Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/491365
48 STiR tea & coffee industry international MANGALORE – Two cent ur ies ag o t he coffees of India t r ansit ed t he Cape of Good Hope, undergoing in six months in the damp cargo holds of great wooden ships a transformation that delighted the genteel palates of continental Europe. Monsooned coffee is the modern manifestation of a process unique to the Malabar Coast of Southwestern India where Arabian Sea breezes are laden with the moisture from torrential downpours that arrive in waves from June through September. The process begins with green Arabica and robusta originating in the highlands of Kodagu, Chikmagalur, and Hassan in Karnataka. These natural processed "cherry" beans are mildly fruity with a slightly fermented scent. They are sun-dried in expansive patios to drive out excess humidity and then machine processed (hulled, polished, and graded). Next, the AA and A grades are sorted and spread on the floor of open walled structures during the rainy season. The beans are turned by raking at regular intervals. The coffee is then sacked 50 kilos to a bag and stacked vertically in "wind rows" in well ventilated seaside warehouses. These sacks are later opened and the coffee is again spread and raked, a process repeated every 10-20 days in this unique finishing process. Coffee beans absorb moisture throughout the 12- to 16-week rainy season, almost doubling in size and undergoing a change in texture with a marked reduction of acidity while retaining oils and aromatics that flower in the cup. Once swollen the coffee is polished (silver skin removed) and defects are removed by optical sorter. This is followed by micro-sorting by hand in a process called garbling. Garblers remove the beans that did not swell. The coffee is then fumigated and exported mainly to Germany, Switzerland, and the Scandinavian countries (80%); Italy (10%); with the remaining 10% shipped to the US, Taiwan, and Japan. Aspinwall & Co. Ltd. is the largest producer of monsooned coffee in India. The company shipped 3,500 metric tons in 2013-14 which is about 60% of India's market share of monsooned coffee exports. In the cup Monsooned coffee is balanced with a rich mouth feel, low acidity and medium to full-body. It takes on some of the spice of the regions where it originates. Coffee reviewer Kenneth Davids is a fan (www.coffeereview.com). He describes the coffee's musty "unpredictable tones that can range from intriguingly spicy to sweetly earthy" and has awarded these coffees scores from 83 through 87, a very good score considering the coffee's extremely low acidity. The coffee is transformed during the humid monsoon season as the beans swell and turn pale yellow, roasting to a brown gold with a flavor like no other Arabica. Monsoon Magic Raked and sacked and raked again monsooned coffee swells in torrential rains as it slowly cures in the wind swept salt breeze of India's Malabar Coast. By Dan Bolton Photos by Dan Bolton