Indian Monsooned Malabar
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Monsooned Malabar is a variety of dry processed coffee beans. The harvested and processed beans are exposed to the monsoon winds for a period of about three to four months, causing the beans to swell and lose the original acidity, resulting in a sweet and syrupy brew. The coffee is unique to the Malabar coast of Karnataka and Kerala and has protected status under the Geographical Indications of Goods Act. The name Monsooned Malabar is derived from exposure to the monsoon winds of the Malabar coast.
The blend is heavy bodied, pungent and of monotone quality and is considered to be dry with a chocolatey aroma and a slightly sharp taste. The blend has its origins from the times of the British Raj, when, during the months that the beans were transported by sea from India to Europe, the humidity and the sea winds combined to cause the coffee to ripen from the fresh green to a more aged pale yellow.
Whole crop cherry coffee are selected and sun-dried in expansive barbecues. The dried beans are cured and sorted into 'AA' and 'A' grades, after which, they are stored in warehouses till the onset of monsoon. From June through September, the selected beans are exposed to moisture-laden monsoon winds in well-ventilated warehouses (12 to 16 weeks time). The monsooning process involves careful handling, repeated spreading, raking and turning around in regular intervals. The beans absorb moisture and get significantly large, turning into pale golden in colour. Further micro-sorting is done to separate fully monsooned beans, and then the world gets to taste the finest monsooned coffees. Absolutely pure and mellow to the core. Per wiki
My opinion
When I first received my order of Monsooned Malabar and saw those pale yellow beans I was nervous. Its the first time I have seen an unroasted bean that was not green. But in the spirit of trying new things, I was ready to get the beans roasted and try it out. Everything about Monsooned Malabar is unique. The roast went incredibly fast, so fast in fact that if you are not careful, you will over roast them. The beans are loaded with oil. Right after first crack the oil seeps out covering the bean and roaster. The one negative I can find on this coffee bean is the amount of cleanup time it takes to get all the oil out of the roasting drum.
As far as the taste goes, if you manage to not over roast it, the coffee has a very smooth and sweet taste. Some say it has an earthy taste, while others say gently pungent. I don't know, I guess it just depends what roast level you use. I found that if you stop roasting right after first crack, staying as close to a city roast as possible, is where this bean is at its best. At this level I taste a smooth sweet chocolate with some unidentifiable spice notes to it. Anyway, it is worth your time to try this coffee out. It is definitely a change of pace from drinking Colombian all the time.
To learn more about the coffee of India, please visit this page!
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