How is Indian Monsoon Malabar Coffee Processed? What is the Monsooning Method?

Besides aged Mandheling, there is another well-known coffee that also undergoes long-term placement processing. Its production method differs from traditional approaches, as it gains its delicious flavor through exposure to wind. It comes from a relatively lesser-known coffee-producing region—India.

When it comes to Indian food, curry likely comes to mind immediately. When it comes to Indian coffee, "Monsoon Coffee" is undoubtedly the first association. Compared to the numerous Robusta varieties, the production process of Monsoon Coffee is more impressive. Today, let's follow FrontStreet Coffee to explore how this "Monsoon Coffee" from India is made!

The Historical Origins of Monsoon Coffee

As early as the 17th century, India had already become an important coffee supplier to European countries, second only to Yemeni Mocha! It was during this period that the origins of Monsoon Coffee began to emerge. Like Indonesia, which produces aged Mandheling, India is also an Asian country. Therefore, we can understand that in the 17th century, coffee bean transportation was equally time-consuming for India.

At that time, India's transportation method was sailing ships, with coffee beans stored in the bottom of the ship's hold! The lower hold was the position closest to the seawater. This caused coffee beans to continuously absorb the moisture and distinctive salty taste from seawater during transport. When the coffee beans arrived in Europe, their nature had already changed. The originally plump, moist green coffee beans, under the erosion of sea air, expanded in size and took on a yellowish-brown appearance like that of rice grains. The brewed coffee had almost no acidity, with rich yet gentle grain and spice flavors, quite similar to the taste of genmaicha (brown rice tea). This unique flavor was considered a rare delicacy for Europeans at that time, making Indian-produced coffee very popular.

The Evolution and Revival

By the 19th century, maritime transportation had significantly improved. The advent of steamships, combined with the opening of the Suez Canal, reduced India's coffee transportation time from six months to about half! Logically, having fewer uncontrollable factors affecting the coffee beans should have been a good thing, but unexpectedly, Europeans were not satisfied?! Without the erosion of sea air, coffee beans retained their original appearance, but this very point displeased the Europeans! The beans imported from India not only lost their charming yellowish-brown color but their taste also became ordinary (if you're unsure what this means, imagine a Panama Geisha without its characteristic white floral notes~). Consequently, orders from Europe decreased daily! Out of necessity, Indian green bean exporters began researching how to replicate this distinctive flavor.

Naturally, extending shipping time back to six months was impossible, given the tremendous energy and financial resources required. Therefore, to achieve stable, low-cost replication, they had to find alternative approaches. Eventually, exporters found a solution: from late May to September each year, the southwestern Malabar coastal region of India experiences monsoon winds, and the original environment gains moisture from the sea breeze. Thus, exporters began to wonder: could these monsoon winds help coffee regain its former delicious flavor? After several experiments, they verified the feasibility of this idea! Through several months of monsoon exposure, coffee recreated the delicious flavor that came from long sea voyages, allowing exporters to sell this classic once again! Consequently, these coffee beans that required Malabar monsoon exposure came to be known as "Monsoon Coffee." This unique processing method was called the "Monsooning" process.

The Monsooning Process

The monsooning process also uses pre-processed coffee beans, with monsooning beginning after the green beans have undergone sun-drying treatment. However, as mentioned above, the primary operator of the monsooning process—the "monsoon"—is not a phenomenon that exists year-round. Therefore, coffee beans harvested and processed before the monsoon arrival need to be stored in waiting! Coffee beans are stored in specially designed monsooning warehouses to await the monsoon! When the monsoon season arrives, workers spread the beans on the ground in layers approximately 12-20 centimeters high! This way, when the monsoon arrives, it can directly "impact" the coffee beans.

Workers then use rakes to turn the coffee beans regularly to ensure even exposure to the monsoon winds! After about five days, when the beans have reached a certain degree of monsooning, they are bagged. During bagging, workers are careful not to fill the bags completely with coffee beans. This reduces stacking pressure and maintains larger gaps between beans, allowing the monsoon winds to pass through.

The bags are basically replaced regularly to reduce the probability of mold growth. This period of wind exposure is called the "monsooning period"! The monsooning period lasts 12-16 months, with the end time determined by the condition of the beans. Afterward, the monsooned beans are also smoke-treated to drive away any weevils hidden within the beans. After all, coffee beans are agricultural products, and the presence of insects is unavoidable. Finally, the processed beans are sorted, removing any that haven't been completely affected by the monsoon. Then they can be graded according to their flavor and size before being ready for sale.

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