Indian Monsoon Coffee | The History of Monsooned Malabar Coffee? How to Brew Monsooned Coffee?

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Indian Monsoon Coffee | History of Monsooned Coffee? How to Brew Monsooned Coffee? Is India's Monsooned Coffee Delicious?

When it comes to Asian coffee, Taiwanese consumers are most familiar with the low-acidity, full-bodied Sumatran coffee, or Vietnamese coffee, whose production has been increasing in recent years. But in fact, Indian coffee is the ancestor of the Asian region. As early as the 17th century, India was already an important European coffee supplier besides the port of Mocha in Yemen. At that time, most Indian coffee beans were transported to the European continent by sailboats, taking about six months for the voyage. During the long half-year journey, due to the blowing of the sea breeze and the absorption of moisture and saltiness from the ship's cabin, the coffee beans underwent changes in both appearance and taste. The appearance of the raw beans would gradually change from dark green to a yellowish-brown like rice grains, and the beans would also expand and become larger.

During this process, the fruit acidity of the coffee is smoothed out, replaced by the development of flavors such as nuts, caramel, and tea aroma (this mature taste transformation is somewhat similar to aged Sumatran beans), as well as a thick mouthfeel. Indian monsooned beans indeed have their own unique flavor, which I personally quite enjoy. They usually have a rich nutty and grainy sweetness, almost no acidity, and often carry the aroma of brown rice tea. It is said that Northern Europeans at that time particularly liked this special golden coffee.

Coffee traders, who were proficient in business, could of course feel the market consumer demand. Interestingly, when the Suez Canal opened in 1869, coupled with the advent of steamships at that time, the travel time from India to Europe was greatly reduced, which should have been a great advantage for merchants selling Indian coffee. Unexpectedly, European customers instead complained that the coffee had lost its flavor, leading to a sharp decrease in orders.

The speed of early maritime transportation was slow. Indian coffee beans, during the long shipping process to Europe, were exposed to the blowing of humid sea winds, causing interesting changes in the flavor and appearance of the beans - from green to golden, with the taste becoming mellow and extremely low in acidity, developing rich nutty and grainy flavors. Now, with technological advancement, the special flavor of these raw beans is reproduced artificially. Selected AA-grade raw beans are collected and exposed to the air during the monsoon season, then constantly turned to allow the raw beans to fully receive the blowing of humid sea winds. Finally, through careful manual selection, its special flavor is thus reborn.

Monsooning Process:

Monsooned coffee must be made from sun-dried beans, with the processing plant facing west to welcome the salty and humid monsoon winds blowing from the southwest.

Coffee beans are spread flat in the monsooning field with all windows open. After a certain degree of monsooning, they are bagged. The raw beans cannot be packed too full, and the coffee bags cannot be stacked too densely to avoid mold due to poor ventilation. The coffee beans are occasionally poured out and the jute bags are changed to prevent mold growth.

The monsooning period is about twelve to sixteen weeks. After maturation, the beans undergo smoking treatment to drive away weevils. Finally, manual bean screening is performed to remove the failed beans that have not turned golden. After three to four months of monsooning, the volume of green coffee beans expands by one to two times, with weight and density reduced, moisture content about 13%, and significant changes in both quality and quantity.

Flavor Characteristics:

Indian Malabar coffee beans are soft beans that appear strong but are actually weak inside, with a mature richness unique to "aged Sumatran Mandheling." The brown rice tea flavor and mouthfeel are quite special, with a light grassy aroma, balanced acidity and bitterness, making them very suitable for blending into comprehensive coffee beans.

Monsooned coffee must be made from sun-dried beans. All processing plants for monsooned coffee face west to welcome the salty and humid monsoon winds blowing from the southwest sea. Coffee beans are spread flat in the monsooning field with all windows open. After a certain degree of monsooning, they are bagged. However, because the beans expand considerably during the process, the coffee beans cannot be packed too full, and the coffee bags cannot be stacked too densely to avoid mold and spoilage due to poor ventilation. Additionally, the coffee beans must be occasionally poured out and the jute bags changed to prevent mold growth, making it quite a time-consuming and labor-intensive project. The monsooning period is about twelve to sixteen weeks. After maturation, the beans must also undergo smoking treatment to drive away weevils, followed by manual bean screening to remove the failed beans that have not turned golden. After three to four months of monsooning treatment, the volume of green coffee beans expands by one to two times, with weight and density reduced.

Although monsooned Malabar coffee beans appear large and plump, they are actually soft beans that appear strong but are weak inside - this is a change caused by months of weathering. Long-term exposure to humid monsoon winds for several weeks not only turns the beans yellow but also significantly reduces the acidity of the coffee itself, resulting in a quite special mouthfeel. In addition to being consumed as single-origin, Indian Malabar coffee beans are also very suitable for blending into comprehensive coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing:

Filter: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 88°C

Grind Size: Fuji grinder setting 4

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g of coffee, first pour 25g of water, bloom for 25s, second pour to 120g then stop pouring, wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half before pouring again, slowly pour until reaching 225g of water, extraction time around 2:00

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the flavors of the front, middle, and back sections of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and faster drainage speed, stopping the water flow can extend the extraction time.

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473