Some changes bring about unforeseen consequences. This happened when the coffee growers in the Kerela region of Southern India received complaints from their customers in Europe and The United States that the special flavour their coffees were noted for were just not there anymore.

Consternation in India. What could possibly the reason, nothing seemed to have changed in the production and harvesting of their coffees? After a great amount of work to discover the cause, at last the reason was found. 

The reason was in the introduction of steam ships. Steam ships completed the journey from grower to customer in a much shorter time than the former method of transportation by sailing ships. The sacks of raw coffee beans packed tight into the holds of the sailing ships took much longer to reach their destinations. The coffee going through a process of taking on a great amount of moisture and then the reverse as the ship moved from a tropical climate into our more temperate resulting in the coffee undergoing fundamental changes. The beans changing from a bright green to a pale yellow and when roasted most of the natural acidity was replaced by a rich very smooth flavour with distinctive spicy undertones.  

These natural changes were affected because steam ships completed the journey in a much shorter time, the natural process not allowed to take place.

What could be done? Well, the clever Kerala farmers invented a process to replicate the changes taking place in the longer sea voyages of the sailing ships. The process is called Monsooning. The coffee is picked and stored in special open sided warehouses, regularly raked and eventually packed loosely in sacks and stored so that the monsoon winds can blow through the raw coffee. The process worked, and the coffee regained its popularity.

I hope you enjoy the story, and more importantly the distinctive flavours of this unusual coffee. We roast India Malabar Monsooned coffee very dark to bring out an enhance the smooth rich character and spicy undertones. In my opinion this is a great coffee for a summer cheese and wine party.

Sent with my very best wishes

Tony Higgins