India - Dark Monsoon Malabar

• Region - Southern India – Karnataka, Western Ghats
• Growing altitude - 1100-1200m above sea level
• Varietals - Kents, S.795, Catimor, Selection 9
• Harvest Period - October-February
• Process - Monsooned
• Taste notes - Earthy, spicy and smoky tobacco and wood with notes of dark chocolate, treacle and hazlenut.

The colour, shape, and size of these beans from India, as well as their aroma and taste, are the result of special post-harvest processing. Historically, coffee was shipped to Europe in wooden sailing vessels that took four to six months to sail around the Cape of Good Hope and up at their destinations. Stored below the water line and kept in an atmosphere made humid by seawater seeping through the wood, the beans underwent a transformation on their long journey to market. The bright-green beans would arrive pale gold, doubled in size and with an entirely new cup profile.

This “monsooning” process was later systematically replicated in India, with the goal of providing European customers with the cup profile they’d first become accustomed to from India and continued to demand.

The monsooning process consists of exposing natural coffee beans, in 4 to 6 inch thick piles, 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 Arabian 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. During this 12 to 16 week process, the beans absorb moisture in stages, swelling to nearly twice their original size and developing colours ranging from pale gold to light brown.

After several weeks, the coffee is re-bulked, graded again, bagged and moved to a drier region for longer-term storage. The end result is a unique flavour that (like liquorice or cilantro) appeals to a group of ardent fans. It adds interesting notes to a blend and a rich crema to espresso