INDIA "Monsooned Malabar AA" | Single origin coffee

INDIA „Monsooned Malabar AA“ | Single Origin Coffee

A classic coffee from India’s west coast – powerful, spicy, and smooth at the same time. The unique monsooning process, where the beans are exposed to humid monsoon winds, gives the coffee a round, full-bodied character unlike any other. Notes of brown spices, oak, and dark chocolate come together in a rich cup with low acidity and a long finish.

Tasting notes: brown spices, oak, dark chocolate
Variety: Arabica
Process: Monsooned
Producer: 399 smallholder farmers
Altitude: 1,400–1,500 m

More about the coffee

Monsooned Malabar comes from smallholder farmers in Karnataka and Kerala, a region renowned for its spices and coffee for centuries. On the slopes of the green Western Ghats, coffee is grown at 1,400–1,500 m in fertile, well-drained soils.

The monsooning process is unique to India: After harvest, the beans are exposed to the humid, salty monsoon winds. The result is larger, paler beans with mild acidity and a particularly full flavor profile – the reason Monsooned Malabar has become famous worldwide.

The coffee is produced by 399 smallholders who are part of the Manarcadu Social Service Society. Traditional shade cultivation is combined with organic practices and sustainable intercropping alongside spices such as pepper and nutmeg. This approach enhances soil fertility, strengthens farmers’ livelihoods, and preserves biodiversity.

Monsooned Malabar is more than a coffee – it’s a living piece of Indian coffee history, with each cup carrying the coastal climate and the craftsmanship of generations.

What is “Monsooning” – and how did Monsooned Malabar originate?

The monsooning process dates back to the era of sailing ships. When raw coffee beans were shipped from India’s Malabar Coast to Europe, the journey took 4–6 months and often went via the Cape of Good Hope. During transit, beans were stored in wooden chests near the waterline, exposed to humid sea air and monsoon winds. They absorbed moisture, swelled, lightened in color, and lost much of their acidity – a “weather-driven ripening phenomenon” appreciated by European coffee drinkers.

With the modernization of transport, the natural weather influence disappeared. To recreate the characteristic mellow flavor, a controlled process was developed on the Malabar Coast, where beans are exposed to the humid monsoon winds for 12–16 weeks.

During monsooning, beans are spread in ventilated warehouses and regularly turned to ensure even moisture absorption. The beans swell, turn golden-yellow, and lose much of their original acidity – becoming softer, rounder, and developing earthy, spicy notes.

The result: A coffee with very low acidity, full body, and pronounced notes of chocolate, oak, spices, and wood. A distinctive coffee that stands apart from lighter, more acidic coffees – exactly what many associate with classic Monsooned Malabar.