Which Brand of Indian Coffee Beans is Best? Is There a Secret Ingredient in Indian Coffee? Is Indian Coffee Famous?

Introduction to Indian Coffee

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Indian coffee is beloved by coffee enthusiasts for several reasons, but most importantly due to a processing method applied to the coffee beans, commonly known as the "monsooning" process.

Monsooned Coffee

Monsooned coffee (Monsoon Malabar) is a unique coffee from southern India processed using typical air-drying techniques, intentionally stored in open warehouses exposed to monsoon winds to increase viscosity and reduce acidity.

Monsooned coffee is stored in special warehouses until the monsoon arrives. The ventilation structure is designed to allow humid monsoon winds to circulate among the coffee beans, causing them to swell in volume and develop a mellow yet intense musty flavor. The monsooning process is labor-intensive: coffee is spread out in special ventilated warehouses and raked or turned by hand to allow the beans to absorb moisture from the humid air. The entire process takes 12 to 16 months, during which the coffee beans swell to twice their original volume and take on a dull golden-yellow color. Then, after additional processing to remove incompletely swollen beans, the remaining coffee is ready for export.

The aroma of this dried coffee is not very intense, but when water is added, a complex sweet fragrance of intensely roasted nuts (dry-roasted peanuts), caramel, and tobacco emerges.

Indian Coffee Growing Regions

The Western Ghats region of India produces large quantities of coffee, where the southwest monsoon is crucial for coffee growth. Besides Karnataka state, high-quality coffee is also grown in Tellichery and Malabar in the southwestern state of Kerala, as well as in Nilgiris in the southeastern state of Tamil Nadu (formerly known as Madras Province).

India has both plateaus and plains, with plateaus mainly in the central region and plains along the eastern and western coasts. The soil and climate are very suitable for coffee cultivation, with many coffee varieties available, predominantly Arabica. Robusta was introduced in the late 19th century and also accounts for a significant proportion. Monsooned coffee comes from the southern Karnataka region, represented by Mysore, and the Tamil Nadu region, represented by Madras.

High-quality Indian coffee is also classified as Arabica plantation coffee, with the finest grades being A, B, C, and T grades. "Monsooned" coffee is divided into Monsooned Malabar AA grade coffee and Monsooned Basanically coffee. India also produces some berry-shaped coffee. October to February of the following year is the ideal season for producing "monsooned" coffee. June to September each year is the coffee bean harvest period, while December to February of the following year is the season for processing Indian specialty coffee.

Characteristics of Indian Coffee

Monsooned coffee is India's most representative coffee variety. In fact, India was the first country in Asia to grow coffee. The cultivation of coffee in India was initiated by their colonizers—the British. As early as the 17th and early 18th centuries, the British were not as tea-loving as they are today; they preferred coffee. India's coffee cultivation industry grew rapidly under the demand and promotion of the British.

Strictly speaking, monsooned coffee cannot be classified as a coffee variety but rather a unique processing method for green coffee beans, accidentally creating a new flavor. From the 17th to 18th centuries, India transported coffee beans to Europe by sailing ship, 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 already deteriorated in color, changing from dark green to the yellowish-brown of rice grains. The fruity acidity of the coffee had almost disappeared, but it unexpectedly developed a strong nutty and grainy flavor. When tasted, it had a rich mouthfeel, somewhat like genmaicha (brown rice tea). Surprisingly, Northern Europeans particularly liked this golden-colored alternative coffee.

Monsooned coffee requires sun-dried beans. The storage houses face west, and coffee beans are spread evenly inside with all windows open to welcome the salty, humid southwest monsoon winds. After reaching a certain degree, they are placed in bags, but the coffee beans cannot be packed too full, and the coffee bags cannot be stacked too densely to avoid mold growth due to poor ventilation. The coffee beans must also be periodically poured out to replace the burlap bags to prevent mold growth, which is quite time-consuming and labor-intensive. This process takes approximately twelve to sixteen weeks. After maturation, the beans undergo smoke treatment to repel weevils, and finally, manual bean sorting is required to remove the failed beans that haven't turned golden yellow.

After at least 6 months to a year of monsoon exposure, both the quality and quantity of the beans undergo significant changes. The volume of coffee beans expands to one to two times their original size, while weight and density decrease, with a moisture content of approximately 13%.

When steamships shortened travel time, coffee producers found that consumers still wanted coffee beans with the color and flavor affected by long journeys. To recreate the original coffee flavor, the "monsooning" process was adopted.

Flavor Profile and Brewing Recommendations

Flavor: Smooth and palatable, full-bodied, with spicy notes, and full-bodied beans

Recommended roasting method: Medium roast

Rating: ★★: Good

Indian Coffee Market

Currently, the Indian Coffee Board controls the entire coffee industry, uniformly purchasing and then selling coffee. Coffee is sold through large-scale auctions. These coffees are mixed together to achieve certain trade quantities, which eliminates differences between estates and regions. Consequently, many high-quality coffee producers lack sufficient motivation to produce distinctive, high-quality coffee beans. The government attempted to address this issue in 1992. Through efforts, the famous Valley Nuggets coffee was obtained from A-grade coffee plantation seeds in several high-quality coffee production areas.

Recommended Indian Coffee Bean Brands

The Indian coffee beans roasted by FrontStreet Coffee, such as Monsooned Malabar coffee, are fully guaranteed in terms of brand and quality. More importantly, they offer extremely high cost-performance—a half-pound (227g) package costs only about 80 yuan. Calculating at 15 grams of coffee powder per cup of pour-over coffee, one package can make 15 cups of coffee, with each single-origin coffee costing only about 5 yuan. Compared to coffee shops selling cups for tens of yuan, this offers exceptional value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small storefront 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