Monsooned Coffee Beans a Gourmet Coffee Delight

Moisture-Laden Winds of Monsoon Season Produce Gourmet Coffee

In India a very fine gourmet coffee is produced by leaving the coffee beans out in open warehouses or spacious open-roof silos during the country's monsoon season. The monsooning of the coffee beans may last as long as three years.

India coffee in general is somewhat similar to Indonesian coffees including Java Arabica with a full body and an acidity somewhat similar to Guatemala Coffee. A fine India coffee exhibits spicy flavors including perhaps notes of cardamom, pepper, clove and nutmeg, and sometimes tropical fruit.

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Sweeter Beans Come from Monsooning Process

The result of the monsooning of the India coffee beans is that the coffee's sweetness and weakening the coffee's acidity which becomes somewhat muted, along with a heavy body. The flavors of the coffee may exhibit loamy or woody sensations with a pleasant intensity. These qualities make the monsooned coffees a great choice for adding a depth to espresso blends.

The monsooned coffee beans also change slightly in color, from the greenish tint of the processed coffee beans to more of a light brown or yellowish color.

The Monsooned Malabar Coffee grown in India has a complex flavor partially attributed to the fact that it is dry processed (unwashed; natural). Indian Monsooned Malabar coffee is generally very low in acids with a clean flavor that is slightly spicy and winey. Before roasting, the Monsoon Malabar coffee beans are a peanut-like light color and are a bit plumper and cleaner than coffee beans that have not been monsooned.

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India Monsooned Mysore Coffee, which also has a reduced acidity, are typically yellowish in color and produced a brewed coffee that takes on a syrupy flatness, sometimes quite heavy like an aged coffee. The Monsooned Mysore beans are blended with other beans to reduce the overall acidity while also adding rich and mellow qualities.

Mysore is a market name for superior quality wet processed (washed) coffees from the southern region in the state of Karnataka. This coffee is known for its rich and subtle taste which is complemented by a medium to full body and moderate though distinct acidity.

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Indian Coffee and Espresso Brewing Tips

For tips on brewing the perfect cup of Indian coffee see our section on coffee brewing. You can also read comprehensive coffee taste profiles of gourmet coffee and Espresso Drink Recipes for all of the most tasty and exciting specialty coffee drinks.

For tips on espresso brewing see our detailed instructions on Pulling A Perfect Espresso Shot, and if you really want to impress your friends then follow the guidelines in the Espresso Coffee Guides How to make Lattes and Cappuccinos including Steaming and Frothing Milk.