Monsooning and Nuggets
Coffee in India began when an Indian saint, Baba Budan, smuggled coffee seeds out of Yemen and planted them in South-Central India. Since then, India has become renowned for its quality and strict standards to only export the best beans.
Soon after the coffee beans were brought back, systematic production of the coffee began to occur and by the mid-19th century, British colonial rule over India, coffee became a major export of the country.
At present, Indian coffee is grown in three southern states: Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka. These regions are especially great for coffee growing given their seasonal monsoon rains, which has led Indian coffee to sometimes be called “Indian monsooned coffee”. Even more interesting, is that within these growing regions, the coffee is shade-grown and often planted alongside plants like cinnamon, clove, or nutmeg which can infuse the beans with an aromatic flavor.
All Indian coffee is shade-grown, under natural forest trees like Teak, Rosewood, Silver Oak and Jackfruit. This gives them protection from extensive daylight exposure, plus providing sanctuary for animals.
Coffee cherries are hand-picked under these canopies to ensure India's beans are picked at the peak of flavor.
Fun Fact: Monsoon Malabar is so light and large in size that only 50kg fits in a 60kg bag from origin. That's why we stock unique packaging sizes in this coffee variety.
These dry processed beans are exposed to moisture-laden monsoon winds from the Arabian Sea. Over the course of this 12-16 week process, the beans absorb moisture in stages, swell to nearly double their original size, and develop colors ranging from pale gold to light brown.
The end result is a unique, large bean with notes of black pepper, baker's chocolate, smokey tobacco & wood notes with medium body and medium acidity.
Perfect for French Press, the Monsooned Malabar also adds crema to your espresso.
Mysore Extra Bold Nuggets
"Mysore" is a traditional name for coffees from South-Central India, "Extra Bold" indicates the large size, and "Nuggets" suggest their valuable nature - like Gold.
They may have a mouthful for a name, but these beans are the best of the best Indian coffees you can have. They're 90% larger than the 7.55mm size standard and they tolerate no defects: no peaberries, broken bits, black beans, or extraneous matter.
Uniquely, these are washed, not monsooned. They're marked by intense flavor and rich finish of the final cup. Roasted at Full Medium, they cup with notes of caramel and creamy dark chocolate.