The Story of Indian Malabar Monsoon Coffee_South Indian Coffee Characteristics Flavors_How Good is Indian Coffee

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

For more information about coffee beans, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

The Gift of Nature

We should be grateful to nature.

It not only provides us with the air, water, and food we need to survive, but occasionally it performs a magic trick, giving us unexpected surprises and delicacies that can only be tasted at specific times and places.

Indian Monsoon Malabar Coffee

Just like this Indian Monsoon Malabar coffee.

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

Of course, in the world a century later, the Suez Canal has long been opened, sea routes have been significantly shortened, more advanced and faster ships have been developed, and improvements in packaging technology have reduced the occurrence of coffee beans becoming damp and spoiled during shipment. However, the classic "monsooned coffee" flavor remains cherished by many coffee enthusiasts.

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

The Unique Processing Method

This is because this unique processing method originated in the Malabar region on the Indian Ocean coast of western India. The Indian subcontinent, with its tropical monsoon climate, experiences southwest monsoon winds from the sea during the rainy season from June to September each year. The locally produced coffee beans are deliberately placed in specially designed warehouses with open sides on all four sides, allowing them to fully absorb the warm, moist sea breeze. During this process, the coffee beans are constantly stirred to ensure even exposure to the sea wind and humidity. 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 humidity, their volume also expands more significantly. Finally, after manual selection to remove any improperly processed beans, they are re-bagged, completing the entire processing procedure.

Flavor Profile

After undergoing this processing method, the coffee beans are essentially "marinated" by sea winds and humid monsoon air. The original acidity is reduced while the body is enhanced, and special earthy notes and dried fruit flavors emerge, sometimes accompanied by unique spicy characteristics that are rarely found in coffee from any other origin.

Legend has it that when Britain transported tea, the prolonged sea voyage caused the tea leaves to become damp and ferment, creating black tea, which influenced the British preference for black tea and later led to the renowned reputation of British black tea. The formation of monsoon coffee and black tea share similar principles. However, according to the processing method, monsoon coffee is actually more similar to our Pu'er tea, having undergone artificial "aging," reducing the harshness and acidity of coffee beans, achieving a different kind of mellow flavor.

Try It Yourself!

Haha, after all this discussion, wouldn't you like to try this Monsoon Malabar coffee yourself!

Recommended Indian Coffee Bean Brands

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted Indian coffee beans—including Monsooned Malabar coffee—offer excellent guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they provide exceptional value for money. A half-pound (227g) package costs only about 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 coffee costing only about 5 yuan. Compared to café prices that often reach tens of yuan per cup, this represents extremely high value.

About 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 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