Coffee — especially specialty-grade — undergoes numerous post-harvest processing methods that influence
its flavor, aroma, and price. With hundreds of Arabica varieties worldwide, combined with regional growing
conditions, batch-specific factors, and processing and roasting nuances, coffee lovers enjoy thousands of unique
flavor profiles each year. Some experts estimate there are at least ten thousand.
In this blog post, we explore in detail Monsooned Malabar, a coffee that stands out for its unique
fermentation process.
Flavor and Aroma
Producers describe the cup profile as full-bodied, heavy, sharp, and clean, with a well-balanced taste, free of
extremes, and with acidic, chocolatey aromas along with notes of spice and nuts.
The beans are neutral in pH and larger in size than standard Arabica — from +20% up to +100% in maximum
diameter. Why is that? It’s all about how the beans are processed after harvest.
Unlike standard sun-drying methods, Monsooned Malabar beans are exposed to much more moisture and
wind, and significantly less sunlight than most other Arabica or Robusta varieties.
A Bit of History
If you’ve read about maritime trade in the 18th–19th centuries — particularly between Asia, Europe, and the
Americas — you’ll know that shipping back then was slow, risky, and could take months or even entire seasons.
Before the Suez Canal existed, ships had to sail around the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa — a
long and treacherous journey.
Back then, food products were often packed in ventilated burlap sacks — breathable, wind-permeable, and
not water-tight. Even though goods were stored below deck, ship holds weren’t sealed. This meant that cold, salty,
moist sea air would seep in and saturate the cargo.
Coffee was no exception. As a result, beans transported by sea would ferment and mature en route. In fact,
they were more appreciated for the changes in flavor brought about by ocean exposure than when freshly
harvested!
Beans affected by sea transport would change color — from muddy grey-green (the normal color of green coffee)
to a pale, golden hue. These chemical changes deepened the flavor, gave the coffee more "weight," and almost
completely removed acidity.
When the Suez Canal opened, the journey shortened, and the beans no longer had time to ferment
naturally. Many consumers rejected the “new” flavor and longed for the old sea-aged taste.
To satisfy this
nostalgia, Indian producers in Kerala, on India’s Malabar Coast, devised a way to replicate the traditional flavor
despite faster shipping.
Processing Method
Coffee grown in Malabar at altitudes between 250 and 1000+ meters above sea level is harvested,
mechanically cleaned, and briefly dried — either sun-dried or, more often, using drum dryers.
Then the partially dried beans are transported to the coast, where giant, roofed but wall-less warehouses
stand.
The beans are spread in 10–15 cm thick layers over large surfaces and left to age for 12 to 16 weeks in the
humid, salty monsoon air.
Frequent rains moisten the beans (without direct contact), sea winds bring salt and stir the moist air, and
the beans swell in size, turn yellowish, and lose their acidity.
During this period, the beans are regularly turned and monitored to protect them from mold and fungi.
The
entire process mimics the effects of long sea voyages. Afterward, the beans are bagged and shipped to buyers.
So today, when you drink Monsooned Malabar, you’re tasting coffee almost exactly as people enjoyed it
centuries ago.
And that, in its own way, is a beautiful immersion in history — a reminder that not everything improves with
modern progress; some things were already perfected generations ago..
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