India Monsoon Malabar

India Monsoon Malabar

Monsooned coffee is absolutely unique to India and a rarity unlike any other. In the past, coffee was transported from India to Europe on wooden sailing cargo ships and stored below deck in a humid, hot, and leaky environment. During the sailing season, monsoon winds swept across the southwestern Indian subcontinent, bringing torrential rains along the sea route. The coffee’s exposure to these warm, humid winds is what we know today as the monsoon process. It describes the striking transformation of the coffee’s properties: after arriving in Europe following several months at sea, its size, texture, color, and cup profile had changed considerably. The beans changed from green to pale gold and swelled as they absorbed moisture.

Today, monsooning is a deliberate, controlled, and labor-intensive process. To recreate the effects of the journey, sun-dried coffee cherries are spread out in ventilated warehouses on the Malabar Coast in southwestern India. This region, exposed to humid monsoon winds from June through September, has proved particularly suitable. During the monsoon months, the warehouses’ side walls are opened so the wind can circulate around the coffee. As they absorb moisture, the beans swell to twice their volume, lose density, and develop their distinctive flavor. For 12 to 16 weeks, the beans are raked and turned by hand several times a day to ensure even exposure. Finally, the coffee undergoes a careful process of polishing, sorting, and color grading to make it uniform and shiny, ready for export. Monsooned Malabar AA is a high-quality product made from AA-grade Arabica beans that have undergone the monsoon process.