monsoon. After several experiments, they successfully reproduced the golden, low-acidity coffee similar to the former product, thus naming it "Monsoon Coffee," commonly known as monsooned coffee. For hundreds of years, it has been widely used by European coffee roasters in blending to increase viscosity and create tea-like characteristics.

When Indian coffee is mentioned, Chinese people most commonly encounter monsooned Malabar. The main reason for its formation dates back to ancient times when coffee required months of sea voyages to reach Europe. During the journey, exposure to salty sea winds and humidity created a special flavor profile, and the originally fresh, deep green coffee beans turned yellowish-brown like Mandheling. Europeans at that time loved this rich body and unique flavor.

Export Port

MANGALORE is India's New Mangalore port, located on the southwestern Indian peninsula in the state of Karnataka, north of the Gurupur River estuary and northwest of Mangalore city, facing the Arabian Sea.

The northeastern shore of the port's waters serves as a bulk cargo terminal for general cargo, with railway access. Southwest winds prevail in summer with average force of 5-6 level, and the port is affected by tropical storms. The tides are semidiurnal. The port exports minerals, pepper, coffee, sandalwood, cashews, tea, and other products. The new port is about 2 nautical miles south of the original port, which was smaller and mainly used for coastal trade and fishing. Mangalore city port is south of the new port, about 10 kilometers from the new port and 6 kilometers from the old port.

Indian Coffee Bean Brewing Parameters

Recommended brewing method: Pour-over

Grind size: 4 (Japan Fuji R440)

Water temperature: 83°C

Kono filter cup, 17g coffee grounds, water temperature 83°C, grind size 4, water-to-coffee ratio close to 1:13

Technique: 30g water for bloom, bloom time 30s

Stages: Pour water to 120g and stop, then pour with slightly larger flow to 221g

That is 30-120-221, total extraction time 1:50-2 minutes

Other drip extraction recommendations:

French press: Recommend grind size 4, water temperature 83°C

AeroPress: Recommend grind size 4, water temperature 83°C

Indian Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

The Indian coffee beans roasted by FrontStreet Coffee - including monsooned Malabar coffee - offer excellent guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they provide exceptional value for money. A half-pound (227g) bag costs only about 80 yuan. Calculating based on 15g of coffee per pour-over cup, one bag can make 15 cups of coffee, with each single-origin cup costing only about 5 yuan. Compared to cafés selling coffee for dozens of yuan per cup, this represents extremely high 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, while also providing online store 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