India Monsooned Malabar AA

This is a truly unique coffee that does not look or taste like anything we have ever offered. Of the handful of different grades of Malabar coffee this AA is the highest grade available. Due to the unusual processing methods the bean size, its color and the flavors are unlike any other coffee. The monsooning process consists of exposing natural processed coffee (this means coffee beans that remain inside the fruit) to moisture heavy monsoon winds in a systematically ventilated brick or concrete floored warehouse. This process takes place in the coastal regions of Western India where the winds from the Arabian sea are heavy during the Southwest monsoon months of June to September. 

After this stage the coffee is processed using the dry method. To ensure equal moisture absorption the beans are raked frequently before being bulked and re-bagged in intervals. At the end of the monsoon season the coffee is re-bulked, bagged, and moved to a drier region for longer term storage. 

The process in its entirety takes about 12 to 16 weeks where the beans absorb moisture in stages, swell to twice their size, develop a pale gold to light brown color and the result is a very unique flavor profile. This process produces what is known as the lowest acidity coffee in the world. While the cup lacks acid it has a pronounced body and an earthy flavor.  

Due to the unique nature of this coffee there are many applications for how you can blend or brew it. It can be used to blend with acidic coffees to provide balance and sturdy body. It can also be used a nuetral base in an espresso blend where it can provide considerable body, excellent crema, and its mild character will not compete with the flavors of other beans. 

Photo descriptions:

Photo 1 - The unroasted, green coffee beans once they have gone through the monsoon process are pictured. You can see the pale, golden color that develops as a result.

Photo 2/3 - Pictures the "open-air" warehouse where the coffee is dried and the open floor plan allows the coffee to complete the monsooning process.