Indian Coffee Brands | The History of Indian Monsoon Coffee [Monsoon Malabar] and How to Brew It Perfectly

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Indian Coffee Brands | History of Indian Monsoon Coffee [Monsoon Malabar] and How to Brew It?

Monsoon Malabar, as the name suggests, is coffee created by the wind. It's said that this peculiar coffee bean, now popular throughout Europe, came about entirely by chance. In the early 17th-18th centuries, Indian coffee was transported to Europe by sailing ships, with each journey taking about six months. During this time, the raw beans absorbed the salty moisture from the sea surface. Upon reaching their destination, their flavor had completely transformed—the color changed from deep green to yellow-brown, the coffee's fruit acidity almost disappeared, but it developed a rich nutty and grainy flavor. When brewed, it had a full-bodied, tea-like quality with hints of genmaicha (brown rice tea) flavor, unexpectedly receiving positive feedback from Europeans. Today, India exports 3,000 metric tons annually, with Norway, Switzerland, France, and Italy being the largest importing countries.

Monsooned coffee was unintentionally created as a new flavor profile. From the 17th to 18th centuries, India transported coffee beans to Europe via sailing ships, with each journey taking six months. The raw beans were placed in the ship's lower decks, absorbing moisture and saltiness from the sea surface. By the time the beans arrived in Europe, they had deteriorated—their color transformed from deep green to the yellow-brown of rice grains, the coffee's fruit acidity almost disappeared, but unexpectedly developed rich nutty and grainy flavors. When brewed, it had a full-bodied texture with genmaicha-like qualities. Scandinavians particularly loved this golden alternative coffee. In 1869, with the opening of the Suez Canal and the advent of steamships, the sailing time between India and Europe was shortened. However, customers began complaining that Indian coffee had "lost its flavor"—missing its distinctive golden color and nutty taste. Orders dropped sharply, and Indian exporters began researching solutions. It turned out that the shortened transportation time—reduced by more than half—meant the beans didn't have enough time to mature and "transform," losing their original flavor profile. Exporters then recalled that the southwestern Malabar coast experiences a humid, salty environment from the Indian Ocean monsoon from late May to September each year. After several experiments, they successfully created a coffee similar to the former golden, low-acidity coffee, thus naming it "Monsoon Coffee," commonly known as monsooned coffee. Currently, monsooned beans are produced by first selecting high-quality raw beans and transporting them to coastal monsooning facilities, where they are spread out to be exposed to the humid southwest monsoon winds. Experienced workers frequently turn the beans to ensure even exposure to the wind. This process takes four to sixteen months, during which the coffee beans swell to nearly twice their original size and their color changes to yellow-white, creating the distinctive Indian Monsooned Malabar.

Monsoon Malabar is a very unique and famous bean produced in the Malabar region of Kerala in southern India. During the monsoon season, beans are placed in special warehouses that are particularly well-ventilated. In the monsoon season, large doors and windows are opened to allow humid monsoon winds to flow freely through the premises, surrounding the beans and exposing them to humid air. The beans take on a pale yellow color and are slightly larger than typical Arabica beans, with a moisture content between 13-14%. Generally, Monsoon Malabar created by monsoon winds gives the impression of rich flavor, smooth texture, with particularly strong aroma and rounded taste.

Interestingly, the creation of monsooned beans was an accident that formed by chance. In the age of sailing, coffee beans had to spend several months at sea to travel from India to Europe. During the journey, high humidity and sea winds caused the originally fresh green beans to accelerate their maturation, becoming aged pale yellow. Upon arrival in Europe, these pale yellow beans' unique mature flavor and low acidity created a sensation in the European market. After shipping developed and travel time shortened, beans were deliberately exposed to the air during the monsoon season (June-August) at their origin to create effects similar to those achieved during sea transport.

Aspinwall's premium Malabar is a well-known family brand. During processing, the beans are carefully turned by hand. After the monsoon exposure process, they also undergo manual selection to remove defective beans before being prepared for bagging and export. The flavor is quite soft, mature, and rich in texture, with a unique combination of caramel aftertaste and intense aroma. In terms of usage, it's quite versatile—suitable for single-origin brewing and excellent for blending. Because of its low acidity, it's often used in Europe to blend with Central American and African beans, creating a rich base with lingering aftertaste.

India's Monsooned Malabar is a very famous specialty bean—monsooned beans are created through cooperation between the earth and sea winds, producing complex and unique flavors. Monsooned Malabar is a unique coffee product from the Malabar coast, where coffee is processed and shipped worldwide. In early years, beans transported from the Malabar coast to Europe took 6 months. Under the influence of sea winds, these beans underwent significant changes in flavor characteristics and color, leading to the birth of Monsooned Malabar specialty beans. Monsooned coffee must be made from sun-dried beans. All monsooning facilities face west to receive the salty, humid southwest monsoon winds. Coffee beans are spread out in monsooning yards with all windows open. After monsooning to a certain degree, beans are bagged, but the coffee bags cannot be filled too full, nor stacked too densely to prevent mold growth due to poor ventilation. The beans must also be periodically removed from bags to replace the jute sacks to prevent mold growth—quite time-consuming and labor-intensive. The monsooning period lasts about twelve to sixteen weeks. After maturation, the beans undergo smoke treatment to drive away weevils, followed by manual sorting to remove beans that haven't turned golden yellow—the failed ones. Months of weathering exposes the coffee to humid monsoon winds for extended periods, not only causing the beans to turn yellow and reduce acidity but also diminishing the less desirable acidity in the beans, creating a very special texture.

FrontStreet Coffee's Recommended Brewing:

Filter: Hario V60

Water Temperature: 88°C

Grind Size: Fuji grinder setting 4

Brewing Method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee grounds. First pour: 25g water, bloom for 25 seconds. Second pour: inject to 120g water, then stop pouring. Wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to halfway, then continue pouring slowly until reaching 225g total water. Extraction time: approximately 2:00.

Analysis: Using a three-stage brewing method to clearly distinguish the front, middle, and back-end flavors of the coffee. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains quickly, stopping the pour during brewing can extend the extraction time.

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