Monsoon Malabar

Profile 

Main Flavour Notes: Tobacco | Smokey | Dark Chocolate

Finish: Full bodied with low acidity

Coffee Information 

Process: Natural

Species: Arabica 

Varietal: Various

Altitude: 800m

The Story Behind the Coffee

Our Monsoon Malabar is sourced from India’s main coffee growing region, Karnataka. The local hills of Baba Budan make up part of the Western Ghats, a 1,600km mountain range for being a biodiversity hotspot. The town of Chikmagalur, where this coffee is from, is home to several natural streams, allowing the area to support a rich ecosystem.

The Monsoon Malabar name originates from the way coffee beans are produced. It is a process unique to India and dates back to British colonial rule. During the drying process, harvested beans are stored in specially built warehouses which allow the beans to be exposed to monsoon winds and rain for up to four months. This causes the beans to swell and lose their green colour and natural acidity. The result is a neutral, bold tasting coffee.

The story is during colonial rule, the shipping of raw coffee from India to Europe took several months on wooden vessels which were exposed to humidity and sea winds, causing the beans to swell. As transport improved the conditions in which coffee was transported improved, however Europeans noticed that the coffee had lost its character and distinct flavour. To overcome this, coffee growers recreated the sea condition on the Malabar coast during monsoon season, hence the term “monsooning”. Monsoon Malabar had protected status under India’s Geographical Indicators of Goods Act, being produced only on the Malabar coast.