Indian Monsoon Malabar AA

• Tasting Notes: Spicy, earthy, smoky, tobacco notes, wood notes, medium body, medium acidity
• Body: Heavy body
• Acidity: Medium acidity
• Roast: Medium (City+)
• Variety: Kents, S795, Catimor, Selection 9
• Process: Monsooned

Most people think of India as a leading producer of fine teas. Few associate India with top grade specialty coffees. India has been a producer and exporter of exceptional coffees for over 150 years. Today, India is the fifth largest producer of Arabica coffee in the world, behind Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and Ethiopia. The color, shape, and size of the beans as well as their aroma and taste are the results of special post-harvest processing called “Monsooning”.

What is “Monsooning”?

The Monsooning process consists of exposing natural coffee beans in layers of 4-6 inch thickness to moisture-laden Monsoon winds in a well ventilated brick or concrete-floored warehouse. This process is carried out on the West Coast of India, making use of the winds from the Arabaian Sea during the Southwest Monsoon months of June through September.

The processing begins with top grade beans, Arabica Cherry-AB, that has already been processed by the dry method. To equalize moisture absorption, the beans are raked frequently, followed by bulking and re-bagging at regular intervals. At the end of the monsoon season, this coffee is re-bulked, graded again, bagged and moved to a drier region for longer-term storage. In this 12-16 week process the beans absorb moisture in stages, swelling to nearly twice their original size and developing colors ranging from pale gold to light brown. The end result is a special, unique flavor.